It might be hard to believe, but Paradise Lost’s return to their doom/death roots on The Plague Within is now a full decade old. This makes them almost double veterans of their own sound, now masterfully blending their two most celebrated eras and styles while finding a consistency in songwriting they haven’t possessed really since the mid-90s. The albums that followed The Plague Within have thus far all followed the same general blueprint in terms of this blend: a combination of Nick Holmes’ growls and singing, Gregor Mackintosh’s melodic and haunting leads, and songs that range from catchy rock-structured drives to more morose, doomy dirges. It’s a pretty golden formula.
If we apply this first question to their latest album Ascension, we find that the answer is mostly the latter of those two choices–Paradise Lost doesn’t suddenly inject their formula with a new style or bring back the Depeche Mode-isms of their late 90s albums. This new record (their 17th album of original material, if you can believe it) largely follows the blueprint set in the last decade, making those small tweaks – in this case a push to an even more gothic atmosphere and a heightened emphasis on dynamics – to give it a slight touch of distinction while, yes, relying on the band’s long-established knack for writing great tunes.
Which is exactly how Ascension can actually surprise. At this point, knowing that Paradise Lost isn’t going to suddenly throw us a stylistic knuckle-curve, what we as fans hope for (that second question above) are a few really strong tunes to anchor things while the rest of the album provides at worst solid goods. Ascension, thankfully, does more than this bare veteran minimum, surprising though the songcraft if not the style, while providing some particularly great highlights.
Chief among the anchor tunes is “Salvation,” which, spoiler alert, is an instant Paradise Lost classic. At times – when it’s all morose harmonized leads and gobliny growls – it’s as close as the band has ever come to imitating their peers in My Dying Bride. Elsewhere, during the chorus, it’s a soaring, almost uplifting collection of melodies led by Holmes’ bright singing. These stark contrasts, the song’s sometimes sudden shifts, and a few well-timed Mackintosh solos highlight exactly how dynamic Paradise Lost is on this song and record. They also play with that sense of dynamics, at one point teasing a finish with a massive crescendo only to stop and drop into the doomiest material on the album. It’s all rather grandiose for a band that has often achieved through being more reserved, and the result is an absolutely stunning track.
Ascension thankfully has more than one big highlight, and is sequenced to put the initial emphasis on such songs. For example, the bombastic and stunning “Diluvium” sits between “Lay a Wreath upon the World” and “Savage Days,” both of which contrast the loftier songs with that aforementioned reserve and beauty. But the more you listen, the more those subtler tunes begin to stand out due to the talents of the band, especially the obvious stars in Holmes and Mackintosh. The former might give the most diverse vocal performance of his career, from his strengthening growls (he sounds far more confident in this area than he did a decade ago) and burly roars (heard in the just-mentioned “Diluvium”) to softer singing and baritone crooning. Mackintosh, meanwhile, peppers every song with those hooky leads, sad harmonies, and his emotive soloing. Like his longtime songwriting partner, he gives a stellar performance throughout, sounding downright Iommian on several of the many solos.
Given enough time, the whole of Ascension ought to worm its way into your mind, due as much to the strong songcraft as the band’s smart decision to lean on its stars. From the Type O vibes of “Tyrants Serenade” and hefty-hefty drive (and killer closing growl) of “Silence like the Grave” to the harmonized, descending bridge section in “Sirens” and the theatrical and extra gothy doom/death of closer “The Precipice,” this is an inspired, varied, and fiery set of songs. It won’t have the shock factor that The Plague Within provided when it brought back the death metal vocals, but it feels as strong as anything the band has done in their stylistic “blended” era.
More than anything, Ascension further hammers down the impression that Paradise Lost could keep doing this well into their elder years. After all, this is a band that already sounded old when they were teenagers. Why not keep playing grizzled, grumpy, and sad music for decades more? As long as they’re still able to write at this level and find tiny ways to keep twisting their formula, the goods will keep coming. Ascension ought to answer the question of what exactly Paradise Lost fans want in 2025 with a resounding “THIS.”
