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PARADISE LOST “Ascension”
PARADISE LOST “Ascension”
By Theron Moore
UK doom overlords, PARADISE LOST, recently released their new record, “Ascension”, and man, is this thing heavy and god-like. “Ascension” is the band’s 17th release in their now legendary 35+ year career.
I caught PARADISE LOST at the 2025 edition of Milwaukee Metal Fest and their performance astounded me, how great they are live as they sound on record. This may sound like a “captain obvious” thing to say but it’s a feat few bands can actually do.
“Serpents Of The Cross” opens the record with equal parts sludge, doom, atmosphere, and thrash. Trust me when I say that this song is a heavy metal wrecking ball of epic proportion. “Tyrants Serenade” follows up with its doomy, goth vibes even sporting a sound (maybe an ode?) akin to TYPE O NEGATIVE. Regardless, it’s a crusher.
There’s a, shall we say, a celebratory groove of misery and despair that grabs onto you like an undertow in a river dragging you under, weighing on you, throughout “Ascension” but in a good way. The heaviness that emanates out of every song on this album is a natural – not forced – product of how goddamn good PARADISE LOST is. At seventeen records in, they’re still the undisputed masters of this musical genre.
Track three, “Salvation,” is a picture-perfect example of this. The same goes for “Lay A Wreath Upon The World.” It’s not always about volume or distortion, it’s about marrying songwriting with atmosphere to create a bigger than life, almost epic, soaring quality. Hell, that describes “Ascension” start to finish.
But when PARADISE LOST lays down a groove, cities get laid to waste and the Earth tilts a little bit off its axis. “Diluvium,” does just this. In a way, “Diluvium” and “Sirens,” remind me of what TROUBLEdid with “Psalm Nine”, mostly from a musical perspective. The riffage on these two songs is elevated, wielding the power and might of a god.
“Ascension” is killer, it’s everything and more that I expect from a PARADISE LOST record. The songs come across as mini orchestral suites of perfect musical balance with just the right amount of sonic destruction, sludge, doom, melody, even moments of thrash to justify me calling this record a masterpiece, which it rightfully is. Buy it, buy it now! Right now, “Ascension” in my top three best records of 2025, it’s that good.
5/5 Stars
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