OK, kids, here’s your damned Paradise Lost review. I defaulted into this one because either the rest of the staff had no interest or too much bias. Why am I giving away this little secret? Mostly to give you a background and introduction to the fact that I have very few points of reference here. The only Paradise Lost album I own is Draconian Times, and the only other one I’ve heard in its entirety is Symbol of Life. So, if you’ve come looking for an in-depth analysis and references to albums of yore like Lost Paradise and Icon, please sadly turn away and find another review. If you don’t give a fuck about comparisons and just want an honest, unbiased take on In Requiem, by all means, read on.
This is a good album. Although I’ll leave the argument of whether it’s a good Paradise Lost album to you, I will say that this could easily be the follow up to Draconian Times, as it has the same overall feel as that one, maintaining a doom-like pace while incorporating goth-like vocals and other related, ambient elements. “Never For The Damned” is a strong opener, with some heavy riffs and quickly memorable vocal hooks. A bit more rockin’ is “The Enemy,” which does so without sacrificing any of the band’s core elements. This is followed by “Praise Lamented Shade” which does a 180 and brings things down to a dirge. I’ve always liked bands that can turn on a dime like that and not lose anything in the transition. You know how some bands can pull off one or the other but suck when they do the opposite? Not here. I suppose that all comes with being a well-weathered, veteran act. Oh, and I can’t leave this without commenting on another standout track, “Fallen Children,” which slowly builds from slow-to-mid-to-fast paced from verse to bridge to chorus. Outstanding.
So the guitar playing is solid and keyboard used effectively to fill in some of the open space, but I have to say that the drumming here impressed me the most. It really drives the entire album, aside from just setting the tempos. Every now and then you just pick up on a random hi-hat fill or an extra crash that just seems to add so much despite being such a small thing.
In Requiem is more likely to be a title for a greatest hits, live, or otherwise final album. This almost sounds like a rebirth, based on what I’ve heard regarding the band’s most recent output, and its good to hear this kind of vitality out of them after all this time, while other veteran acts continue to repeat themselves and simply create the illusion of freshness.
