Review by Jeger on September 17, 2025.

For more than three decades, the prestigious Paradise Lost has proven to be a veritable institution of the arts. Since the days of the Peaceville Three: Anathema, My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost, it's been their class that has superseded the character and the output of their fellows. Uncompromising in their craft and straight from the heart with their music. The darkest of days and the most desperate of nights conceptualized majestically through celebrated LPs like '95's "Draconian Times", '07's "In Requiem" along with their magnum opus, 2020's "Obsidian" - volumes of the utmost importance to Extreme Metal as a whole.

We all strive for something better; frantically grasping onto the next rung of life's shaky ladder; trying to adapt to the unpredictability of existence, all the while as we fall short of our own unrealistic expectations. And our reward? Death absolute… It's in life's closing moments when we finally understand where we went wrong. What a fucked up winless game life is. What better way to relish in this miserable truth than with another Paradise Lost record? The Yorkshire Quintet is back… On September 19, Paradise Lost will unveil their latest misery-drenched offering in "Ascension" via Nuclear Blast.

Finally, a mainstream Extreme Metal album that is actually worth reviewing. I've been licking my chops for this one, and now it's finally here for me to tear through like a starved wolf through lamb's flesh. Nick Holmes happens to be my favorite vocalist and Paradise Lost are certainly one of my favorite bands. But the time for objective criticism has arrived. Will "Ascension" live up to the imposingly high standard left by 2020's "Obsidian"? Let's get into it…

Guitars tuned low, bass-heavy, melancholically melodic and set off by Holmes' renowned dual-sided vocal attack. Heart and gut-wrenching following an elegant female vocalized intro to the opening track, "Serpent On The Cross". Epically Gothic is the atmosphere and chugging along are the riffs. Fuck, man… So far, so good. Production quality is stark like a cancer diagnosis and mixing is spot on, as each phase cuts through with authority while maintaining a nice sense of harmony. Holmes' gutturals are deeper, more sinister. No cleans for this track. PL kicking things off brutally. The following track, "Tyrants Serenade", delivers the comprehensive Paradise Lost experience. In with those Peter Murphy-like cleans and into the spotlight with those Doom-hearty chops. A haunting chorus to leave you in a state of foreplay-like enthrallment. Eagerly anticipating every passage now as wind-gusted atmospheric elements provide a most desolate vibe. And entering in, a murder of crows to signify the coming of "Salvation" - a dreadful slow-burner. Like an ecstatic form of torture does this one feel. Impossibly heavy riffs, wailing leads and dense, thudding rhythms. Laying the suffering on thick now.

Chills? Check. Goosebumps? You betcha. What "Obsidian" lacked in experimentation, "Ascension" delivers in spades. So much depth, so many layers to peel back and a myriad of styles to explore. Pure class, integrity and just the right amount of unpredictability. An almost "The New Order" era Testament feel to "Silence Like The Grave" during its verses: sleazy thrash riffs and grimy vocals lead into another memorable chorus. Superlative after superlative intertwining with conventional song structure; resulting in a multi-faceted yet classic experience.

Isn't it intriguing the way people cope with loss? With death? What to do with so much pain? It's enough to drive one mad. I believe we're all quite mad and it just gets worse with age. It's as intriguing as the HIM-like "Diluvium". Shades of "Razorblade Romance" accented by a little Judas Priest action? Dig it… It's heavy, it's slow, it's swift, it's hypnotic, it's elegant, majestic and soothing - le package totale. "Ascension" closes with "The Precipice". Somber as post-funeral realizations of totality and hopeless as mortality's promise. A proper epic and a fine example of much of what Paradise Lost is capable of as far as setting such a beautiful yet utterly dreadful tone.

Album of the year material… Paradise Lost sit austere upon the highest artistic vantage here and it's not even fair. Despite such a tour de force effort, "Ascension" feels like one of those albums that a band just has a blast writing and recording. I'm sure it felt great for the collective to relinquish their inhibitions and incorporate so many different influences into one record. And it's done seamlessly, flawlessly. Not a moment's disjoint or a second's awkwardness. The best being the best, and toward this there can be no argument. Ladies and gentlemen! This is what perfection sounds like. Bravo! I know you've been waiting a long time for this one. Enjoy.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Felix on September 10, 2023.

When listening to this album for the first time, you will be wide awake in a matter of seconds. The reason for this is that a suddenly emerging army of sharp guitars combines ugliness and massiveness brilliantly while attacking the audience. In order to avoid misunderstandings, this is exactly the kind of attack that musically well educated people like you appreciate. Anyway, seeking shelter would be a useless plan, because the wall of sound leaves no chance to escape. The misanthropes of Azaghal present fanatic black metal in its purest form and they are in the fortunate position that the flawless production expresses their musical vision in a forceful manner. The compositions are gilded by the radicalism of the mix with the effect that they shine in full glory.

"Radical" is also the suitable term for the songs themselves. It is obvious that Azaghal hate any form of compromises. Yet they are clever enough to vary their pieces as much as necessary. The third track, for instance, differs from both its predecessors considerably. Instead of following their ultra-brutal approach, it is based on an almost ritualistic riff. The background choirs emphasize the feeling of attending a spiritual meeting. Does anybody make sacrifices for "Quetzalcoatl", a deity of the Aztecs and the Mayas as well? It seems so, even though I do not understand a single word of the Finnish lyrics. But Azaghal cannot remain (more or less) calm for more than five minutes. Already the next track leads back into the blackest pits of hell. It seems as if its high speed riffs want to go down in the history books as the sonic definition of cruelty. But the most baffling feature of "Kuolonkäärme" is the weird connection of structure and chaos and I really do not know which element is dominating. In general, this is a strength of the album: every band member works with a deadly precision, but the overall impression does not lack of the charisma of artistic insanity. The musicians of Azaghal do not spare themselves and the result sounds absolutely authentic.

If you delve into the songs of "Omega", you will find out that its aura possesses a specific kind of pitilessness. Of course, black metal must always have a destructive energy. But some albums of the genre just appear as a "normal" lethal weapon. By contrast, "Omega" has the power of a cluster bomb and it kills mercilessly. In other words, Azaghal´s performance scores with an extra dose of vileness and perfidy. Their ability to impress with inexorable guitar lines adds the finishing touch. By the way, the band masters the cold-bloodedly calculated riffs and leads as well as the seemingly uncontrolled roaring, as it can be seen by a comparison of the eighth and the ninth tracks.

The musicians are also able to create different atmospheres. During the rare slow-moving parts, the sound of the formation lies in close proximity to the crawling monsters of Marduk. The use of synthesizers which show up in the fifth track generates a misty flair, but this remains an isolated case. The high speed sections dominate. Yet irrespective of the individual songs and their alternating configurations, all tunes have taken an extensive bath in the bubbling primordial soup of black metal. This does not mean that this album is the Alpha and Omega of the sub genre at the same time. Nonetheless, it appears as a raging beast and it belongs definitely to the extended leading group of the black metier. If you need a nice kind of brainwashing, this devilish metal blast will make your day.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10