Hello, friends. Everything in the world is still terrible and seemingly getting worse. Nonetheless, it’s time for Staff Infections, our monthly glimpse into the listening habits of the Last Rites staff. Usually I tally up the albums with the most playlist appearances and determine an album of the month and a few runners-up. This month we have no runners-up, and our album of the month only appeared twice. However, a win is a win, so let us all recognize the achievement of venerable doom legends Paradise Lost in winning album of the month with Ascension. As Ascension has yet to be released, we have no review for you, but the folks around here love them some Paradise Lost, so I imagine one is forthcoming, if it’s not already out by the time this piece goes live. [Editor’s note: BOOM goes the dynamite]
In honor of Paradise Lost, for our group discussion this month, give us your favorite Paradise Lost album. Alternately, if you don’t particularly care for Paradise Lost, give us your favorite album from one of the other two “Peaceville Three” bands, Anathema or My Dying Bride. And if you don’t care for either of those bands… Well, you just can’t play. You may, however, share your playlist in the comments.
A lovely staff-curated Spotify playlist is available for you listening enjoyment just below. And with that, I will bid you all adieu until next month. It’s rough out there; keep your wits about you and keep your loved ones close.
- Zach Duvall
The Gathering – Mandylion
The Gathering – Nighttime Birds
The Gathering – How to Measure a Planet?
The Gathering – if_then_else
The Gathering – Souvenirs
The Gathering – Home - Danhammer Obstkrieg
Paradise Lost – Ascension
Hooded Menace – Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration
Bludgeon Oath – Covenant of Ashes
Akasha System -I
Lhinen – Cusp - Andrew Edmunds
Tangerine Dream – Poland
Paradise Lost – Ascension
Endless Swarm – The Body Hammer
Noisy Neighbors – Insolvent
Amorphis – Tales From The Thousand Lakes
Species – To Find Deliverance - Captain
Disharmonic Orchestra – Expositionsprophylaxe
Trichomoniasis – Terminal Inversion
Incinerated – Eaten Raw
Archaic Thorn – Malicious Spears
NoMeansNo – Wrong
Krystian Zimerman, Seiji Ozawa & the Boston Symphony Orchestra – Liszt: Piano Concertos 1&2 - Spencer Hotz
Hebephrenique – Decathexis
BYONOISEGENERATOR – Subnormal Dives
Floating – Hesitating Lights
Haunted Plasma – I
Phantom Spell – Heather & Hearth
Vauruvã – Mar da Deriva - Isaac Hams
Earl Sweatshirt – Live Laugh Love
Dio – The Last in Line
Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini
Enslaved – Below The Lights
Lankum – False Lankum
Charley Crockett – Dollar A Day - Blizzard of Jozzsh
Slayer – Hell Awaits
Krigsgrav – Fires in the Fall
Krigsgrav – Stormcaller
Agalloch – Ashes Against the Grain
Agalloch – The Mantle
Paradise Lost – Gothic - Lone Watie
Sometime In February – Where Mountains Hide
Tiktaalika – Gods Of Pangaea
Lux Terminus – Cinder
Atomic Time – Subsounds
Agropelter – The Book Of Hours
Discipline – Bread Crumbs - Jeremy Morse
Dying Fetus – Grotesque Impaelmet
Darkthrone – Arctic Thunder
Sodom – Tapping the Vein
Immolation – Acts of God
Arch Matheos – Winter Ethereal
Artillery – Terror Squad
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Dormant Ordeal – Tooth and Nail
Bloodywood – Nu Delhi
Clutch – Clutch
Clutch – Blast Tyrant
Clairvoyance – Chasm of Immurement
Tove Lo – Dirt Femme
As an admitted PL fanboy, this question is interesting. So many of their albums over the last 30 years (ick, maybe I should change fanboy to fanman…) have meant so many different things at so many different times. ‘Draconian Times’ is probably the right answer though. I blindly bought it when I was 15 in 1995, never having heard a note of the bands output, and it was near-goddamn life changing. ‘Icon’ and ‘Faith Divides Us’ have special places on my mantle, too.
oltreLuna – Progenie Terrestre Pura
Esoctrilihum – Eternity of Shaog
Ancestors – In Dreams and Time
Deftones – Private Music
Mastodon – Line at the Aragon
Mastodon – Live at Brixton
The Black Queen – Infinite Games
Old Man Gloom – Seminar VIII
Old Man Gloom – Seminar IX
Choosing a favourite Paradise Lost album is tough. In Requiem was the album that introduced me to the band so it will always remain a favourite for me. But the album that really blew me away was The Plague Within.
Die Spitz – Something to Consume
Black Country, New Road – Forever Howlong
Cathedral – The Ethereal Mirror
Lucrecia Dalton – A Danger to Ourselves
FKA twigs – Eusexua
Chelsea Wolfe – Abyss
I suppose I would have to present “The Plague Within” as my favorite Paradise Lost album. I have a very odd history with it which includes the end of 2015, the pandemic, and a more recent purchase of it on vinyl.
Forever, My Dying Bride, then Anathema, then Paradise Lost reflected my tastes regarding the Peaceville Three.
Black Sites – The Promised Land?
Fates Warning – Theories of Flight
Borknagar – True North
Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Part 1
I don’t know if it’s my favourite, but I’ve probably played The Plague Within the most since its release 10 years ago.