Paradise Lost's 'Obsidian' - Album Review

Despite a bit of a wobbly period throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Halifax's Paradise Lost have been one of the most consistent and reliable British metal acts of the past thirty or so years. From their pioneering of the death/doom genre throughout the early part of the 1990s, to their eventual inclusion of gothic influences and more commercial success, the five-piece have long been a well-respected act. The band's influence is wide-reaching, and their sound is an ever-evolving and cyclical beast. The death/doom element of the band's sound, which was such a defining part of their early albums, was largely disposed of after 1992's Shades of God in favour of a somewhat more accessible gothic/alternative metal sound. 1995's Draconian Times, which was probably the band's commercial peak, best showcased this transition; and as the decade moved on the gothic influences in the band's sound only increased - with The Sisters of Mercy-esque grooves and beats finding a home within the band's canon. It is this willingness to experiment and move forward that has kept Paradise Lost interesting. Even the band's weaker albums are packed full of good ideas, and age has certainly not affected the band's desire to shake things up and express themselves. After a run of albums throughout the 2000s that essentially channelled Draconian Times, the decided it was time to get heavy again. While Paradise Lost never truly stopped being a metal band, they had certainly come a long way since 1991's Gothic. The result was 2015's The Plague Within (which I reviewed here), an album that put death/doom back at the forefront of the band's sound again. The band's two main songwriters, frontman Nick Holmes and guitarist Greg Mackintosh, had both reacquainted themselves with more extreme music again over the few preceding years with Bloodbath and Vallenfyre respectively; and, as a result, The Plague Within was a natural return to all things slow and doomy for Paradise Lost. It was also a big success. While the band's albums have always been well-liked by their fanbase, The Plague Within seemed to really strike a chord. Holmes' return to a harsh vocal-dominant performance resonated with a lot of people, and the follow up album Medusa (which I also reviewed here) almost doubled down on the band's re-found love of all things extreme. Medusa is an extremely bleak album, and I wondered how the band would eventually follow it. The answer was with more diversity, as the band's latest and sixteenth album Obsidian shows. While some of the songs here follow the template set on the band's last couple of albums, there is also room for the 'dancey' goth grooves that made 1997's One Second such a success. This is an album that packs an awful lot into its 45 minutes of music, with shades of Paradise Lost throughout the years present throughout all of the nine songs.

The album actually opens in a surprisingly low-key way, however. Metal albums often open with a bang and a big riff, but Darker Thoughts takes its time to get going - building up slowly and only opening up fully once the atmospheric tension reaches breaking point. The first portion of the song is made up of some gentle clean guitar melodies from Mackintosh and a sombre Holmes vocal performance, which is a far cry from the growls and gruff delivery that have dominated the band's sound over the years. I have always liked Holmes as a vocalist, but I think throughout Obsidian he really outdoes himself. His performances throughout the album are excellent, and the vocal diversity on display is vast - from the crooning of this opening section to the flat-out death growls that follow when the rest of the band crash in a couple of minutes into the song. Dramatic violin lines from Alicia Nurho add some symphonic grandeur to the song, both to the opening section and the heavier meat of the track, which gives Darker Thoughts a really epic sound and sets it apart from the crustier tones featured on the band's last two albums. Much of this song is as heavy as those albums, but the more dynamic song structure and the addition of the symphonic touches helps it to stand alone - and it perfectly sets the tone for the varied album that follows. Fall From Grace was the first song to be released from the album, and an interview with Holmes that I recently read revealed that it was also the first song to be written for the album. As a result, it is probably the closest thing on the album to the pure heaviness of Medusa. A slow Mackintosh guitar lead opens the song up, while rhythm guitarist Aaron Aedy beefs everything up with his trademark weighty chords. The slow-paced, wintry doom of Medusa is perfectly recaptured here, with a pummellingly slow verse allowing Holmes' growls to really dominate while Waltteri Väyrynen's drums set the snail-pace tempo with frightening precision. The song's chorus opens up a little, and sees dark clean vocals replace the growls, but the pace never really changes which allows the foreboding feeling to remain. A few screaming lead guitar moments, such as a fluid Mackintosh solo that rears its head towards the end of the piece, allow for a little melodic break from the murk; but on the whole this is a desolate song that recalls the success of the band's last couple of albums. Ghosts opens with a fuzzy bassline from Steve Edmondson, before a distant-sounding clean guitar melody and a percussive drum pattern join the fray. Those who love The Sisters of Mercy, and Paradise Lost albums like One Second, will really love this track, as it has all of the grooves and atmosphere that made 1980s goth what it was. Holmes even sings in a similar way to The Sisters' Andrew Eldritch throughout the song, with a deep, baritone, and almost-monotone vocal delivery that really fits the song overall. Despite this vocal approach, there are still a lot of melodies to be found. The song's chorus is very catchy, and Mackintosh seems to be more focused on little guitar leads and melodies than on big riffs. Everything comes together nicely, and it is great to hear the band channelling those 1980s gothic influences again after not really touching them for a while.

The Devil Embraced gets the band back onto a heavier path however, with a huge wall-of-sound opening guitar riff and some of the thickest bass tones on the album. While this song is certainly at the heavier end of the band's spectrum, it still manages to be a diverse piece. There is a lot of atmosphere created by layering lots of clean guitar melodies just behind the main riffs, and Holmes' diverse vocal performance keeps things from being too one-paced. The verses here a little more low-key, as the atmospheric guitars are pushed to the fore and Holmes croons the lyrics in his melodic clean vocal style. It is the chorus where the song really cranks up the heaviness, with crushing growls and tortured guitar leads really allowing the desolate side of the band to show itself again. The great thing about this album though in comparison to the previous couple at least (which are both still very strong albums) is that there is always a focus on melody here - and even in the band's heaviest moments there is still a guitar lead or a vocal hook to really draw the listener in. Forsaken is similar, but also sounds a bit like a throwback to Draconian Times and those albums the band were putting out throughout the 2000s that built on the sound established on the seminal 1995 release. Holmes mostly uses his gruff, but clean, vocal delivery here; a style which is tougher than the clean vocals used throughout most of the rest of the album, but not as dark-sounding as his growls; which really fits into the more up-tempo gothic metal that the band conjure up around him. While not a fast song by any means, Forsaken is certainly pacier than much of the material here. Väyrynen's drumming is pretty energetic, which allows Mackintosh and Aedy to lock into a chugging groove throughout. The song is a bit on the short side compared to many of the tracks here, which is a shame, but it works really well as a throwback to the band's most commercially-successful time. A strong chorus and a melodic guitar solo are the icing on the cake, and it really goes to prove how diverse an album Obsidian is that a track like Forsaken can sit side-by-side with Serenity - which follows. Serenity returns to the death/doom sound of the band's (recent) past, but also seems to include some Gothenburg-style influences; with melodic guitar leads popping up all over the song and less of an overall reliance on doomy pacing. While not exactly fast-paced, there is certainly more energy here than in many of the album's other songs. The subtle increase in speed works well however, and it really allows the melodic death metal influences to shine. Mackintosh is all over this song right from the get go, with a soaring guitar lead opening the track up nicely, and there are plenty of other chances throughout for him to shine - such as a hypnotic line throughout the upbeat, yet heavy, chorus and a screeching solo.

After three heavier pieces, Ending Days allows the band's more atmospheric side to shine from the off. Clean guitar melodies and Holmes' gentle vocals dominate the early portion of the track, while Väyrynen lays down some varied and dynamic drum grooves; once again allowing those 1980s gothic rock influences to shine. While not as groove-laden as Ghosts, Ending Days nevertheless showcases that influence, but in a more atmospheric and 'grand' way. Some more violin lines from Nurho allow that grandness to shine through occasionally, and Holmes' big clean vocal melodies often sweep majestically atop the song - even when the occasional heavier riff kicks in to add more weight. The real high point of the song for me however is Mackintosh's guitar solo, which could be his best on the album. He has always been a very melodic and precise soloist, and the effort here is drenched in emotion and melody - which is perfect for the more atmospheric vibe that the song is going for overall. Hope Dies Young also sees those 1980s goth influences included in a big way, with chiming clean guitar melodies present throughout the song to add that atmospheric depth while Heather Mackintosh adds some occasional ethereal backing vocals. Paradise Lost are not big users of female backing vocals, but they have used them in the past sparingly for effect and they work really well in the context of this track. They contrast well with Holmes' deep, baritone vocal delivery and subtly enhance some of the melodies. This track possibly has my favourite vocal melodies on the album too, with some positively emotional vocal lines from Holmes throughout that are quite different from his usual style. They really draw the listener into the track, and as the song builds to a climax around Väyrynen's double bass drumming everything really comes together perfectly. The album's final track Ravenghast sounds like another track that could have been on the band's last couple of albums, but given the diversity of Obsidian it fits perfectly here - and its oppressive, heavy sound proves to be a great way to close out the album. It opens with some subtle piano notes, but soon explodes into a heavy, slow-paced riff that really comes to dominate the piece. The piano rears its head occasionally throughout the song to add depth and atmosphere, but on the whole this is a classic slab of death/doom that is built around sluggish riffs and Holmes' growls. At their core Paradise Lost have always been a heavy band, even if that heaviness has been displayed through many different filters over the years. I really like how the band have re-embraced their roots over the past couple of albums, but I really love how they have incorporated those roots into their wider canon on this album. The Plague Within and Medusa were great for reintroducing the band to their old sound once again, but Obsidian and songs like Ravenghast show how that sound mixes in perfectly with the gothic and more traditional metal that the band have also done throughout their career; and it ends the album on a real high. Overall, as observed, Obsidian is a really strong album from a veteran band who seem to want to continue to push themselves. Despite enjoying many of the band's recent albums, this is probably my favourite thing that Paradise Lost have done for a good number of years as it really takes the best of everything that they have done over their thirty-odd year career and puts it all together in a dynamic, melodic, and cohesive way. It is an album that I am continuing to discover, and will no doubt be listening to regularly over the coming months.

The album was released on 15th May 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band promotional video for Darker Thoughts.