Icons of melancholic doom and gothic metal, Paradise Lost have released their long-awaited 17th album, Ascension, today with Nuclear Blast Records.
Their latest, critically lauded masterpiece is evidence of a band still at the height of their prime, 35+ years into a groundbreaking career. Soaked in misery and grief, Ascension soars with songs like “Tyrants Serenade,” “Serpent on the Cross,” and “Silence Like The Grave,” that take listeners on an unforgettable journey through morose despair forged in the soundscape of massive riffs and searing solos.
Today, Paradise Lost has revealed a lyric video for their next highlighted track, “Lay A Wreath Upon The World.” Adding about the song, Holmes says: “Lay a wreath upon the world serves as a harbinger of the impending tempest, where humanity will eventually obliterate all that it has created.”
Order the album now on a variety of formats, here.
Produced by Greg and mixed by Lawrence Mackrory, Ascension is a mournful reflection on power, impermanence, and the passage of time. The album cover matches its bleak grandeur: George Frederic Watts’ The Court of Death, a fitting image of surrender and silence in the face of mortality.
The painting depicts Death as an enthroned angel flanked by allegorical figures of Silence and Mystery guarding sunrise and the star of hope. At the same time, a warrior surrenders his sword and a duke his coronet, showing that worldly status offers no protection. The painting’s bleak, prophetic vision embodies Ascension’s dark, tormented soundscapes as mournful verses collide with dire, foreboding riffs.
Commenting on the record, Holmes states: “Ascension is a cavalcade of molten misery, a vigorous sorrow-filled stroll through a wicked world of glorious triumph and pitiful tragedy.”
Paradise Lost are currently performing at festivals across Europe and will embark on the first leg of the “Ascension of Europe” tour this fall. Tickets are available here.
