https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Paradise Lost Reshape Their Horizons

Take that, faith and death.It?s a well-known fact that when Paradise Lost are heavy, life is just better. As the most commercially successful of the original Peaceville Three — the other two being My Dying Bride and Anathema — who came up in the UK and boldly changed the landscape of the metal underground with releases like 1991?s Gothic and 1992?s Shades of God, Paradise Lost have amassed a loyal following setting them apart from almost any other band. They?re gothic, but they?re death metal, they?re melodic, but their heaviness is unquestionable. For a while there they were even a disco band. On their new release, Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us (Century Media), it?s abundantly clear they?re over that one.

If there are any resonant trademarks that have existed throughout the many phases and faces of Paradise Lost, they are result of the consistency of the players, who apart from new drummer Adrian Erlandsson (ex-At the Gates, The Haunted, Cradle of Filth, etc.) are the same today as they were in 1988. Happy to say the riffing of Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy brings serious metallic weight to tracks like opener ?As Horizons End? and the start-stop cadence of ?The Rise of Denial.? Erlandsson also turns in a remarkable performance on the latter, tapping his ride cymbal to lend the song an accent that blends well with Stephen Edmondson?s subtle bass work.

Not sure if this is a current band pic or not, but I know it's from later than 1990, so that's something at least.The title track and slower ?Last Regret? provide the requisite balladry, Mackintosh?s keyboard playing piano under the emotional vocals of heralded frontman Nick Holmes. On ?Last Regret,? he could be Jonas Renkse of Katatonia and on ?Frailty,? his growls pervade over shots of double bass and churning deathly riffs produced with that machine-distortion tone so identifiable with Fascination Street Studios, where the album was recorded by Jens Bogren. As they began a turn toward darker, heavier sounds on 2007?s In Requiem, so now Paradise Lost continue that path with Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us, treading further into a soulful abyss while incorporating elements from the many sonic directions the years have found them taking. And on that level, they?re still growing, still pushing themselves and still refining who they are creatively. Not to mention some of these songs are almost unbearably catchy.

They make no bones (at least in the presentation of the album) about working with a songwriting formula. The 10 tracks of Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us are doubtless exactly what the contract called for, but the quality of the material holds up throughout the four-to-five minutes (5:27 for the opener) of each song and Paradise Lost show that quality songwriting doesn?t necessarily require 15 minutes to get the job done. It?s very much a collection of tracks, but there is a flow underneath that sets up Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us as an engaging listening experience that will appeal to longtime fans of the band without necessarily alienating those who prefer one era over the other. Newcomers as well should take note.

Paradise Lost on MySpace

Century Media

Tags: , ,

Leave a Reply