Paradise Lost – Ascension Review
By Steel Druhm
As a huge fan of the salad days of the “Peaceville Three,” I felt obliged to follow Paradise Lost’s career throughout the 90s as they shifted from their raw death-doom birth through the refined melancholic doom heard on Icon, the Metallica-adjacent, stadium doom of Draconian Times, and into their Depeche Mode fancier period with Host and Believe in Nothing. That last era was a bridge too far for me, and by the time they made their way back to doom on 2005s eponymous release, I had moved on. I only paid casual attention to their output thereafter until 2020s Obsidian. That one was solid enough to get me tentatively back on board, but I didn’t come into Ascension expecting big things, just a solid late-career outing by a group of seasoned gloom-mongers. Ascension functions as a guided tour through the various eras of the band’s 35 year career, and while that could make for a very disjointed listen given the amount of ground Paradise Lost covered over the decades, it feels like a well-catered reunion of dear olde friends. More importantly, it features some of the most consistently impressive songcraft the band’s mustered in years. Age brings a certain wisdom, but sometimes you just catch lightning in a bottle. I’m not looking to overanalyze which got us here, I’m just enjoying the hearse ride.
It doesn’t hurt that Paradise Lost kick things off with one of the most aggressive and heavy songs they’ve churned out in a long time. “Serpent on the Cross” is a massive, murderous slab of doom that kicks all the crypts and tickles the mortician. It’s got mournful harmonies, weighty doom riffs, and the right amount of despair, yet it still comes hard with burly riffs and knocks you upside the head with a memorable refrain. Nick Holmes sounds born again hard, and Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy bring tons of heft and emotion to the string bending. This is my favorite Paradise Lost song since their heyday and I can’t stop spinning it. In fact, as my beloved and perpetually hapless N.Y. Jets got pounded into assdust Sunday, they did so to the haunting leads of this charnel beast. This victory is followed by another in the form of “Tyrants Serenade” which hits at the perfect middle ground between their Draconian Times and One Second eras. It even conjures a bit of Type O Negative magic courtesy of Olde Nick’s baritone crooning. This one is an earworm infection waiting to happen, and you should catch it. “Salvation” is the big, epic doom set piece, and it doesn’t disappoint, plodding and heaving for 7 minutes of morose glory while raising the ghosts of vintage Paradise Lost along the way. It even reminds me of Fvneral Fvkk here and there.
With a front half this massive, it was almost inevitable that things would tail off as Ascension moved along, but Paradise Lost holds the slippage to a minimum. “Silence Like the Grave” and and “Diluvium” bring that Metallica-friendly Draconian Times sound back in force for inspired doom stomp and clompers, and even when they revisit their Depeche Mode as on “Sirens,” they keep things just heavy enough to bull through painlessly. What’s so impressive is that even though the band revisits all the familiar hollowed ground, things feel fresh and new rather than recycled. Somehow Ascension manages to avoid filler and there isn’t a track here I’d call weak, though “Sirens” is merely good. At 51 minutes, the album never feels too long or bogged down, and most songs sit in the 4-5 minute window and move along briskly.
I’m high on Nick Holmes’ performance here. He sounds great and as versatile as ever, ranging from sadboi Goth croons to brutal death croaks and all stops in-between. He really gets nasty at times, even sounding downright funeral doomish at points. He’s also got a great sense of where to put the melodic clean breaks for maximum impact. Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy outdo themselves with a high-quality collection of riffs that cover a range of moods and styles. They bring the doom hammer down hard on the maximalist cuts like “Serpent on the Cross” and “Salvation,” but also amplify the moody cuts to keep things pulsing with vitality. The subtly morose harmonies win me over, even on the more hard-charging numbers, and the level of writing remains strong with moments of greatness dotting the runtime.
It’s rare a band as long in the tooth as Paradise Lost uncorks a late career album that can stand among the giants in their catalog, but Ascension is one such slippery aberration. It’s the kind of release your brain tells you shouldn’t be as good as it is, but after a week-plus marinating in it, the quality cannot be denied. I’m happy to see a long-running institution like Paradise Lost get another win and show they still have ichor in their cold veins. Ascension indeed!
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: paradiselost.co.uk | facebook.com/paradiselostofficial | instagram.com/officialparadiselost
Releases Worldwide: September 19th, 2025
Grymm
So, question: say you’ve been a band for almost 40 years, and 80% of your line-up has remained completely unchanged, save for the near-Spinal Tapification that’s reserved for whoever happens to find themselves on the drum throne.1 You’ve gone from the slowest of death/doom, to near-Metallica heights of superstardom in your home country, to a severe Depeche Mode-influenced left turn, just to wrap yourselves back around through Gothic doom territory and back home to death-doom in the wildest “Peaceville Three” ouroboros ever. You’re also about to release your seventeenth album. With the exceptions of legendary acts, we’re usually lucky to see bands craft seven albums, let alone seventeen. So what do you do to keep yourselves fresh and motivated? What do you bring to the party that will not only excite your longtime fanbase, but also hopefully bring in some fresh faces to your music?
If you’re Paradise Lost, you simply condense all of your experiences into a singular vision, and write your best collection of songs to date. Ascension lives up to the promise of its name, given how much of this album soars above its peers in both heft and hook. From the opening riff of “Serpent of the Cross” to the fading of the closing guitar solo in “The Precipice,” 51 minutes of doom metal have never flown by so damn fast before, nor would it had the material been written by less experienced hands. Since a good portion of this album is DOOOOOOM (in all caps-locked letters, complete with at least 6 O’s), that’s no easy feat.
And how DOOOOOOM are we talking? Take third track (and album highlight) “Salvation.” Between the foreboding riffs of Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, Mackintosh’s mournful melodies, and new/former drummer Guido Zima Montanarini guiding the back-end like a funeral march, “Salvation” could have easily fit in on Strigoi’s last album had it not been for Nick Holmes’ vocal performance, whether it’s in his cavernous growls, his anguished mid-range cleans during the chorus, or even the impressive higher-ranged singing towards the end. “Salvation” presents itself as a masterclass in epic doom/death musicianship and songwriting, and one that’s making a mad run for Song o’ the Year honors come December.
It’s not like there aren’t any other challengers for that spot on Ascension, either. Late album scorcher “Diluvium” starts off as a plodding, downtrodden number, before riffing up a storm towards the song’s latter half, with Mackintosh cutting loose with solo after solo. “Lay a Wreath Upon the World,” one of the few Paradise Lost numbers to feature an acoustic guitar, pulls you in with hypnotic female wailing and pensive atmosphere. “Silence Like the Grave” and “Tyrant’s Serenade” bring the speed up just enough, acting as energizing mood-setters for the album’s front half. And that’s the only qualm I really have with the album; the album feels front-loaded with the faster numbers, with the album’s second half being more moody and slower. There’s not a song on here I would consider to be “filler,” but it’s an observation that stuck around even after the album’s wrapped up.
Paradise Lost have every right to dial it in right now, having cemented themselves as legends of death/doom metal. Thank fuck they didn’t, though, as Ascension has comfortably nestled itself amongst my top five favorite Paradise Lost albums, acting as a strong thread between the unfuckwithable Draconian Times, their underrated dark horse Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us, and their return to the grave in The Plague Within. Who would have thought that, by reaching into their vault of classic albums, they would not only put together something fresh and timeless, but also make a strong case for one of their best ever? Easily a Top Ten contender, and one of the year’s best doom metal albums, bar none.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
#2025 #35 #40 #Ascension #DoomMetal #DraconianTimes #GothicDoom #Metallica #NuclearBlastRecords #Obsidian #ParadiseLost #Review #Reviews #Sep25 #Strigoi #TypeONegative #UKMetal
#NowPlaying: Strigoi.
I'm a bit miffed that Gregor Mackintosh makes better music outside of Paradise Lost, one of my favourite bands.
Queen of the Damned
Necrowretch – Swords of Dajjal Review
By Carcharodon
It’s almost four years since I reviewed French blackened death outfit Necrowretch’s fourth record, The Ones from Hell, a record I enjoyed quite a bit. Harsh, claustrophobic death metal with a nasty blackened edge, it was almost sludgy in its sound at times. I had a few minor quibbles about the songwriting and pacing of the record, and a bigger gripe with the production, but it remained a very good record. Unfortunately, like so many bands, Necrowretch’s plans to tour The Ones from Hell went down in flames as the COVID pandemic erupted. However, the band regrouped and began working on the follow-up, Swords of Dajjal, which was three years in the making. Having swept up a new drummer and bassist along the way, was it time well spent?
Founding member, vocalist, and rhythm guitarist Vlad, together with co-conspirator and lead guitarist Wenceslas Carrieu (aka W. Cadaver and ex-Cadaveric Fumes), chose as their inspiration the Al-Masih ad-Dajjal (or simply Dajjal), the great deceiver in Islamic mythology. Dajjal will appear ahead of Judgment Day in the guise of the promised messiah and perform apparent miracles, luring many followers to his cause before he is ultimately defeated. The feel of that epic, religious, semi-demonic mythology infects Swords of Dajjal. The most overtly black metal record that Necrowretch has written, the band has not entirely abandoned its death metal roots, with the resulting mix vicious and bestial. Vlad’s vocals have taken on an even more gravelly and sepulchral tone, sound truly possessed at times (“Dii Mauri”). Although still present, the use of echoing effects that I thought were over-used on The Ones from Hell has been dialed back, allowing Vlad’s invocations to hit with more impact without all artificial adornments.
Carrieu and Vlad’s guitars rage and enthrall in equal measure, as the melodic, yet razor-sharp riff that opens “The Fifth Door” sets out the stall early on, as do the bludgeoning tremolos of “Vae Victis.” However, down-tempo, classic heavy metal leads (back third of “Ksar Al-Kufar” and title track), as well as brief acoustic moments (“Numidian Knowledge”) pour just enough sweetness into Necrowretch’s whisperings to balance out the tempest. New-ish drummer Nicolas Ferrero (who has played live drums for the band since 2018 but only came on board full-time in 2021) is a revelation. Dynamic and deft in his touch, he’s the beating heart of Swords of Dajjal, adding both a furious energy and a progressive, delicate edge. Mixing the unsettling percussiveness of Strigoi with the wicked edges of Necrophobic, there’s also something of The Great Old Ones in Necrowretch’s sound here. Perhaps it’s the constantly fluctuating tempos or the slightly grandiose edge to some of the tracks (title track, “Ksar Al-Kufar” and “Dii Mauri” in particular) but Swords of Dajjal almost sounds like a twisted, corrupted alternate soundtrack to Dune.
Coming in at a tight 37 minutes (the same as The Ones from Hell), it’s pleasing to see Necrowretch resisting the temptation to which so many bands succumb, particularly when tackling epic mythologies like Dajjal, to over-indulge themselves. The songs feel fluid and natural from the opening notes of “Ksar Al-Kufar” to the ominous creeping close of “Total Obliteration.” There is zero bloat or filler on Swords of Dajjal, which blazes with intensity, while the production issues I had with the last record have disappeared, although something weird happens to the drums in the heaviest passages of “Vae Victus,” as they are briefly swallowed into a swampy, second wave sound that isn’t present anywhere else on the album. Other than that, it sounds great. The guitar tone is great and there is an audible groove from the bass (although new bassist Romain Gibet—R. Cadaver and also ex-Cadaveric Fumes—only joined once recording was complete), while Vlad’s vocals are the best I have heard from him.
One of the first things to really hit me in 2024, Necrowretch made a real step up from The Ones from Hell, significantly more than the 0.5 difference in score might suggest. More maturely and consistently written than that last record, Swords of Dajjal has a flow and intensity to it, which gives it an epic feeling of grandeur that belies its tight runtime. At times darkly oppressive and threatening, at others brutally crushing, it is a great record.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: necrowretch.bandcamp.com | necrowretch.net | facebook.com/necrowretch
Releases Worldwide: February 2nd, 2024
#2024 #40 #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Feb24 #FrenchMetal #Necrophobic #Necrowretch #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #Strigoi #SwordsOfDajjal #TheGreatOldOnes #TheOnesFromHell
The EP, Split and Single Post Part 1 [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]
By El Cuervo
Long albums are fraught with perils: the wasted potential of pre-release singles or powerful openers; repetition as a band feels obliged to fill more time than they have ideas; inconsistent quality as some songs clearly supercede others; and the sheer fucking expanse of music being too much for a listener. They’re such risky business that I’d counsel against even bothering.
By contrast? I’d advise you either create or consume short-form releases. They’re among my favorite things in the world1. They convey their meaning expeditiously, prioritize quality over quantity and are far more economically viable for the artist2. Grindcore acts learned this over 30 years ago and who am I to deny the immense popularity and evident commercial viability of grindcore? As if all this wasn’t enough, bands that favor EPs, splits, singles and collaborations are also more sexually desirable. Don’t question the science; just open wide and accommodate the following releases. –El Cuervo
Asidhara // Echoes of the Ancients – There’s little that’s complicated about the pleasure I derive from Echoes of the Ancients by Asidhara. Riffs. Riffs. More riffs. Within 2023, these 4 tracks contain a concentration of top-drawer guitars bettered only by new the new Sylosis record. 20 minutes of straightforward thrash in April was exactly the headbanging salvo I required when compared with a March characterized by reviews of proggy material. I would compare these Welshmen to Power Trip due to the razor-sharp leads, energized vocal attack and crossover sensibilities. It’s a metallic tour de force and one you’d be idiotic to miss if you like guitar music. –El Cuervo
fromjoy // fromjoy – Few releases from 2023 delighted me as much as fromjoy’s self-titled EP. It represents 26 minutes of a shockingly vital fusion between grindcore, breakcore and vaporwave. No other band comes close for genre-bending ingenuity and cathartic insanity. I love each form of their sound, from the wretched, chaotic grind on “Accela,” to the gurgling, stomping breakdowns on “Docility,” to the dancing trip-hop on “Eros,” all the way through to the massive closing duo “Helios” and “Icarus.” The first of these fuses smooth saxophones and sexy synths with brutal breakcore, while the latter levers clean singing over vaporwave synths before closing the release with emotionally charged roars over fat riffs. These 5 minutes are worth the price of entry alone, but what comes before is so compelling that you’ll not want to stop listening. fromjoy and fromjoy are both essential. –El Cuervo
Glyph // When the World Was Young – I was probably predestined to enjoy the output of brand-spanking-new power metal band Glyph, because I’ve loved at least one album that each member has been a part of at one time or another. Comprising the vocal talents of R.A. Voltaire (Ravenous), the axe-wielding of Rob Steinway (ex-Skelator, Greyhawk), the low-end rumble of Darin Wall (ex-Skelator, Greyhawk), and the keyboard wizardry of Jeff Black (Gatekeeper), Glyph specializes in over-the-top power metal that should please fans of Rhapsody, Sabaton, and Gloryhammer. This demo sports three tracks of distinct styles and moods, nicely showcasing the band’s abilities and giving us a good idea of what to expect from future releases. When you take into consideration the music and the band’s social media output, it’s apparent that this project is meant to be fun, and I’m already smiling thinking about a Glyph full-length release. –Holdeneye
Strigoi // Bathed in a Black Sun – Because nobody got enough of Strigoi’s vampiric take on doom-tinged death metal from last year’s monstrous Viscera,3 Gregor Mackintosh and company are back with a brisk, brutal five-song, fourteen-minute EP chock full of heavy riffs and, in most cases, ludicrous speed. No really, “Beautiful Stigmata” says more in its scant 42 seconds than most songs of greater lengths. Besides the title track, all the other four songs were extras from the Viscera sessions, but don’t think this isn’t essential. In fact, besides the menacing “A Spear of Perfect Grief,” the songs on display are more than happy to rip your head clean off. –Grymm
Insomnium // Songs of the Dusk – What 2021 EP Argent Moon was to Heart Like a Grave, Songs of the Dusk is to Anno 1696. Specifically, it’s far superior to the respective most recent full-length release. Only three songs and twenty-odd minutes long, it nonetheless makes an impression through Insomnium’s own brand of dreamy, ballady melodeath. Those key changing, soaring choruses (“Flowers of the Night,” “Song of the Dusk”), and impassioned, flighty surges of dancing riffery (“Stained in Red”). Songs of the Dusk also leans heavily into atmosphere in ways not seen since Shadows of the Dying Sun at least, with glossy riffs fading in gracefully (“Song of the Dusk”), mournful, echoing tones backing up key refrains to give them a deep and shadowy presence (“Flowers of the Night”), and echoing clear guitar and piano over stripped-back synth. It never gets particularly lively, but fans of the band’s doomier, dreamier side will be very happy. –Thus Spoke
Vampire Squid // Plasmic – The previous three Vampire Squid outings all represent delightfully weird, skronky, mathy deathcore. Unreasonably heavy chugs, proggy song construction, and whimsical FX combine with Andrew Virrueta’s disgusting voKILLs to form submerged horrors unlike any other in the metalsphere. Then, Plasmic dropped in February and changed everything. Essentially Vampire Squid’s interpretation of brutal death metal with a slam kink, Plasmic is an inky pool of primordial slime for whatever this band is planning on unleashing next (“Cosmic Seepage,” “Wormholes Collide”). Stomps abound, enhanced by a wonderful pong snare, extra-filthy gurgles, and stripped-down, straightforward songwriting that reeks of Bolt Thrower (“Lurking Mystic”). If you’ve got fourteen minutes to spare, and I know that you do, dive deep into Vampire Squid’s horrific undersea world with Plasmic.4 –TheKenWord
Kanonenfieber // U-Bootsmann – At this juncture, it’s really not worth me pretending that I am anything other than an avowed Kanonenfieber fanboy. However, despite that, I assure you that the latest EP from German creator, Noise, is well worth your time and modest investment. In instantly recognizable form—from the practically trademarked orange cover art, through to the rasping roar of the dual-tracked vocals—the two tracks relate the tale of the crew of a First World War German u-boot, as they surge forth on their first mission (“Kampf und Sturm”), to their watery grave in an iron tube (“Die Havarie”). As with previous Kanonenfieber releases, there is something hopelessly mournful about the arc of the story told, from its initial, almost anthemic stomping blackened death on the first track, searing tremolos leading the charge, to an exhausted, fatalistic melo-black sound on the second. The production is excellent as ever, as is the use of samples, including the sonar pings and spoken word passages, which, whether original or not5, add a now-familiar feeling of authenticity to the piece. –Carcharodon
Grub Nap // God Pile – A clanging kit, a squealing guitar, two voices yelping, yowling in asynchronous pain—these values string-slinger Dan Barter (Dvne) and stick-abuser Steve Myles (Groak) hold true with Grub Nap. Though Barter’s name carries a refined yet trudging sludge weight, his fat tone knob guides lurching, hissing Melvins-edged grooves through Myles’ bare, rattling boned kit-tensity. Ever the elegant riff machine, the snaking refrains of tracks like “Closerer” and “Wire Mother” slink about with the snappy play that you might hear in a more loaded Deadguy tune. But more importantly, Barter’s hypnotizing, gain-soaked strums land in concerted attack with each full snare snap, each mechanically resonating crash, each strained throat cry (“Sticky Back Uranium,” “Tin Banshee”) to maintain a violent, marching fullness that understates its two-man nature. God Pile’s six-song, fifteen-minute run will test your neck-bobbing endurance—repeat sets recommended for maximum vibe gains and/or quick catharsis. –Dolphin Whisperer
Haru Nemuri // INSAINT – I know what you’re thinking. Doesn’t Haru Nemuri make that weird, art rap, pop-punk-y, pseudo-J-Idol music suited for matcha latte enjoyers?6 Yes, 2022’s SHUNKA RYOUGEN pulled an extended mess in too many directions despite a few entertaining ideas. INSAINT, however, leans on the straightforwardness of punk and low-frills post-hardcore, albeit colored by the bounce of J-pop and bright-guitar punk acts like 9mm Parabellum Bullet. It’s not a dig to say that the anthemic build of “Destruction Sisters” or the chime-assisted drive of “Flee from the Sanctuary” could find a home in hopeful, comedic, coming-of-age anime. Still, trickier rhythm cuts “I Refuse” and “Inferno” contain a pop-informed, brooding attitude akin to Nemuri’s other work. But framed in the context of this rock band arrangement—minimal synth accompaniment across INSAINT—Nemuri’s many vocal identities instead weave and exchange placement to balance the weight leading up to the furious-kick closer “No Pain, No Gain Is Shit.” If you need rapid-delivery, life-affirming injection to float your work day, consider a little INSAINT in your membrane. –Dolphin Whisperer
Celeste // Epilogue(s) – The French collective has made some of the most caustic and filthy music since their first album Nihiliste(s) in 2004, and the progression towards the more blackened furor of 2022’s Infidele(s) has been a natural one, translating that densely challenging filth and venomous vocals into strangulation by barbed wire rather than beaten by a rusty hammer. Follow-up EP Epilogue(s) acknowledges its predecessor but also takes its own course completely, Celeste offering three tracks that maintain the scathing quality while also dwelling in pummeling meditation with the two tracks while also tossing in their first cleanly and heart-wrenchingly sung, and in English, track “With idle hands.” Celeste kicks open the door of possibilities with this release, refusing to pigeonhole themselves into the caustic filth with which we are familiar – showing a glimpse of humanity beneath the grime. –Dear Hollow
#2023 #Asidhara #BlogPost #fromjoy #Glyph #GrubNap #HaruNemuri #Insomnium #Kanonenfieber #Strigoi #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2023 #VampireSquid #Worm #Wreathe
aparatorul
Angry Metal Guy
Tobias, or?
Dr Hawkins Brimble ✅
