Sometimes all it takes is one shout into the void.
“I made a post on Facebook that said, ‘My name’s Jorge, I live in London and I play guitar. Anybody out there up for starting a metal band?’” guitarist Jorge Nunes explains to Hammer. “Adrian and Oliver replied to the ad, and that was it.”
That clarion call for kindred spirits became Perpetual Paradox, a ferocious new outfit, hellbent on restoring the primal thrill of the riff. Formed in 2021, the quintet – Adrian Caucelo (vocals), Oliver Miles and Jorge (guitars), André Luís De Barros (bass) and Harry Cook (drums) – deal in blistering metalcore that prizes hooks and precision over gimmickry. But beneath the technical muscle and hair-blowing velocity lies something deeply personal.
“One of my best friends died by suicide,” says Jorge, “and I told Adrian what I’d experienced and asked if he could write lyrics to tell that story. It would mean the world to me.”
Every single member has been through something heavy.
Jorge Nunes
That raw honesty runs through Deathwish, also the title of the band’s debut record. From top to bottom, these are songs borne from loss, fear, and the hope that someone else might recognise themselves in the wreckage.
“Every single member has been through something heavy,” he adds. “Every song represents something we’ve been through, and people can relate to that.”
Deathwish follows a rapid evolution through three EPs – Endless Cycle, Monophobia and Condemnation, each one a deliberate step up.
“We know music is completely subjective,” says Oliver. “But a lot of what’s out there now leans hard on downtuned chugs and noise pedals.”
Instead, Deathwish reaches for riffs that carry tension, release and catharsis. Ultimately, their sound is calibrated with a premium on the essentials: “Big riffs, unreal drumming, sick solos and really clever writing – with a bit of a metalcore twist,” grins Ollie.
IN SHORT
SOUNDS LIKE: A bone-rattling collision of melodic metalcore and technical death precision
FOR FANS OF: The Black Dahlia Murder, Shadow Of Intent, Cattle Decapitation
LISTEN TO: The Vice
