Swiss progressive metallers STEREOPHRENICS make their full-length debut with “Paracosm 2.0”, a dark and atmospheric record where heavy riffs, gothic tension and theatrical vocals keep slipping in and out of focus. It feels less like a straight metal album and more like wandering through somebody else’s subconscious with the lights flickering.
The album revolves around altered states of consciousness, imaginary worlds and the uneasy border between reality and perception. That concept suits the music perfectly: STEREOPHRENICS rarely stay in one place for long, moving from heavy progressive passages into melancholy keyboards, quieter interludes and more dramatic vocal sections.
“Hypnagogia” acts as a short doorway into the record before “Paracosm” opens the whole landscape. At over six minutes, it balances weight and melody with a strong chorus and enough atmosphere to make the title feel earned.
“Pace Ad Infinitum” keeps the darker mood alive, while “State Of Paradox” is one of the album’s strongest pieces. Female and male vocals answer each other across shifting riffs and keyboard passages, creating a real sense of psychological tension rather than simply stacking layers for effect.
“Anima Lumina”, sung in Italian, brings a different texture into the middle of the album, while “Lilith” works as a short, eerie interlude. “Morpheus” then pulls the record back into heavier territory before “Oneiric” closes things on a brief, dreamlike note.
Elisa Colacioppo’s voice is a major part of what gives STEREOPHRENICS their identity. Her more lyrical delivery contrasts well with Thijs Kos’ backing vocals and the heavier instrumental side, giving the music a gothic edge without pushing the band into full symphonic-metal bombast.
The influences are easy enough to trace — PAIN OF SALVATION, EVERGREY, EPICA, LACUNA COIL and THE GATHERING all sit somewhere in the background — but “Paracosm 2.0” works because the band do not simply copy any one of them. The record feels rougher, stranger and more restless than that.
For a debut album, there is already a strong sense of personality here: progressive without becoming clinical, gothic without drowning in velvet, and heavy without losing the atmosphere.
Country: Switzerland
Label: Greensunlight Productions
Genre: Progressive Metal / Gothic Metal / Atmospheric Metal
Release date: October 21, 2026
Format: Digital
Total time: 35:17
Tracklist:
01 – Hypnagogia (1:25)
02 – Paracosm (6:35)
03 – Pace Ad Infinitum (5:16)
04 – State Of Paradox (7:40)
05 – Anima Lumina (6:03)
06 – Lilith (1:47)
07 – Morpheus (4:02)
08 – Oneiric (2:29)
Elisa Colacioppo – Vocals
Giovanni Tramparulo – Guitars
Nicola Giandomenico – Keyboards, Samples
Thijs Kos – Bass, Backing Vocals
Valentin Boada – Drums
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Serge Moratel at REC Studio, Geneva
or leave a comment.
Restoration time: 1–24 hours
before reporting an issue.
