Ascension [CD], Paradise Lost, CD

Five years after the triumphant "Obsidian" (#2 in Germany, #4 Switzerland, #5 Austria), British kings of doom'n'gloom are back! Blending Metallica-esque riffage, Type-O heaviness, and Nick Holmes' vocals between Gahan, Eldritch and death growl, PARADISE LOST and their new album "Ascension" are a shining example that some bands get better with age! "More than three decades into their career, and with over two million albums sold, Paradise Lost remain the undisputed kings of metal's dark side. Formed in Halifax in 1988, the band quickly became noted as the pioneers of gothic metal through their early groundbreaking albums like 1991's aptly-titled Gothic, a mixture of heaviness intertwined with shadowy melody and atmosphere. Never a group to remain creatively static, across their career they've explored a myriad of avenues of dark music, from sludgy doom-death roots, to conquering the metal mainstream with the enormous, lush sounds of 1995's Draconian Times, to more experimental, electronic leanings, leaving an influence on a trail of artists as varied as Cradle Of Filth, HIM, Gatecreeper and Chelsea Wolfe. Now, in 2025, the Yorkshire quintet return with their staggering 17th album, Ascension, a record that sees their crown continue to gleam as it underlines just how they attained their position. Produced by guitarist Gregor Mackintosh at Black Planet studios in East Yorkshire, with drums and vocals captured at NBS and Wasteland studios in Sweden, it's 10 tracks traverse the multitude of sounds in the band's arsenal, from full-bore heavy metal to sky-high melody, all the while keeping a minor-key melancholy that remains irresistible.