Often cited as the pioneers of the death doom genre, English group PARADISE LOST from Halifax, West Yorkshire started out way back in 1988 and are still going strong without a hiccup in its way. 14 albums down the pipeline, with their recent one, ‘The Plague Within‘ coming out two years ago, the doom lords are back in action as they announce the release date and the beautiful album cover for their 15th full length upcoming studio album ‘Medusa‘. The new album will see the light of the day on September 1st via Nuclear Blast Records, the album being already described as “melding crushing doom metal with Nick Holmes’ harsh death growls and raw organic sounds, heralding a new era of pure Northern misery.”, arguably the heaviest record in the past 15 years.
‘Medusa’ Album Art
As said above the band has also released the album art for ‘Medusa‘ as can be seen above. The artwork was created by Branca Studio and shows the infamous Gorgone Medusa from Greek mythology, carrying venomous snakes as hair and mercilessly turning anyone into stone who would dare to look into her hideous and unapologetic eyes.
Lead guitarist Greg Mackintosh comments:
“Whilst we were writing ‘Medusa’ and realising what the new songs were becoming, we had to find an artist to reflect this direction. After searching around for a while, I found Branca Studios. They have a keen eye for design and their modern take on retro artwork really fit the bill. What they have come up with is a blending of colourful yet retro styling, whilst maintaining the classic PARADISE LOST feel.“
Nick Holmes further goes onto add:
“I was intrigued about a greater meaning and thinking more along the lines of what Medusa represents metaphorically. Medusa as a title works in many ways. From a nihilist perspective, when I read the description of ‘Medusa’ on the Wikipedia page: ‘Attempts to avoid looking into Medusa’s eyes represents avoiding the ostensibly depressing reality that the universe is meaningless’ – the title was pretty much in the bag!“
Also, coming in as a never before seen surprise PARADISE LOST will play an exclusive show at the iconic LKA Longhorn in Stuttgart on the day of the album release(September 1st) where they will play ‘Medusa‘ in it’s entirety, along with a lot of cool surprises during this one off special event. Be sure to grab a ticket of this exclusive show, before they run out as it is a strictly limited ticket event.
Get the tickets to the Stuttgart show here.
PARADISE LOST will also embark on an European voyage supporting their new album after the release of the same. Along with label mates, US doom counterparts Pallbearer and support act from Portugal, Sinistro this one promises to be an all round exciting tour with lots of new material for live audience. Immerse yourself in one of these many experiences, below are the tour dates:
01.09. – D Stuttgart, LKA Longhorn *exclusive release show*
PARADISE LOST w/ PALLBEARER & SINISTRO
27.09. – LUX Esch-SurAlzette – Kulturfabrik
28.09. – D Herford – X
29.09. – DK Copenhagen – Pumpehuset
01.10. – N Oslo – John Dee
03.10. – FIN Helsinki – Nosturi
07.10. – DK Aarhus – Voxhall
10.10. – CZ Brno – Fleda
11.10. – SK Bratislava – Randal
13.10. – SRB Belgrade – Dom Omladine
14.10. – HR Zagreb – Boogaloo
15.10. – H Budapest – Dürer Kert
18.10. – D Nuremberg – Hirsch
19.10. – D Frankfurt – Batschkapp
20.10. – D Saarbrücken – Garage
21.10. – CH Geneva – L‘Usine
28.10. – I Fontaneto D’Agogna – Phenomenon
29.10. – D Munich – Theaterfabrik
30.10. – CH Pratteln – Z7
03.11. – UK London – Electric Ballroom
04.11. – UK Leeds – Damnation Festival
06.11. – NL Utrecht – Pandora
07.11. – NL Tilburg – 013
08.11. – D Cologne – Live Music Hall
09.11. – D Berlin – Columbia Theater
10.11. – D Weissenhäuser Strand / Ostsee – Metal Hammer Paradise (PARADISE LOST only)
Or see the band this summer on the following festivals:
02.07. – GR Athens – Rockwave Festival
14./15.07. – S Gävle – Gefle Metal Festival
21.07. – PL Katowice – Metal Hammer Festival
22.07. – D Esslingen – River-Side Festival
30.06. – E Barcelona – Rock Fest
03. – 05.08. – G Wacken – Wacken Open Air
11.08. – A Graz – Metal on the Hill
13.08. – B Kortrijk – Alcatraz Festival
18. – 20.08. – F Saint-Nolff – Motocultor Festival
25./26.08. – D Wörrstadt – Neuborn Open Air
08.09. – UAE Dubai – The Music Room (Majestic Hotel)
Get your tickets here.
