No hope in sight: the mindset of hardcore Paradise Lost fans for the past couple of decades and the opening snarl of the band's new album, 'The Plague Within'. Die-hards have witnessed the Halifax heavyweights sculpt death metal masterpieces, questionable synthpop farts and doomy, riff-stacked melodies over the years and, as a result, this album could have gone one of several ways.
'Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us' and 'Tragic Idol' both revelled in glorious melancholy – and were the best Paradise Lost albums this side of the millennium – but fans craved more. They wanted heavy. They wanted br00tal. 'The Plague Within' delivers that.
No Hope In Sight's gargantuan Greg Mackintosh riff leads the charge, paving way for a filthy, perfectly enunciated Nick Holmes growl. Blimey. The re-recorded version of Gothic in 2013 obviously dusted off a few cobwebs, because Paradise Lost are rocking like absolute bastards here. No Hope In Sight is a triumphant, mid-tempo affirmation of the band's legacy.
And it only gets darker. Flesh From Bone is a proper, unhinged death metal number, refusing to bow to convention and exhibiting choral work akin to Rotting Christ. An Eternity Of Lies plunges into a gorgeous, sorrowful flurry of Keyboard that harks back to early Cradle of Filth rather than their over the top, post-'Midian' work.
Punishment Through Time has Holmes grunting with that Hetfield-esque quality he's been having a crack at since the 'Icon' days – to flip from croon to grunt to ungodly guttural growl within one song is testament to the man's talents.
Cry Out comes off as a heavier 'Tragic Idol' track after being dipped in a New Orleans swamp and it's succeeded by Return To The Sun, the best song on the album and one of the finest in Paradise Lost's 27-year existence.
A dramatic, heaving finale to the record, it combines everything we've heard from them and marinates it in a sauce of epic quality. Twin guitar harmonies, growled vocals, clean melodies, tremolo picking, haunting orchestrals and Adrian Erlandsonn's punishing drums draw album 14 to a close, and it's absolutely mesmerising. You'll need some pegs and sellotape handy, because this motha'sgonna peel your face clean off your skull every time you listen to it.
This is not Paradise Lost retracing steps in an attempt to win fans back – they don't need to do that. While some older fans choose to ignore anything post 'Gothic', the band's songwriting has improved tenfold over the years. By taking the mature, forward-thinking song structures established on the last few albums and blending them with old-school influences, Paradise Lost have crafted a vital, utterly devastating work of art that stands as the best full-blooded metal release of 2015.
Paradise Lost Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows
Mon September 28 2015 - BELFAST Limelight
Wed September 30 2015 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy 2
Thu October 01 2015 - GLASGOW Glasgow Garage
Sat October 03 2015 - WOLVERHAMPTON Wulfrun Hall
Sun October 04 2015 - LONDON KOKO
Thu November 12 2015 - LIVERPOOL O2 Academy Liverpool
Fri November 13 2015 - NOTTINGHAM Rock City
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