From their debut EP in 2022, you could tell that Perpetual Paradox were destined to be a well-known name in not only the UK metal scene but beyond. Whilst that first EP was fairly bare bones, their debut album, Deathwish, which dropped in 2025, was their most concise and heaviest to that point. Now swaying slightly away from the death metal you’ve known and loved, the band have brought another offering to the table in the form of May Misery Befall You.
While it’s an EP that only spans five songs over the course of twenty-two minutes, it’s a sprawling effort that shows everything they have at their disposal. The technical riffs, the engulfing drums and the incendiary vocals are all still here and sharper than ever. But as the opening track, ‘Bound And Strangled By A Black Snake’, starts, you’re greeted to an ominous echoing piano before the guitars of Oliver Miles & Jorge Nunes quietly and softly raise in volume before you’re consumed by Adrian Caucelo’s vocals knocking you out of the atmospheric trance with Harry Cook’s blast beats in tow.
“For a band that's been around for only half a decade, their songwriting is immaculate.”
From that moment the band holds you in its grasp tightly, unwilling to release you. There are some moments in the album where more melodic moments appear from seemingly nowhere that are beautifully inserted and are a stark contrast to the contorted genre bending. But as you feel that moment of comfort, it’s not long before the carnage starts back up again with more bite.
Perpetual Paradox have nailed all front on this EP. Do you want unbridled aggression? ‘Source Of Hate’ fills that hole immeasurably. Do you need more technical prowess in your metal? ‘Smell The Rot’ handles it with precision. For a band that’s been around for only half a decade, their songwriting is immaculate. You can tell they’ve carefully crafted this EP by uniting everything in their arsenal, from death metal to melodic melodies.
They built their name in the UK underground since their inception; now with May Misery Befall You, they’re no longer going to be the best-kept secret. But instead, a name you’re going to see more of as they rise through the ranks.