Midnight Paradox: ‘Fire Till Day’ goes nail-bitingly deep, both lyrically and musically!
Midnight Paradox is Ahmed Agha (Vocals, Songwriter) and Umar Jamshed (Guitars, Keyboards, Bass), two childhood friends based in Islamabad, Pakistan. The idea of making an album wasn’t conceived initially, as the Pakistani music industry has not been a flourishing one owing to the ongoing political violence and civil war that has been plaguing country during the last decade, explains the duo, even though the underground music scene is a fervent one.
However Ahmed randomly came up with a melody called ‘Fire Till Day’ which Umar thought should have been given a chance at recording. This subsequently led to another composition, which eventually induced the two into deciding to form a band of their own and record an album. The result is the 6 track ‘Fire Till Day’.
Midnight Paradox is an alternative rock band that manages to appeal to a wide demographic. Their style of music is open enough and friendly enough to the ears that almost anyone can get into their music.
From the unrestrained passion and angst singer Ahmed Agha wraps around every syllable on this album to the fiery guitar riffs unleashed by Umar Jamshed, it’s clear the band’s every second in the studio was put to good use. ‘Fire Till Day’ goes nail-bitingly deep, both lyrically and musically and the tracks are sequenced excellently, unraveling in clipped, fast-moving fashion.
The first thing that comes to the fore from track one, “Rolling Away”, is the feel of confidence that exudes from the music and production. You can hear it in the performances, the musical arrangement, as well as the mixing and effects used in the recording process.
Midnight Paradox has no fear of pushing the envelope ever so slightly in their songs, while still maintaining an excellent accessibility. The band has a relaxed and sprawling feel on “Runaway Man” with its lusciously layered acoustic and electric soundscape. This is good because it gives the recording variety, the same variety that exists throughout the album.
“Never Stop Fighting” with its atmospheric arrangement and Umar’s biting guitar sound, is a really exciting song if not the best track on the album, for me at least. Ahmed’s gravelly vocal delivery scrapes and boars through every crevasse in your soul.
“Overthrow” is absolutely radio ready with its hard-edged rhythm and powerful melody. This will give you a blood rush and spine tingling feeling, bar after bar, as the song moves towards its climax. The title song, ‘Fire Till Day’ is the most strongly sounding acoustic-guitar driven track on the album.
You’ll love this one. Ahmed’s voice remains powerful and the lyrics are very well-written. The drums, guitar, keyboard and bass will also leave you breathless as it does throughout all of the tracks.
Overall, the album is a great listen from start to finish. Whether you’re looking for a new alternative record to add to your collection, or are just getting into the genre, Midnight Paradox’s ‘Fire Till Day’ is a great album to get hold of. The catchy hooks, the strong, emotional lyrics, the superb vocals and overall musicality of the recordings are bound to stick with the listener each time this album is played.
