Album Rating: 4.0

--Best metal album of the year imo (and there's been some bloody good ones).--



Biggest hype comment of the year quite possibly. Downloading the album now so I'll guess we'll find out.

Album Rating: 4.8

with the way our opinions align, I'm gonna wager a 3.5 for nocte lol. but if you say the riffing aint anything less than stellar, imma come for you man

Album Rating: 4.5

That build up on Ending Days yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees



Nocte, I second what Gonzo said. We will come over to yours and spank the bejesus out of you.

Album Rating: 4.0

Well I've got 3 albums dominating my review listening schedule at the moment (with a few others thrown in for good measure) which includes this (my guy at NB Media has been hammering me hard for this) and I found Medusa flat-ish compared to Tragic Idol or The Plague Within for example. If a predicted 3.5 is a thing they've done well. I'll give you some small insight after a few proper spins.

Album Rating: 4.8

the solo in end of days just knocks it out of the park

Album Rating: 4.5

As much as I love Medusa and TI, this stands head and shoulders above both quite easily.



Not sure if I'm jut riding the hype wave, but I think that this is the PL album to recommend when someone asks you where to start with the band. It has bits of everything they've done on all their metal releases.

Album Rating: 4.0

There’s a certain type of progressive ascension that’s so rare, only a select few of even the most prestigious bands manage to go through it. Bearing no similarities in terms of style or capability, DIR EN GREY achieved this very same archetypal journey just five years ago.

Album Rating: 4.5

@Nocte, I also found Medusa flat as well, but Obsidian is at least on par with Plague Within, maybe better. I'll see with repeated listens.

Album Rating: 4.8

@nocte



because the example is extremely pertinent here, regardless. i wouldn't name drop a band like diru unless i had good reason to do so, and since the two bands have similar penchants for exploration and the fact they've achieved the very same things with arche and this, i felt it was a relevant comparison

Album Rating: 4.5

I actually find it amazing that the producer on this, Plague and Medusa is the same dude. Like, how?

Album Rating: 4.0

Fair enough. It just seemed like you had to find something to fit there. No shots fired here - just chasing the logic.



I'm up to "Serenity" now and some initial thoughts:



- The melody (especially the lead guitar work) is going to be criminally underrated here.

- Those harsh vocals are the best they've done in the last decade or so.

- "Ghosts" has an almost industrial vibe going on. Part of me wished for a Rammstein feat.

- Something's up with the overall mixing (especially around the drums and cleaner vocal lines)?

Album Rating: 4.5

I has the 24-bit flac, and it's perfecto

Album Rating: 4.0

I has the 24-bit flac, and it's perfecto

Album Rating: 4.0

Fuck it. 4'd because I can't 3.9



; ]

Album Rating: 4.8

mix and overall production is pretty fantastic imo. also agree with the sentiment floating around here -- this is better than medusa and plague for me. i honestly think this is a perfect "introduction to the band" kind of album. it has everything that best represents the band rolled up into one

Album Rating: 4.8

@nocte



what makes it lose the decimal? lol

Album Rating: 4.0

Don't you mean "what gave it the extra .4 from where we expected you to rate?"



Some bits drag slightly on the atmosphere. For example, the light keys that ebb into the introduction of "The Devil Embraced" detract from the riffs that switch on before the verse. Specifically, I could blame a .1 drop on the album's snare sound alone. Other moments... like the religious saturation (yeah this is nit-picky) found in the lyrics (admittedly I don't know why I'm having issues with the lyrical, contextual points of a metal album... but, I'm leaning towards the delivery) sound somewhat contrived/forced.



Alternatively, the guitar work is immaculate but I think I've found more focus on the leads and melody rather than the riff work to which you and Pika dared me to dislike - which is well above average (by the way). The 'hook' in "Forsaken" is chubb-inducing.



Aside from that, Obsidian is a perfect-enough summation of all Paradise Lost's career so far - but it's not without a few light hiccups.

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

This is really strong indeed. Definitely prefer it to Medusa.

Album Rating: 5.0

This band has been in my top 5 all time favorites for like 15 years and I gotta say this completely dumbfounded me. Especially with the opener, it's arguably a pantheon song for them. To open an album with a song like Darker Thoughts and finish with Ravenghast WHAT THE HELL IS THIS

Album Rating: 4.0

Darker Thoughts is incredible yeah



Most of their openers rule tbh