First they got drunk, then proceeded to forge “volcanic rock” and chose a name : Paradise. The next day, they came up with a title for their first album: Rock Anthropologists on the Kon Tiki Voyage. Obviously they were still drunk. Co-founders and fellow guitar players, Frank Kelly and Jet Phil, still thinking that they had a great concept on their hands, started the rock riff machine and came up with a bunch ofkick-ass rock and roll. Pretty soon, every track was assigned a tittle and, what do you know, they were all taken from a Kon-Tiki drink menu. It all made a lot of sense… Within days, the record started to take shape. By this time, also on board was guitar master and Sword’s axeman Mike Plant. Paradise was happening… Frank and Phil then recruited good friends, underground icon Xavier Caféine and drum god Michel “Away” Langevin of Voivod, to help out. Pretty soon, Paradise became big and loud… The record was then sent to Glen Robinson (Voivod, Tea Party, Sword, Probot and many more) to be mixed and mastered. Fall of 2002 Paradise came alive with the release of Rock Anthropologists on the Kon Tiki Voyage. Summer of 2004:The boys were now ready for another roller-coaster ride. The usual suspects were rounded-up, including bass man Fred Kelly. Now transported from the beaches of the South Pacific to the famous and even infamous hotels of this world, they began to work on Paradise’s follow-up “Hotel”. Everybody was ready for the trip. During the sessions in the summer of 2004, they were blessed with the inspirational collaboration of Voivod’s guitar pioneer, the late but great Denis “Piggy” D’Amour who left his stamp on a couple of titles before losing his battle to illness in august of 2005. Mixed and mastered again by Glen Robinson, Paradise’s Hotel was released in the winter of 2005 and once again it all made a lot of sense. 2019: With the will of the volcanic rock gods, the resurrection of Paradise was inevitable. Composed of Frank Kelly (guitars), Fred Kelly (bass), RL Black (vocals), Fred Crew Grrr (guitars) and Mat Hias (drums), Paradise, like a phoenix that is reborn from its ashes, releases a new eponymous album that sways on the line between hard rock and pure heavy metal (mixed and mastered by Kevin Jardine from Slaves On Dope). From the opening piece “Straight From Hell” to the final “Free in Exile”, Paradise delivers an album where the balance between catchy riffs, attitude, intensity and melodies is perfect.
2020:
The relentless grip of the pandemic forced the band to reluctantly cancel its scheduled activities, dimming the stage lights on their eagerly anticipated performances.
Still, they released a series of music videos for four of the 3rd album’s songs, namely; “Straight From Hell”, “Hitting On All Sixes”, “Lowdown And Shaking” and “Who
Do You Wanna Be”, in addition to the electrifying “From The Van” live sessions, captured within the retro confines of vintage vans.
2022 -2023:
After the prolonged hiatus induced by the challenges of the pandemic, the rock band found themselves ready to ignite the stage once again. They embarked on a series of concerts throughout the province of Québec, including being the opening act for the legendary Canadian metal band “Anvil”. Today, with changes to their lineup; guitarist Pépé Poliquin (Endast, BornBroken), and newcomer Alexx Ponta on drums, Paradise once again delves into the songwriting process, forging a collection of new tracks that echo with the unmistakable intensity inherent to their genre.
To be continued…