Album
Type: Full-Length
Date
Released: 01/06/2015
Label:
Century Media Records
‘The
Plague Within’ CD//DD//LP track listing:
1. No Hope In Sight (4:54)
2. Terminal (4:28)
3. An Eternity Of Lies (5:58)
4. Punishment Through Time (5:13)
5. Beneath Broken Earth (6:09)
6. Sacrifice The Flame (4:42)
7. Victim Of The Past (4:29)
8. Flesh From Bone (4:19)
9. Cry Out (4:31)
10. Return To The Sun (5:44)
Paradise
Lost is
Nick Holmes | vocals
Greg Mackintosh | lead guitar
Aaron Aedy | rhythm guitar
Steve Edmondson | bass guitar
Adrian Erlandsson | drums
Review:
I
was very much looking forward to this record coming through for review.
Paradise Lost is a classic band. They are also an underappreciated band. I
reviewed their rarities collection”Tragic Illusion” a couple of years back and
noted similarly then. Well, this album follows the last studio album proper,
“Tragic Idol”, which was (I repeat) a superb album. PL has gone from strength
to strength in the last decade. They were one of those bands that were going to
be massive (Therapy?) but never did it and instead just did what they wanted.
Kudos to them, I say, even if I still find “Host” to be very odd indeed. There
is of course the matter of “Draconian Times” as well; a real influence on me
growing up and to this day up there as one of my favourite records.
I
suppose I could sum up by saying that Paradise Lost has always been there- but
I haven't. They just lost me in the late 90's. These days, I rate them very
highly indeed. Does this album deliver?! Yes. Absolutely it does. With Nick
Holmes moonlighting in Bloodbath, the word was that death vocals would once
again feature in the recorded output of his day job. They do; but there is much
more to this album than just revisionism. The band has always ploughed a
singular furrow and it continues to do so here. The opener “No Hope In Sight”
is bleak and weighty. The production is fantastic- majestic and sweeping but
with a real punch too. It is a little more expansive than the sound on “Tragic
Idol” (as a point of reference). There are guitar melodies aplenty... and
riffs. What riffs! The vibe took me right back to “Draconian Times” and it
pleased me hugely when I stuck this on for the first time yesterday.
“Terminal”
is massive- big riffs, big drums and big vocals from Holmes- in a very old
school style. From there you get classical instruments on “An Eternity of
Lies”, harmony guitars and a looping groove on “Punishment Through Time”
(fantastic track) and the album really comes into focus. It is a distillation
of all that has been good about Paradise Lost all these years- the heaviness,
the bleakness, the experimentation. All of it is here in a very metal package.
No synth-pop here. You won't mistake it for Depeche Mode, that's for sure.
When
the band do doom, such as on “Beneath Broken Earth”, they do it very well. Over
six minutes of downcast morbidity. It will remind you of why Paradise Lost were
revered in the early years, and why they should be now. Heavy, heavy stuff.
“Sacrifice The flame” brings strings with it and a lilting melody, showing how
versatile the band can be. A note here: if the ingredients sound disparate,
don't be fooled. The album hangs together very well indeed and each track
compliments the next. It sounds like an album- as “Tragic Idol” did. The band
also play to their strengths in putting out ten tracks- it makes the release
focussed and holds the attention. Most albums really don't need to be any
longer than that- most really need to be shorter. Even though I love “Draconian
Times”, I always thought it could have lost a track or two.
“Victims
of The Past” continues the high standards with an excellent (clean) vocal and
slow build to a very dramatic song. “Flesh From Bone” Ups the tempo and is
heavy with it- super bleak stuff for sure- and makes use of tempo changes. It
is arguable that this is the heaviest track that the band have put out for well
over twenty years.
“Cry
Out” throws a grooving curve ball into the mix with a great head nodding pace
and excellent Priest-esque musical arrangement- basic chords for the verses,
riffs to fill the gaps. The lead work of Mackintosh is stellar as it always is
(check out his side project Vallenfyre if you haven't already) while Aedy holds
that rhythm down. Again, on first listen, this track leapt out of the speakers
at me. Fantastic.
The
excellent “Return to the Sun” closes the record
in style. Once again, the riffs are gargantuan as is the lead work.
Paradise Lost, at their best, kind of sound like a cross between Type O
Negative and Bolt Thrower and that is how they sound on this one.
For
me, this record is a contender for the album of the year list for sure. It is
certainly one of Paradise Lost's best records, which is saying something
considering the length and breadth of their discography. It is oh-so-satisfying
when you look forward to an album and it exceeds your expectations. I had
“Tragic Idol” on several times in preparation for this album to see if there
was a connection or a noticeable foundation on which “The Plague Within” was to
be built.
As
usual, I cannot categorize them- there are elements of doom, death, goth, even
classical- and once again I have been reminded that they are one of the best
bands that the British Isles has to offer. You will miss them when they are
gone, so get on board with their career now. Whether you be a prodigal son or a
new convert, you won't be disappointed as this album is superb.
Words by: Richard Maw
‘The
Plague Within’ is available for pre order now and will out everywhere June 1st 2015
For more
information:
Official: www.paradiselost.co.uk
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