Paradise Lost is undoubtedly one of the few long lasting bands with an extraordinary influential career that overcomes the common boundaries of time and space. With the release of the fourteenth album gracefully entitled “The Plague Within”, the band has proudly reached another milestone and is still embracing the eternal darkness that has always been its symbolic signature.
“No Hope In Sight” will immediately conquer all with an intoxicating array of groovy guitar riffs that embody an overwhelming sadness. Nick Holmes elegantly delivers melancholic clean vocals and bitter growls while the rhythm section generates a claustrophobic feeling that devours from within. Despite the pitch black mojo that permeates every stylistic feature, this song bears a healthy dose of energy.
“Terminal” has a blackened primordial core that brings together raging elements of death metal and the depth of doom metal. Here the main attraction is symbolized by the synergy between the feverish rhythm and the dynamic guitar riffs.
“An Eternity Of Lies” shines for its fragile poetic atmosphere floating through a softer yet doomy rhythm. In the midst of an intense darkened melancholy, Greg Mackintosh’s persuasive smooth guitar solo introduces some enlightened uplifting sensations.
“Punishment Through Time” is excitingly filled with addictively catchy guitar riffs that recall the unforgettable glory of “Pity The Sadness”. Holmes’s vocals evoke a glowing energy that perfectly fits the wild rhythmic momentum.
“Sacrifice The Flame” features a rather classic, still generously attractive, approach where doom and true gothic embrace spontaneously. There is a cathartic mood, particularly enhanced by clean vocals and highly melancholic guitar phrases, that feeds off the slower and colder atmospheric layers.
Starting with ominous chants, “Return To The Sun” features the sonic intensity of the starving artist. While Mackintosh excellently concocts a deadly cycle of decadent guitar riffs that literally bleed emotions throughout the song, Holmes channels all his heartfelt vocal strength.
“The Plague Within” is a tremendous work of music in which Paradise Lost revisits and reinvents the gothic metal style that earned the band the status of pioneers of a genre which, contrary to popular belief, was never meant to fade away.