Icons of goth and doom, PARADISE LOST will release their long-awaited, 17th album Ascensionon September 19th. The band’s first album in 5 years, following 2020’s critically acclaimed Obsidian, was produced by guitarist Gregor Mackintosh and mixed/mastered by Lawrence Mackrory. Ascension is a testament to the band’s longevity and relevance over their 35+ year career, encompassing their signature styles of gothic, death and doom fans have cherished along the way.
Ascension’s album cover fittingly features the painting The Court of Death (1870-1902) by renowned British artistGeorge Frederic Watts, which hangs in the ate Gallery in London. The painting depicts Death as an enthroned angel flanked by allegorical figures of Silence and Mystery guarding sunrise and the star of hope, while 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, vocalist Nick Holmes says:
Ascension is a cavalcade of molten misery, a vigorous sorrow filled stroll through a wicked world of glorious triumph and pitiful tragedy.
Side A:
1. Serpent On The Cross
2. Tyrants Serenade
Side B:
3. Salvation
4. Silence Like The Grave
5. Lay A Wreath Upon The World
Side C:
6. Diluvium
7. Savage Days
8. Sirens
Side D:
9. Deceivers
10. The Precipice
