Is it fall yet? Not quite. But doom ‘n’ gloom promptly appears on the menu again. And this time, wistful roaring reaches us from the cold and windy island nation of the UK.
Together with their brethren from Bradford, Paradise Lost pretty much set the gold standard for all things doom over the years. Especially their return to in-yer-face tearful woe with The Plague Within indeed cemented this act’s place in Doom’s Hall ov Fame.
So, the band’s 17th full-length record Ascension finally appeared on our mighty radar. An impressive feat that not many bands managed to achieve so far. But, such an abundance of material also bears risks. Will Paradise Lost be able to transform gold further, or will the metal revert to iron? Many an alchemist has tried this in the past. Diamonds or rust, that is the question.
First impression? Ascension finds Paradise Lost in fine form. And that might be an understatement. Serpent on the Cross already hits you like a hammer blow. This is heaviness writ large, and kind of unusual for this act. A nicely-paced ode set in Doom Death Metal, complete with burly riffs and solos. But also with one Nick Holmes on fire. The master of souls behind the band came a long way from his still often prevalent clears and morphed a lot of the vocal performance into a cranky croak imbued with powerful belted vocals whenever the production warranted it.
The aforementioned The Plague Within already fostered some of today’s power. But it came in at a funeral pace in long and drawn-out phrases (Beneath Broken Earth, for instance). Yet, Ascension hit a power switch somewhere and rendered those 50 Shades ov Doom powerful again. And that means faster, louder, angrier – and much, much better. You’ll find one of the juiciest advances in songwriting this reviewer has ever witnessed. In other words, whilst most olde bands farm the musical soundscapes they know best, these guys went ahead for moar. Much moar.
Said differently, Paradise Lost didn’t shy away from visiting other territories as well in between their very own funeral musings. Salvation, for instance, sounds like the Epitome ov Doom. A powerful selection of slow-marching, bell-fueled, almost funeral woe. Bestowed with expert yet delicate progression, outstanding solos, and a measured stomp that befits the movement of the hearse. Diluvian finds itself exercising slowed-down Gojira-esque antics, amidst meaty doom riffs, and an Iommi-esque1 solo.
Or visit The Precipice. Starting with a mournful piano intro, it devolves into a pensive yet (almost) perfect Gothic Metal piece. Darkest melancholy, painted on an extremely large canvas in dreary grey colors. But Sirens really got our attention. At first, you’ll think there’s nothing to see here. But then, suddenly, the track grows some airs. Unfuckingbelivably, some thrashy Metallica vibes appear. Doomy thrash slammed onto the harshest metallik vibes in the midst of grouchily belted vocals. A track that left us with our mouths agape. For a few seconds, at least. There are more examples, of course. But let’s stop the praise right here, lest this gets out of hand.
Finally, Ascension turned into a thunderclap of a record. Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect. Medusa and Obsidian gave us hope, but none too much. But nobody in this crew here would have anticipated seeing this level of musical craftsmanship. Powerful vocals rightly placed, otherworldly guitar work, the drums providing that vital backbone. And powerfully so.
The record is a pro job, if ever there was one. Not one of the tracks is bad, and every one of them is different in some way. The RMR crew found an outstanding, ferociously powerful production going hand-in-hand with stellar songsmithing. And whilst Paradise Lost lustily gallivanted across different genres, they never let you forget that Doom Central is driving this. A grey and dark soundscape that keeps on giving.
So, did we get diamonds or rust in the end? Or perhaps, more gold? Well, Ascension is a trve Gem ov Doom, no contest. Diamonds, it is.
Record Rating: 9/10 | Label: Nuclear Blast | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 19 September 2025
- The guitar dude from Black Sabbath.-↩