Century Media
2007
1. Never For the Damned
2. Ash & Debris
3. The Enemy
4. Praise Lamented Shade
5. Requiem
6. Unreachable
7. Prelude to Descent
8. Fallen Children
9. Beneath Black Skies
10. Sedative God
11. Your Own Reality
Paradise Lost are a band who have gone through many changes over the years and have indeed both lost and gained fans along the road. Let's face it... there's a fair bit of difference between the doom death of Lost Paradise and the electronic goth rock of Believe In Nothing and it's easy to see why their Entire career might not appeal to everyone.
Besides those albums though there have been more 'balanced' released that have blended both the doom, goth, and just plain metal elements of the band into something more palatable to all. It seems to me that this yearning for balance is what has driven Paradise Lost lately and more and more of the old band seems to creep into the newer catchy goth rock with each album. This album is no exception and may raise some eyebrows from past fans who haven't given the band the time of day in quite some time.
While the past couple albums have attempted to bring more metal guitar to the goth rock formula, etc this album takes a more evident step backwards to a lost era. The music itself shifts at times to a doomy lurch between more uptempo parts and Nick Holmes drops out of the deep and melancholy to a more sinister sound... the likes of which I don't think I've heard since Draconian Times. Newer Paradise Lost is still present but the album seems to have more variety as it shifts styles throughout. Overall, I find this revisiting of the old to be refreshing and also just mixes up the songs on the album and gives each one more of a sense of itself. The band's interest in the heavier side of metal seems to be reawakened lately after experimenting in more goth rock realms for so long and it has interesting results here. It's nice the newer isn't totally lost as I like both eras and In Requiem seems to be a best of both worlds scenario. While I'm not sure the band will ever reach such a beautiful mix as the incredible Draconian Times again, this is an extremely satisfying listen from start to finish.
In conclusion, if you're a fan of all eras of Paradise Lost than this is a certain must. If you're one of the fans the band lost along the goth rock way than this might just be enough metal to reignite your interest. Well worth pursuing for fans of goth metal and or goth oriented doom.
Highlights: The Enemy, Praise Lamented Shade, Requiem, Beneath Black Skies
Rating - 4.0/5
2. Ash & Debris
3. The Enemy
4. Praise Lamented Shade
5. Requiem
6. Unreachable
7. Prelude to Descent
8. Fallen Children
9. Beneath Black Skies
10. Sedative God
11. Your Own Reality
Paradise Lost are a band who have gone through many changes over the years and have indeed both lost and gained fans along the road. Let's face it... there's a fair bit of difference between the doom death of Lost Paradise and the electronic goth rock of Believe In Nothing and it's easy to see why their Entire career might not appeal to everyone.
Besides those albums though there have been more 'balanced' released that have blended both the doom, goth, and just plain metal elements of the band into something more palatable to all. It seems to me that this yearning for balance is what has driven Paradise Lost lately and more and more of the old band seems to creep into the newer catchy goth rock with each album. This album is no exception and may raise some eyebrows from past fans who haven't given the band the time of day in quite some time.
While the past couple albums have attempted to bring more metal guitar to the goth rock formula, etc this album takes a more evident step backwards to a lost era. The music itself shifts at times to a doomy lurch between more uptempo parts and Nick Holmes drops out of the deep and melancholy to a more sinister sound... the likes of which I don't think I've heard since Draconian Times. Newer Paradise Lost is still present but the album seems to have more variety as it shifts styles throughout. Overall, I find this revisiting of the old to be refreshing and also just mixes up the songs on the album and gives each one more of a sense of itself. The band's interest in the heavier side of metal seems to be reawakened lately after experimenting in more goth rock realms for so long and it has interesting results here. It's nice the newer isn't totally lost as I like both eras and In Requiem seems to be a best of both worlds scenario. While I'm not sure the band will ever reach such a beautiful mix as the incredible Draconian Times again, this is an extremely satisfying listen from start to finish.
In conclusion, if you're a fan of all eras of Paradise Lost than this is a certain must. If you're one of the fans the band lost along the goth rock way than this might just be enough metal to reignite your interest. Well worth pursuing for fans of goth metal and or goth oriented doom.
Highlights: The Enemy, Praise Lamented Shade, Requiem, Beneath Black Skies
Rating - 4.0/5
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