''Overcome or Burn Forever in Hell/Arachnid Terror Sampler'' is an EP by

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

band Paradox combined with a sampler album featuring fourteen different artists, released in 2002 by the band's own Tarantula Promotions label. Limited to five hundred copies, it contains two songs by Paradox, which were the final recordings of that band, along with a compilation of fourteen songs previously recorded by their respective artists. The album's musical style was described as

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

, with the various genres on the album falling under black metal,

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. G ...

, deathcore, and

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

. Apart from Paradox, the other artists represented on the album include Soul Embraced, Sanctifica, Frosthardr,

Frost Like Ashes Frost Like Ashes is a Christian black metal band that formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 2001. The band has released two EPs - ''Born to Pieces'' and ''Pure as the Blood Covered Snow'' - and a full-length album, ''Tophet'', and their songs have ...

, Kekal, Pantokrator, and Tortured Conscience, among others. According to Paradox founder Michael "John Tarantula", the release was a result of his newsletter project, ''Fangs of Life'', which he published through his Tarantula Promotions label.

Critical reception

''Overcome or Burn Forever in Hell'' received moderate praise from critics:

Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. Hi ...

gave the album six out of ten squares, Imperiumi rated the album a six-minus out of ten, and ''

HM Magazine ''HM Magazine'' is a monthly, digital and print on demand publication focusing on hard music and alternative culture of interest to Christians. It is headquartered in Houston, Texas. The magazine states that its goal is to "honestly and accurate ...

'' writer Matt Morrow rated the album eight-and-a-half out of ten. Cross Rhythms labelled the Paradox tracks as "average", and stated that "much of the extreme metal on the remainder of the disc is both a sonic quagmire and structural disaster." However, the appearances of Soul Embraced and Kekal were praised by the reviewer as the highlights of the album, mentioning that both artists "would be worthy competitors in the mainstream market." The reviewer also bestowed praise on Inversion, calling that band's track "a satisfying death-core nugget that is close to perfect, save for its meandering and lifeless finale". However, the songs by Ganglia, Sanctifica, and Encryptor were criticised. Matt Morrow was more favourable to the album, criticising the material by Paradox as sub-par and not produced well but calling the rest of the album "high quality stuff to say the least." Morrow listed the cuts by Frost Like Ashes, Kekal, Stronghold, and Soul Embraced as his favourite on the release. Imperiumi.net also criticised the production quality of the Paradox tracks, but praised Sanctifica, Kekal, and Pantokrator, also noting the appearances of Frosthardr, Frost Like Ashes, Stronghold, Sorrow Storm, and Bleakwail.

Track listing

''Overcome or Burn Forever in Hell''

#"Overcome (Victory in Christ)" #"Burning Forever"

''Arachnid Terror Sampler''

# Soul Embraced – "Unborn" # Sanctifica – "Red Alert" #Sorrowstorm – "Chanting the Last Passages" # Tortured Conscience – "Internal Torment" # Frosthardr – "Unhuman Morbid Fantasy" #Ganglia – "Suddenly Destroyed" #Oblivion – "Sovereign God" #Bleakwail – "Passionate Peace" #Encryptor – "Rebrutalization" #

– "Adorers of Blood" #Inversion – "Independence" # Kekal – "Mean Attraction" # Pantokrator – "Divine Light" #Stronghold – "Tears"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Overcome or Burn Forever in Hell Arachnid Terror Sampler 2003 EPs 2003 compilation albums Paradox (British band) albums Black metal EPs Black metal compilation albums Death metal compilation albums Grindcore compilation albums Doom metal compilation albums Deathcore albums