GTGC Reviews
email: gavinals69@aol.com
  • Reviews
  • Live Music
  • THE SPANISH ANNOUNCE TABLE

Paradise Lost - "Medusa"

18/9/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
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]

www.paradiselost.co.uk
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    News & Reviews

    Gavin J Griffiths, a.k.a GavTheGothicChav, lover of new music and supporter of bands. Inspired by a mixture of horror and comedy, and fueled by a blend of alcohol and sarcasm...if you're a singer / in a band and would like a review written up, please do get in touch via the email address at the top of the page and I'll get back to you ASAP. Much love x

    Follow @GavinJGriffiths

      CHAV CHAT

    ASK GAV!

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Acoustic
    Alternative
    Article
    Black Metal
    Blues
    Book
    Classic
    Classic Rock
    Comedy
    Competition
    Compilation
    Country
    Death Metal
    Doom
    Electronic
    Emo
    EP
    France
    Funk
    Games
    Glam Rock
    Gothic
    Grime
    Grunge
    Hardcore
    Hard Rock
    Heavy Metal
    Hip Hop
    Hip-Hop
    Indie
    Industrial
    Interview
    Jazz
    J-Rock
    Melodic Death
    Metal
    Metalcore
    Newport
    New Wave
    Nu Metal
    Nu-Metal
    Pop
    Pop Punk
    Pop-Punk
    Pop Rock
    Post Punk
    Post-Punk
    Prog
    Punk
    Punk Rock
    Rap
    Reggae
    Rock
    Rock 'N' Roll
    Shoegaze
    Ska
    Sludge
    Soft Rock
    Southern Metal
    Southern Rock
    Stoner
    Symphonic Metal
    Synth
    Thrash
    Unsigned
    Urban

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly