Review Summary: Comfort in dour persistence
With My Dying Bride and Katatonia currently embroiled in the sort of lineup turmoils that bring their very futures into question, Paradise Lost seems to be the most stable of the Peaceville Three. Granted the band had its own slight shakeup as Guido Montanarini left shortly after recording the drums for Ascension, but their constant shuffle of timekeepers is ironically its own sort of consistency. All the same, their seventeenth full-length album sees their gothic doom marching on with dour persistence.
I suppose it’s only fitting then that Ascension is more or less in the same mold as 2020’s Obsidian with some consideration for the re-recorded version of Icon they released in 2023. The band’s signature tropes are on display with a broad spectrum as the guitars surge between chunky plods and ethereal leads, the vocals hit withered growls and lamenting cleans rounded out by the old Hetfield-isms occasionally resurfacing, and the symphonics and periodic guest vocalists provide some extra color. The drums are also quite solid, not quite hitting the extreme power of their other recent ventures but still getting in plenty of hard-hitting rhythms.
A similar emphasis on slow, melodic brooding can also be felt throughout in the songwriting. “Tyrants Serenade” may be the biggest standout as the verses’ steady chugs are bolstered by especially sweeping leads and “Silence Like The Grave” takes those contrasts to even more urgent ends with a more pronounced chug and ominous chorus. “Lay A Wreath Upon The World” heightens the melodrama with acoustic-driven power balladry soon accompanied by heavy percussion, “Savage Days” echoing similar sentiments later on, while “Deceivers” comes the closest to that Icon/Draconian Times-style with driving chugs reminiscent of “Once Solemn.”
While Ascension can border on feeling a little too safe compared to the back and forth that has defined Paradise Lost’s other modern staples, there’s a certain comfort in its rock-solid execution. It’s certainly hard to complain too much when the expected elements still come out so vibrantly with the guitar work especially standing out and there are enough standout songs to keep things from feeling too monotonous. It’s another one of those albums where I find myself wishing for another upbeat anthem or two to fill things out, but ultimately makes for another quality addition.
