Paradox Obscur – Afterhours (EP – Paradox Obscur)
Genre/Influences: Minimal-Electro, Cold-Wave.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: After having released last year their fifth full length album (cf. “Morphogenesis”) Greek male-female duo Paradox Obscur strike back with a new self-released single/EP. Toxic Razor and Kriistal Ann like to release new material which isn’t always published by a label.
Content: The work takes off with the title song revealing the familiar cold, sterile sound approach composed with hardware equipment and recorded in real time. You’ll notice retro-like techno sounds running through the song featuring Kriistal Ann’s cold timbre of voice on top. Both other cuts are instrumentals.
+ + + : This band remains very unique in its genre; for the sound and global approach of production. Total minimalism has been adapted into a band with a very own sound DNA -which is also true for the vocals. The sound remains magic and the vocals bewitching. There’s a cool title song next to two fully enjoyable instrumentals which are much more than B-side cuts. “Nyx” is a more elaborated piece while “Western Decline” still has this retro Technoid underground touch.
– – – : Despite the two cool instrumentals, I’m missing a few vocals lines on it.
Conclusion: Definitely not the best Paradox Obscur but still very cool and highly recommended for Minimal-Electro lovers.
Best songs: “Afterhours”, “Nyx”, “Western Decline”.
Rate: 7½.
Artist: www.paradoxobscur.com / www.facebook.com/paradoxobscur
About Paradox Obscur
Paradox Obscur is a Greek duo of Kriistal Ann and Kostas Stavropoulos, known as Toxic Razor, who also records as Metal Disco. The pair build their Minimal-Electro sound exclusively on hardware synthesizers and drum machines, with every track recorded in real time rather than assembled with software instruments.
Their fifth full-length album, “Morphogenesis”, was released in May 2022. The duo went on to release their sixth album, “IKONA”, via Metropolis Records at the end of 2025, described by the band as their most electronic work to date.
The self-released “Afterhours” EP reviewed here followed “Morphogenesis”, continuing the duo’s practice of putting out material outside their album cycle without a label.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
