In a world where it bands come and go, some like the blip on a screen, and others hanging around for a few years before devolving into either obscurity, notoriety or death, news about a long existing group that not only stays relevant but manages to transmogrify their existing sound into new territories ALWAYS gets us excited with bated anticipation. We’ve been officially put on notice by stalwart metal label Nuclear Blast that Paradise Lost, together since 1988 (with the exception of a drummer change up here and there), will have their first full length of new material since 2015’s exceptional ‘The Plague Within‘ released at the end of this summer. While the previous album harkened more towards their death metal roots, this one, according to lead guitarist/songwriter Greg Mackintosh, “….will be slower, sludgier and more doom filled than ever before. Eight riff laden monster tracks of sheer Northern misery”, a fact that should get longtime fans pumped for the new release (like they won’t be already, amiright?)
Paradise Lost vocalist Nick Holmes
Recorded at Orgone Studios in the beautifully dreary Woburn, England, with production work coming from the talented mind of Jaime Gomez Arellano. Arellano, a multi skilled musician/producer/artist who previously produced ‘The Plague Within‘ for Paradise Lost and has worked alongside bands such as Angel Witch, Primordial, The Gates of Slumber and Cathedral to name a few. The 15th(!) studio album from these gothy electro/death/doom/metal masters of amalgamation is entitled ‘Medusa‘; just in case you’re caught unawares, Medusa was a prominently featured member of Greek mythology, one of the the race of Gorgons with serpents for hair, wings, and because those two attributes aren’t nearly enough to cement a legacy–the ability to turn anyone who gazes at one into stone. (An image of Medusa as depicted in the old movie hit, ‘Clash of the Titans‘, is forever burned in my mind. Not that CGI from the later reissue, either; the oddly gesticulating, claymation creature from the original. Shout out to you if you recall the same.)
Greg Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, guitarists for Paradise Lost. Not pictured: vocalist Nick Holmes, bassist Steve Edmonson, and drummer Waltteri Väyrynen.
At any rate, the title has some guessing as to whether the name pick hints at thematic elements, overall feel, or possibly just a title track, but given the words of Mackintosh? The end of summer cannot come soon enough for all of us to find out. Nuclear Blast has promised more news and updates as the release gets closer, and I’m hopeful this means that they’ll release some teaser tracks and/or videos to keep us chomping at the bit until the big reveal. We’ll pass along any more info we get to you, our loyal readers, and keep up with the band directly by giving ’em a follow on Facebook here or their official website here. Get yourself pumped for the new release by busting out the official video for ‘‘Beneath Broken Earth”, taken from ‘The Plague Within‘, below or if you’re more of a fan of the long game, stream the album via You Tube.
