Paradise Lost Ascension this Friday, the 19th, via Nuclear Blast Records .
“We started writing it about 5 years ago… Just before the pandemic, and then we had 2 years where we didn’t do anything with Paradise Lost, and then we picked it up again. It’s been about 5 years since we started. We’ve had plenty of time to think about how we could change things, and we also re-recorded the Icon in the meantime.”
He continued: “And we also launched a side project, me and Greg [ Gregor Mackintosh , guitarist of Paradise Lost], called Host … We had plenty of time to think about where we wanted to go with this album, Ascension . And we just want to make things more varied within what we do. It’s good to have a varied album. We don’t want all the songs to sound the same, we want that variation in singing styles as well, and just to make things interesting for ourselves. We write, we record, and we hope people listen.”
Produced by guitarist Gregor Mackintosh and mixed/mastered by Lawrence Mackrory , this is Paradise Lost's first album in five years, following the acclaimed Obsidian from 2020. Ascension is not only a testament to the band's longevity and relevance throughout their more than 35-year career, but also encompasses the characteristic gothic, death, and doom metal styles that fans cherish.
The new phase features the return of drummer Jeff Singer . The drummer played with the band between 2004 and 2008, recording the albums Paradise Lost (2005) and In Requiem (2007).
Previously, the gothic metal pioneers had dismissed drummer Guido Zima , who joined the band in March 2023. The British band issued a statement on social media thanking the drummer.
READ ALSO: Paradise Lost Interview: Nick Holmes talks about the band's 37-year career
