Misery. Sorrow. Doom. Welcome to Halifax. Since 1988, UK gloomsters Paradise Lost have been dishing out the most downcast and despondent riffs known to man, and on their seventeenth studio album Ascension (Nuclear Blast Records), they prove once again there’s still plenty of despair to be mined.
Photo credit: Ville Jurrikkala
Even the title, which on the surface sounds like it could actually be something positive and affirming, only really points out that although people continually strive to improve themselves, to become better human beings, the ultimate reward is only ever death. Yeah, cheers, guys. Thanks for that.
For anyone remotely familiar with the band though, this in itself is a paradoxical reason for celebration. As the band have shown time and time again, the more dismal the thoughts, the more content the fans. You could argue happy, but there’s no such thing. Happy Paradise Lost fans are basically unicorns, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus. But clinically depressed.
Bringing the latest fifty-odd minute glimmer of joy to the darkness, epic opener “Serpent on the Cross” begins with crushing doom before gathering pace as vocalist Nick Holmes growls cheerful lines like, “Your lonely soul will rot.” “Tyrants Serenade” follows, the classic style cut, blessed with a slow groove and Holmes sounding like (deceased Type O Negative singer) Pete Steele, bassist Steve Edmondson producing some fine basslines during the songs quieter moments.
“Salvation” Opens with church bells before guitarists Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy combine with returning drummer Jeff Singer for a thunderous seven-minute funereal dirge. Growls combine with clean vocals as the song increases momentum and becomes another top-quality attention grabber. Songs like “Silence Like the Grave,” “Sirens” and “Deceivers” possess an uptempo Metallica-style groove while still remaining suitably miserable as the sensational “Diluvium” adds a vintage Celtic Frost crawl to the mix.
“Lay a Wreath Upon the World” is a multifaceted powerhouse while “Savage Days” finds Holmes on top form, delivering arguably his best clean vocals on the record – a definite highlight with serious Katatonia vibes. Finally, after opening with piano keys and slow, colossal doom chords, towering closer “The Precipice” shifts and uncoils relentlessly, giving the record a perfectly weighted climax.
Boasting a beefy production and some of the mightiest compositions from the band since the nineties, Ascension is another overwhelming success for the frowny five-piece. Portentous and ominous, the riffs are massive, the rhythm section a finely tuned machine, and Holmes’s vocals are nothing short of magnificent. Another absolute masterclass in misery.
Buy the album here:
https://amzn.to/47NQlX4
9 / 10
GARY ALCOCK
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