Paradise Lost’s breakthrough album ‘Gothic’ (1991) propelled them to the top tier of the doom metal genre, a status the Halifax sons were able to consolidate on both Shades of God (1992) and Icon (1993). Over the years their output mellowed somewhat but 2007’s ‘In Requiem’ saw them return to their heavier roots and they’ve been on a major upswing ever since. Over the last decade they’ve continued to redefine their sound, marrying the doom influences from their early days with more melodic elements and a mixture of clean and harsh vocals. On ‘The Plague Within’ (2015), Holmes’ taking over mic duties for Bloodbath crystallised into the most cavernous vocals he’d produced in years. The powerful combination of Aedy’s crushing riffs and Mackintosh’s sorrowful, lamenting melodies create that typical gothic Paradise Lost atmosphere and the rhythm section is a slow, unrelenting machine that crushes everything in sight. ‘Medusa’ (2017) abandons the gothic approach in favour of the doom sound of their early days and Obisidian (2020) once again illustrates their two greatest strengths: consistency and the ability to keep things fresh, even after 37 years.#GMM25
