Paradise Lost - Ascension - review
Paradise Lost - Ascension - review
Tracklist
01. Serpent On The Cross02. Tyrants Serenade
03. Salvation
04. Silence Like The Grave
05. Lay A Wreath Upon The World
06. Diluvium
07. Savage Days
08. Sirens
09. Decievers
10. Precipice
11. This Stark Town
12. A Life Unknown
A review by
omne metallum September 30, 2025
When the world briefly stopped turning all those years ago, the music world largely went into hibernation, with a few livestreams here and delayed album release there; bands suddenly found themselves unable to do what has largely defined their existence, namely touring. Few groups did more than either ride out the storm, or occasionally livestream during this time. One of the bands that did take advantage of this downtime were none other than Paradise Lost, a group who seemed to take the time to reflect on their past, and used this as a period of introspection. As the world slowly emerged from hiding, Paradise Lost continued this foray into their past, as they took the opportunity to revisit albums in full when the rare chance to play live presented itself (Gothic at Damnation, Draconian Times at Bloodstock), culminating in re-recording Icon for its 30th anniversary. This evaluation of their own past has produced one of the best releases in their discography, an record that learns the lessons of their past without regurgitating it: Ascension.
Few bands have the ability to weave emotive and heavy sonic tapestries the way Paradise Lost can, and this is only reinforced on Ascension. Dark, morose and melancholic, the way they are able to conjure and evoke emotional responses in listeners through song is rarely matched. These emotional responses needn't be all forlorn feelings, however, as I can attest to when the first few seconds of "Silent Like The Grave" pressed the nostalgia button in my brain, with it eerily reminiscent of the PlayStation One's loading screen, while "Salvation"'s chimes have an oddly Christmas feel at first.
Still, back to the album at large, Ascension is a bleak yet beautiful reflection on existence; from the acoustic strains of "Lay A Wreath Upon The World" that morphs into a foray through doom, to the haunting charm of "The Precipice", there is beauty in despair. The way the band manage to balance sonic continuity while blending various styles, as exemplified by the way that "This Stark Town" can follow the aforementioned "The Precipice" without feeling like an uncomfortable juxtaposition, is one of Ascension's strengths.
With Aedy and Mackintosh continuing to be two of the most understated guitarists in metal, their contributions are often what elevate a good track to a great track, so it's good to know that each song on Ascension has some solid guitar work sprinkled in it. Be it the guitar riff musings that welcome "Sirens" or the subtle playing on "Tyrants Serenade", the duo give each track something that you can't help but be transfixed by. What further elevates many of these songs, however, are the subtle little flourishes, from string sections to choral singing, that for example lendd "Savage Days" an atmosphere that is as chilling as it is powerful.
Ascension is an amalgamation of history, circumstance and talent that creates an end product that will likely rank amongst the band's best work, let alone as one of the stand out albums of 2025.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 30.09.2025 by
Written on 30.09.2025 by
Just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm not listening. Comments
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Having never really been able to get into Paradise Lost much in the past (apart from Embers Fire pretty much) I've been very pleasantly surprised by this one and now am considering myself somewhat of a convert. All the songs here radiate quality and purpose, and the musicianship is of course top-notch - I've been particularly impressed with the tasteful, yet heavy-as-fuck drumming from I'll definitely be exploring their discography in more depth over the coming weeks and months and am very glad I've finally found a suitable entry point for this much-vaunted group.
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