Paradise Lost - Obsidian (2020)

The legendary Paradise Lost returns with their recently found back-to-the-root sound with “Obsidian”. Featuring nearly one hour of superbly catchy music, we have to say that we are enjoying how the band has come full circle and incorporated some of their earlier elements (growls, heavy riffs) into their mid-career Gothic Rock/Metal foundations. If you have enjoyed the band’s previous two releases, this is more along those lines, so it should be quite a ride.

Opening with “Darker Thoughts”, we get that vibe of “Draconian Times” meets “Gothic”, with some more modern Gothic rock elements. Being huge fans of Theatre of Tragedy during their “Aegis” era, and of Lacrimas Profundere during their “Burning: A Wish” times, the band’s sound in this release is very similar to those with the addition of some growls, as “Fall from Grace” and “Ghosts” are a perfect example of.

The band’s musical creativity is very well explored with highly entertaining and at the same time melancholic songs like the excellent “The Devil Embraced” and the dreamy “Forsaken” with its catchy vocal melodies. Things get a bit more intense in the punishing “Serenity” and “Ravenghast” and their highly effective atmospheric elements and aggressive guitars, particularly the latter. . Nick Holmes' clean vocals are some of the best in the business and on “Ending Days” we are reminded of that thanks to the very subtle and crafty instrumentation.

Closing the release with two very lively bonus tracks, Paradise Lost continues to show their musical quality via their timeless sound, but avoids staying stale and pushes the envelope with modern touches and influences. Perfectly mixing their signature elements from their very evolution over the years, “Obsidian” delivers something to enjoy to all fans of the band’s different styles.

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release: May 15th, 2020

Genre: Gothic Metal/Rock

Country: UK