Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Genre: Gothic Metal / Doom Metal / Death-Doom
Release Date: Out Now!!!
Line Up:
Nick Holmes – Vocals
Gregor Mackintosh – Lead Guitar, Keyboards
Aaron Aedy – Rhythm Guitar
Stephen Edmondson – Bass
Jeff Singer – Drums
Tracklist:
Serpent On The Cross
Tyrants Serenade
Salvation
Silence Like The Grave
Lay A Wreath Upon The World
Diluvium
Savage Days
Sirens
Deceivers
The Precipice
Why do sad songs resonate with us so deeply? The answer lies in how sound waves interact with our limbic system—the emotional command center of our brain. In essence, music tinged with sorrow creates space for deep personal contemplation and emotional processing. After nearly four decades in the game, Paradise Lost has mastered the art of crafting soul-crushing sonic landscapes. Their newest offering, Ascension, weaves darkness and despair with grace and vitality.
The record’s name references concepts of what may lie beyond our mortal existence—whether another dimension or consciousness awaits after we cease to exist physically. The cover art features George Frederic Watts’ painting The Court of Death, reflecting how the band grapples with humanity’s eternal questions. Yet Holmes’ philosophy hasn’t wavered: divinity is an illusion, paradise doesn’t exist, and mortality is our only guarantee.
Here’s the bottom line: this is their finest achievement in ten years, surpassing everything except The Plague Within from 2015, while easily eclipsing both Obsidian and Medusa. What elevates this release is the compositional craft and immersive mood these veterans conjure. The opening sounds immediately signal you’re about to experience something remarkable. The sonic texture manages to be both transparent and punishing. The extended gap between releases—partly due to the pandemic, when Mackintosh and Holmes channeled their creativity into the Icon 30 project—allowed for deeper artistic development.
Their signature melancholic aesthetic remains unmistakable. Previous strengths transform into fresh compositions that simultaneously push toward unexplored territory. While this evolutionary approach mirrors their past work, Ascension achieves an elusive flow between compositions that defies easy description. Tranquil, understated segments contrast sharply with explosive rage and fierce intensity unlike anything in their previous catalog. The slower, doomier sections breathe naturally, maximizing their power, while aggressive passages land with laser-focused precision.
The advance tracks clearly signal this is punishing material. Tyrants Serenade hits with devastating force and incredible memorability, Serpent on the Cross launches the album so powerfully it risks making everything else pale in comparison, and Silence Like the Grave blends ethereal elements with annihilating heaviness. Yet every composition holds its own. Holmes delivers vocals with a nuanced emotional depth that only decades of artistry can produce. His transitions between melodic singing and guttural roars flow seamlessly and authentically. Mackintosh’s fretwork reaches extraordinary heights, his melodic phrases intensifying the bleakness.
The expansive Salvation showcases primarily clean vocals in a mournful composition that interweaves their career-spanning signatures into a multi-dimensional expression of hopelessness. Lay a Wreath Upon the World delivers genuine surprise with Heather Thompson’s captivating performance adding an unusual flavor. Diluvium crawls forward menacingly before its mid-track tempo shift delivers the album’s single most impactful sequence. The vitality is contagious, the performance impeccable.
Savage Days channels the moody gothic grandeur reminiscent of their One Second period from ’97. Its understated approach proves remarkably powerful. Sirens follows a similar path to some degree, with Holmes’ gritty delivery echoing their Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us era. Rather than just another well-crafted song with appealing passages, this represents a deliberately architected emotional odyssey. How they balance illumination with shadow, elegance with brutality, optimism with bleakness displays sophistication born from extensive experience. Deceivers evokes memories of their Icon and Draconian Times glory days, led by unforgettable melodic hooks.
The final track, The Precipice, offers reflective piano passages that somehow manage to feel simultaneously mournful and encouraging. It’s exactly the kind of conclusion Paradise Lost excels at, sending listeners away with a glimmer of optimism. The emotional arc traversed throughout Ascension resolves in a manner that satisfies while deliberately remaining somewhat ambiguous.
Ascension represents a complete victory—an authentic Paradise Lost creation that meets impossibly high standards with passages of brilliance. It’s crushing, gorgeous, and emotionally obliterating while evoking the comfort of returning home after extended travels. Fundamentally, this remains pure Paradise Lost DNA, though the band has expanded their toolkit for constructing their distinctive atmosphere. This release will undoubtedly ignite passionate discussions about its placement within their impressive body of work. I’ll make my position clear: Ascension stands above everything they’ve ever created. This is their magnum opus.
Written by: Shadow Editor
Ratings: 9/10
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