If you listen to rock or metal, or, hell ANY genre in some capacity then, odds on you’ve heard the word elitist thrown around, often as a derogatory term…you probably know one (there’s always one)…proclaiming that, so-and-so’s original material was FAR superior to their recent stuff or, generally just living in the past like a Liverpool fan and telling everyone everything was better back in the day…sounding familiar? I’m looking at you METALLICA fans...the reaction from bands however can vary. Take LINKIN PARK for example…a real case of not giving a single fuck about the fans that kept pining for “Hybrid Theory” 2.0 by doing what they wanted each and every time, evolving with each new album…sadly, following on from their controversial last release, Chester Bennington is no longer with us and we have to live with our harsh words forever…other bands mind you go back to the drawing board…bands like PARADISE LOST.
When they started out back in the late 80’s, they were pioneering in the doom metal genre, perfectly combining thrash-driven underground metal with deep, dark, gothic morbidity for a truly despairing sound and they paved the way for so many artists over the years…but like all bands, they dabbled and over a brief period towards the late 90’s, they went softer, more electronic and to be honest, while never truly flopping critically, they pissed a lot of fans off…ever since though, they’ve been on an on-going journey to return to that dark past, to dig up those roots and rediscover themselves and oh boy have they found some treasure here. 2017 see’s the Yorkshire metal veterans continue on a fine run of form following on from 2015’s “The Plague Within” with their brand new album “Medusa”…let’s hope we don’t turn to stone…
We open up with “Fearless Sky” and we’re met with a genuinely menacing introduction…the soft but haunting sound of the organ gives the track a sense of grandiose horror, it’s chilling and really sets a dark tone going forward, before Gregor Mackintosh enters the fray with his trademark, evil guitar sound; slow deep riffs and ear piercing wails…while vocalist Nick Holmes unleashing his hellish, unforgiving growls, commands your attention like few other front-men. With a few key-changes over the tracks 8-minute+ run-time including a hard-rock climatic flurry, its one hell of a re-acquaintance and gets this album underway nothing short of perfectly. “Gods Of Ancient” and “The Longest Winter” continue this nostalgic happiness effortlessly…with the former harking back to their early days of sludgy, doom-laden riffs and an overall darkness in its presentation, while the latter taking a note from BLACK SABBATH starts with rainfall, a ravens call…there’s an echo to the guitar here and Holmes’ softer vocals coupled with the slow gothic-metal approach would please fans of TYPE-O-NEGATIVE…wonderful stuff…
They aren’t always gloomy however, as “Blood And Chaos” proves brilliantly…the up-tempo offering despite it’s obvious aggression utilises some genuinely catchy hooks and has a really infectious rhythm, it’s really accessible and being one of the shorter tracks, it’s very easy listening, providing a clear album highlight with its contrast, likewise with “Shrines”; using more groove and a more delicate guitar, it’s got a more sultry, morose gothic feel…there’s a feeling of sorrow and mourning here and it’s beautiful in its own despairing way, before we finish up on “Symbolic Virtue”…classic as it comes with Mackintosh counteracting a sweet layer of piano with his strong gloomy riffs and the result is sinister yet harmonic, closing proceedings very well. Nearly 30 years into their career, Paradise Lost are still proving few can touch them when it comes to brutal, gothic misery, they really are masters of their craft…not even Perseus could top this one…[8]
When they started out back in the late 80’s, they were pioneering in the doom metal genre, perfectly combining thrash-driven underground metal with deep, dark, gothic morbidity for a truly despairing sound and they paved the way for so many artists over the years…but like all bands, they dabbled and over a brief period towards the late 90’s, they went softer, more electronic and to be honest, while never truly flopping critically, they pissed a lot of fans off…ever since though, they’ve been on an on-going journey to return to that dark past, to dig up those roots and rediscover themselves and oh boy have they found some treasure here. 2017 see’s the Yorkshire metal veterans continue on a fine run of form following on from 2015’s “The Plague Within” with their brand new album “Medusa”…let’s hope we don’t turn to stone…
We open up with “Fearless Sky” and we’re met with a genuinely menacing introduction…the soft but haunting sound of the organ gives the track a sense of grandiose horror, it’s chilling and really sets a dark tone going forward, before Gregor Mackintosh enters the fray with his trademark, evil guitar sound; slow deep riffs and ear piercing wails…while vocalist Nick Holmes unleashing his hellish, unforgiving growls, commands your attention like few other front-men. With a few key-changes over the tracks 8-minute+ run-time including a hard-rock climatic flurry, its one hell of a re-acquaintance and gets this album underway nothing short of perfectly. “Gods Of Ancient” and “The Longest Winter” continue this nostalgic happiness effortlessly…with the former harking back to their early days of sludgy, doom-laden riffs and an overall darkness in its presentation, while the latter taking a note from BLACK SABBATH starts with rainfall, a ravens call…there’s an echo to the guitar here and Holmes’ softer vocals coupled with the slow gothic-metal approach would please fans of TYPE-O-NEGATIVE…wonderful stuff…
They aren’t always gloomy however, as “Blood And Chaos” proves brilliantly…the up-tempo offering despite it’s obvious aggression utilises some genuinely catchy hooks and has a really infectious rhythm, it’s really accessible and being one of the shorter tracks, it’s very easy listening, providing a clear album highlight with its contrast, likewise with “Shrines”; using more groove and a more delicate guitar, it’s got a more sultry, morose gothic feel…there’s a feeling of sorrow and mourning here and it’s beautiful in its own despairing way, before we finish up on “Symbolic Virtue”…classic as it comes with Mackintosh counteracting a sweet layer of piano with his strong gloomy riffs and the result is sinister yet harmonic, closing proceedings very well. Nearly 30 years into their career, Paradise Lost are still proving few can touch them when it comes to brutal, gothic misery, they really are masters of their craft…not even Perseus could top this one…[8]
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