Album Review: Chaos Over Cosmos – The Hypercosmic Paradox (Self Released)

Chaos Over Cosmos will release their new album, The Hypercosmic Paradox, on December 15th, 2025, delivering a powerful blend of progressive and technical metal.

Founded in 2017, Chaos Over Cosmos is the international progressive metal and technical death project of Polish guitarist and composer Rafał Bowman. Over the years, Bowman has worked with a rotating line-up of vocalists from across the globe — Spain, the USA, Australia — all brought together through remote collaboration. That distance has never been a limitation; in fact, it’s become central to the project’s identity, allowing Chaos Over Cosmos to evolve in bold, unpredictable ways.

Their early releases — from the self-titled EP to II — showcased a band experimenting with melody and atmosphere, balancing intricate, neoclassical-influenced guitar work with spacey synths. By the time The Silver Lining Between the Stars arrived, it was clear the project had matured: heavier, more precise, yet still retaining the cinematic, sci-fi atmospheres that had always been their signature.

Now, on The Hypercosmic Paradox, Chaos Over Cosmos joins forces with Pakistani vocalist Taha Mohsin to push the project’s sound even further. On this new album, Chaos Over Cosmos look to explore technical solos, blistering precision, and cosmic ambiance with even more intensity than ever.

Chaos Over Cosmos is Rafał Bowman -on guitars, composing, synths, bass, drum programming and backing vocals, with Taha Mohsin on vocals and lyrics.

The Hypercosmic Paradox comes with five tracks and a total runtime of around 34 minutes, starting with the opener, Nostalgia for Something That Never Happened. It’s an interesting start, especially when considered against Chaos Over Cosmos’ catalogue to date. The sci-fi elements hit you right away, with plenty of synth, electronic drums and programming, yet it all combines neatly with blazing guitars and crunchy riffs. This opener is an instrumental and really sets the scene for the cosmic journey we are about to embark on.

The guitars are played at lightning pace much of the time, and combined with the electronic foundation, they create an atmosphere reminiscent of spinning out of control through a wormhole. It’s exhilarating, and its four-and-a-half-minute runtime of virtuoso guitar playing passes in a flash.

That momentum moves us into When The Void Laughs, where we are treated to guitars at absurd speeds in the intro, backed by frantic programmed drums. The guitars drop into melodic passages, giving us our first taste of the vocals. Harsh, deep and powerful, they suit the style perfectly and blend seamlessly with the track – you wouldn’t think this was all pieced together remotely.

With vocals now in the mix, the guitars and drums pull back slightly, which actually helps structure the track and adds rhythm. The sci-fi effects remain mostly in the background, occasionally surfacing, while the guitars blaze like a sun when they take over, delivering waves of technical patterns, screaming melodies and progressive solos. Clocking in at around nine minutes, it’s a long track, but with so much happening and so many rhythmic transitions, it’s surprisingly easy to follow and never dull.

Event Horizon Rebirth intelligently drops the tempo for a focused intro. Strong melodies combine with ethereal effects and a solid drumbeat, leading into an impressive solo before the track settles into punchy rhythms, strong vocals and metallic riffs. It’s catchy and headbang-ready, with verses punctuated by sections of guitar wizardry and a proper chorus that hits perfectly.

The guitar melodies blend wonderfully with the vocals and backing, while progressive and technical elements continue to shine in waves of astonishing guitar work. The atmospheric side remains consistent throughout The Hypercosmic Paradox, maintaining continuity across the album.

The penultimate track, The Cosmo-Agony: Requiem, delivers exactly what you would expect from Chaos Over Cosmos: phenomenal solos and melodies from the guitars, frantic drums, and layers of synth and electronica. When it settles for short vocal passages, there’s a brief sense of relief, giving the listener a moment to breathe.

It’s a dense, nearly ten-minute track, but the hypnotic quality of the guitars and constant changes and transitions make the time fly. The vocals add structure and depth, matching the pace and intensity of the guitars perfectly. The speed and complexity are relentless, yet the track never feels overwhelming – it keeps you locked in.

The Hypercosmic Paradox closes with The Fractal Mechanism, more of an outro than a full track at around 90 seconds. Purely electronica with sampled effects and programmed drums, it finalises the sense of journey, providing a satisfying sense of closure.

The Hypercosmic Paradox is another impressive display of Chaos Over Cosmos’ technical skill and musical ambition. Rafał Bowman and Taha Mohsin deliver layers of virtuoso guitar work, intricate rhythms, powerful vocals and cosmic atmospheres, showcasing a huge amount of talent. It’s undeniably busy, with constant changes, rapid-fire solos and complex structures, and the heavy use of programmed drums and electronics may put off purists. That said, for listeners who enjoy technical, progressive metal with a sci-fi edge, it’s a thrilling, high-energy journey from start to finish.

Track List:

01. Nostalgia for Something That Never Happened
02. When the Void Laughs
03. Event Horizon Rebirth
04. The Cosmo-Agony: Requiem
05. The Fractal Mechanism

Chaos Over Cosmos Links

Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook |