Paradise Lost are back with Ascension, their seventeenth album and the follow-up to 2020’s Obsidian. Five years have passed, but once again, these UK doom/gothic metal legends have sucked us back in. Produced by guitarist Gregor Mackintosh, the record reconnects with their roots, filled with doom melodies and raw intensity. Reflecting on personal inner struggles, it’s an album that hooks and enthralls, rewarding repeat listens where you’ll always find something new.
Ascension opens with a cinematic introduction before escalating into the dark metal sphere with “Serpent on the Cross.” Nearing forty years of mastery, Nick Holmes’ vocal delivery feels as though he’s aging backwards. His rich rawness and harsh vocals rip deep into the core with fresh wounds and innovative creativity, making you wonder how he continues to do this after all these years.
“Tyrant’s Serenade” follows with a slower, demonic introduction, pulling you into a serene but scorching sea of emotions no one wants to face. It suggests loneliness, or perhaps something else, depending on how you interpret it, but the riffs make it clear you’re in the Paradise Lost atmosphere. With their signature stylings intact, the track explores darkness, pain, and misery while painting a bleak but strangely beautiful landscape of natural destruction.
Next comes “Salvation,” the album’s longest track. It takes a literal chimed entrance, almost teasing a breakaway moment, offering a fleeting glimpse of light after two songs drenched in hopelessness and despair. Harsh vocals creep in as the melodic layers synchronize in a darkened harmony. The track then cuts loose, its energy begging for a live setting, headbanging, chaos, or being carried away by the multiple directions it takes.
“Silence Like the Grave” opens with a slow, bombastic introduction that feels like an orchestrated magic trick, drawing you deeper into the record. The track spins into new musical heights, adding fresh elements to the doom-and-gloom palette. Bombastic drums and a Paradise Lost-styled guitar riff lead into a groove with old-school vibes, while the lyrics dive into themes of controlling weakness. The song packs in so much, even breaking into a melodic interlude that cuts through the chaos, adding yet another layer to its strength.
“Lay a Wreath Upon the World” slows things down with a haunting introduction. Whispered vocals weave somber emotions into the mix, capturing the sadness of things we cannot control in this world. It overwhelms, it consumes, and the music executes this pain brilliantly. Nearly halfway through, the pace picks up and the heaviness grows, turning it into a beautifully styled track. Its simplicity makes it one of the most potent songs on the album.
“Diluvium” follows with a heavier transition, drenched in sludgy effects and coarse vocals. About two minutes in, the tempo and vibe shift entirely, pulling in touches of ’80s hard rock and early goth influences with a modern edge. Each track on Ascension carries its own identity; no song feels forced or out of place. “Diluvium” ends magnificently, a reminder of the band’s 35 years of mastery stretching back to 1990’s Lost Paradise.
“Savage Days” brings back the tears, releasing pain and emotion in a bold, captivating track. “Always the same mistakes,” a line many of us have likely said to ourselves, captures the cycle of personal failures and the struggle to face them head-on, controlling that “inner rage.” The haunting melody demands repeated listens, pulling you deeper with each spin.
With not much of a break, “Sirens” has a heavier style, reminiscent of the late eighties/early nineties. It continues to captivate as the wave of emotions soars, musically and lyrically. “Deceivers” barges in with heaviness and a headbanging medley. “The Precipice” is the initial album closer, wrapping up the varied-paced record, filled with musical nostalgia, combined with despair, pain, suffering, heavy riffs, and mixed vocals, evoking all the doom, death, and gothic metal vibes in a Paradise Lost fashion. The record more or less leaves you speechless, as “The Precipice” says it all, making you ready to listen to the album again, eager to revisit the intensity hidden within each chord. From the soft whispers to harrowing screams and melodic breakdowns, there’s a brilliant disturbance and energy throughout, making it addictive.
Surprisingly, with more beats, “The Stark Town” and “A Life Unknown” remain bonus songs, giving an encore. Ascension is a bold return for Paradise Lost, where their style doesn’t diminish, as the creative elements and displays of doom and gloom are executed in more inventive ways. It’s depressing, heavy, all wrapped into one standout record.
The new Paradise Lost album, Ascension, was released on September 19th, 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records. Order your copy here.
