#paradise-lost — Public Fediverse posts

Time for coffee and some doom 🤘

https://paradiselostofficial.bandcamp.com/album/obsidian

#ParadiseLost

I’ve been slinging positive words about the relatively unknown Aussie Goth-doom crew The Eternal since 2018, when I was first captivated by their Waiting for the Eternal Dawn opus. It was like a variation on classic Peaceville doom mixed with acts like To Die For and H.I.M., and it worked despite the mammoth and unreasonable song runtimes. 2024s Skinwalker kept the winning formula while dialing back the song lengths a bit, and it was another win because the band have such a sharp handle on their chosen genre and style. Their early 2026 EP showed their mastery firmly in place, and now we get their 8th full-length, Obscured Horizons. The core sound remains somewhat intact, but this time they’ve moved further away from the 10-minute song lengths and smoothed out their presentation to make it significantly less heavy than before. It feels like a lite version of their Goth-doom style with a greater emphasis on melody and hooks. Their charm and songwriting guile are still present, so the new approach works more often than not, but have they lost essential depth and boldness in their special sadboi broth?

The album kicks off well with a typically downcast but gripping number, “Lament for the Hollow,” that showcases the moody, melancholic style The Eternal do so well. It’s hypnotic, easily digestible, and glum as fook, and that’s why you come to this particular show. It has shades of Paradise Lost and Dawn of Solace, but it’s uniquely them, and it kicks mopey ass. “Existing to Expire” sounds like a marriage between Paradise Lost’s One Second era and Lacrimas Profundere, and that’s a nice neighborhood to stop and have a good cry. Did I mention it’s sticky as hell too? It is. From here, Obscured Horizons settles into a very grey comfort zone of forlorn balladry and not-quite-metal Gothic exposition. Tracks like the engaging “Colours Fade” offer all the despair and negative feelings you want, but in a very light, melodic way with subtle touches of Voyager. This particular vibe carries throughout most of the album.

This is an easy-listening, drift-away kind of platter, with each song offering another bleak little cloud to float on as you come to grips with your inner pain. “I’ve Seen the Dream” feels especially weepy, with lyrics that speak clearly of loss and coping with the aftermath. It actually stings a bit if you really focus on what is being sung. By the time the 7-plus minutes of “Liminality” arrives, you may begin to sense that the album is rather one-note, with no real peaks and valleys in heaviness or pacing. The Eternal was never a crushingly heavy band, but they explored the heavier elements of doom, doom-death, and melodoom much more than they’re doing here. While no song is weak or unnecessary, taken together, they all start to blur into a graveyard grey mush by the 3/4 mark with so little deviation in approach. The only time a death roar appears is in the opening moments of “Liminality,” and it makes you long for more harsh elements to punctuate the slick, smooth Goth rocking. Whether it’s a booming death bellow, hostile riff, or dissonant squeal, the material screams for something, anything heavy as it floats from one ethereal vista to the next. That said, the title track is super hooky with just the right amount of pathos, and closer “Awaken” feels grandiose and sweeping, dragging in alt-rock elements without destabilizing the essential Gothery. At 51 minutes, this is a short album for The Eternal, and maybe it was wise to curtail the length given the monotone soundscape.

As always, Mark Kelson’s Gothic crooning is the main attraction here. He was born to sing gloomy tales of misadventure and heartbreak, and he does so with a smooth, unforced grace. I’ve become a big fan of his work over the years; I just wish his vocals weren’t so restrained and “safe” here. I miss the forays into Peaceville doom-death groaning and grunting because they set off the cleans so well and made them feel all the more poignant. Kelson and Richie Poate layer soft, nonthreatening Goth riffs and dreamy noodling everywhere, only occasionally offering something a bit harder or meaner (basically the first minute-and-change of “Liminality”). Though the music they craft is pretty and moody, it can end up pretty sleepy at times. I miss the swings from heavy to soft riffage that made Waiting for the Endless Dawn feel so dynamic. The songwriting itself is solid as always; it’s just that the album is too held back and constrained to rise to the same level as their prior releases.

I always assumed that if The Eternal ever tightened their songs into the 4-6 minute range, they could drop a truly mammoth sadboi platter on us. They did their part to tighten, but in the process they leeched nearly all the metal out of the end product. Obscured Horizons offers good to very good gloom rock by a band skilled enough to pull it off, but it’s not as captivating as their prior platters. Good stuff, but I want MOAR. I guess I’m never satisfied.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix
Websites: the-eternal.com | facebook.com/theeternal | instagram.com/theeternalofficial
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026

The Fallen by A.M. Kent

Paradise Lost Review: Yeon Sang-ho’s Limp and Lurid Grief Drama

An uncharacteristically guileless thriller from Yeon Sang-ho, “Paradise Lost” sees the South Korean maestro behind “Train to Busan”…
#NewsBeep #News #Movies #AU #Australia #Entertainment #film #ParadiseLost #reviews #TIFF
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/899711/

Paradise Lost Review: Yeon Sang-ho’s Limp and Lurid Grief Drama

An uncharacteristically guileless thriller from Yeon Sang-ho, “Paradise Lost” sees the South Korean maestro behind “Train to Busan”…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Movies #Entertainment #Film #ParadiseLost #reviews #TIFF
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/855061/

‘Paradise Lost’ Review: ‘Train to Busan’ Director Yeon Sang-ho Returns with a Limp and Lurid Grief Drama About Virtual Reality
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #Film #ParadiseLost #Reviews #TIFF

https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/paradise-lost-movie-review-yeon-sang-ho-1235217943/

Motocultor 2026 : Le Gros Dossier https://www.lagrosseradio.com/webzine-metal/p215246-motocultor-2026-le-gros-dossier/

Le Motocultor s’est con #withintemptation #LIVEREPORTMETAL #motocultor2026 #WEBZINEMETAL #paradiselost #JudasPriest #Festival #emperor #alcest #primus #metal #Live

Todays inner jukebox at work, on repeat as well 🤘😎

#paradiselost #thekenden #metalmusic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGMo9RV5Ye0

What humanity suffers from is the foolish belief that war is the way to find peace.

https://youtu.be/dSGmowbGFkQ

#paradiselost

Three books of Michael lecturing Adam with his cliff notes version of the rest of the Bible...

"Am I being frog marched from Paradise
And sentenced to hard labor by lectern?
What did I do to deserve turgid signs
Of distant offspring compounding my fault
By sins hidden, unheralded, unheard
Until to my ears you beckoned them?
I am trying to live in the now, Michael."
He ended; and thus Adam last replied.

#ParadiseLost

In diesem Jahr medial so gar nichts vom #Wacken mitbekommen. Reichlich Konserven gibt es hier: https://www.magentamusik.de/wacken-2026

Mit #JudasPriest und #ParadiseLost angefangen, da geht noch was. 🤘

Roger Avary’s ‘Paradise Lost’ & Alex Proyas’ ‘Heaven’ Have U.S. Theatrical Commitments As AI Outfit Ex Machina Strikes Cinema Deal On Slate
#News #ExMachina #ParadiseLost #RogerAvary

https://deadline.com/2026/08/roger-avary-paradise-lost-us-release-date-theatrical-1237044153/

When Lord Heikkinen formed Soulgrind in 1992, it was a rough and raw solo death/doom band. He released two EPs and two LPs between 1993 and 1995 for the now-defunct Malodorous Mangled Innards Records before deciding to invite some band members along for the ride. This would drastically alter Soulgrind’s musical direction towards gothic black/thrash, a decision likely influenced by the introduction of vocalist Tanya Lilith. Lilith and Lord Heikkinen remain the only current band members from the 1997 record, Whitsongs, as long-time drummer and sometimes vocalist Agathon “The Beast” sadly passed away in 2022 from cancer. Soulgrind experimented with harsh vocalists until settling on keyboardist Azhemin in 2001, though they still incorporated a vocalist committee for some time. In 2010, Soulgrind released their ninth full-length album, The Tuoni Pathway, before suddenly disappearing. It took sixteen years until they finally found the time and inspiration to release their tenth album, Ad Pulchram Mortem.1

Soulgrind has seen a significant evolution in their sound since the beginnings of their life as a gothic act. Their early material was raw and evil-sounding, with demo-level production quality. The blackened rasps from Lord Heikkinen and Caesar McLaulone were sometimes grating,2 yet there’s no denying a hunger and passion in their music. The early 2000s felt like a period where Soulgrind were trying to figure themselves out, with some inconsistency in identity from release to release. Then something clicked in 2007 with the release of Pakana, and the music grew more cohesive as it began to revolve around Lilith’s melodic touch. The Tuoni Pathway would see this direction improved before Soulgrind’s lengthy hiatus. Ad Pulchram Mortem brings about a mix of the old and the new, continuing the melodic direction of the last two records while still including some of the rough blackened touches of the older material. This sounds like a veteran group that hasn’t lost an edge of its passion despite the long hiatus.

Ad Pulchram Mortem contains gothic touches resembling fellow Helsinki natives Hanging Garden and the melodic black metal of Sojourner. They dabble in thrash on the likes of “Jylhä Metsämies” and “A Whispered Curse Upon the Gale,” as well as Paradise Lost-style death/doom on the terrific “The Origin of the White Serpent.” The deep, grizzled blackened growls of Azhemin delve into a darkness and ugliness that bring a harsh edge to the music—sometimes at the risk of putting off listeners. Soulgrind occasionally gets weird, such as on the sinister “In the Circus of Tuonela,” yet typically the weirdness is offset by the melodic and catchy choruses from Lilith, as exemplified by “Tears of the Earth.” The duo of Lilith and Azhemin proves a boon, as she serves as the foil of beauty to his beast. Her emotionally charged cleans lift the spirits and act as a soothing balm. This culminates in an outpouring of passion and melody on finale, “Into the Shadows of Devotion,” that is simply jaw-dropping.

For a band with a sixteen-year gap between releases, there is, understandably, still some rust to shake out—in this case, struggles with consistency and length. The record generally works better when Lilith is singing, and she sometimes rescues songs that are otherwise just okay, such as “Tears of the Earth” and “As a Narrow Fjord Descends.” Even so, she occasionally has distracting issues with pitch or odd-sounding vocal tones. Perhaps the biggest miss is the mid-album tune, “In the Circus of Tuonela,” which feels out of place with its lack of memorable hooks. The inconsistency goes hand in hand with a need to edit. While Soulgrind has pretty consistently pumped out 45-minute records throughout their career, this one feels a bit YOLO, reaching the 65-minute mark, including an eleven-minute finale. This last song, incredible as it is, would have a greater impact in a tighter package.

Soulgrind write the sort of melodic music that I love to overrate, with choruses that have me swooning and a heavy crunch of guitar and growls that beautifully contrast with the gentler side of the music. Yet Ad Pulchram Mortem feels as if the band was a touch over-enthusiastic, unable to make the edits necessary to create a more cohesive record. In my heart, there is a 4.0 lurking within these 65 minutes. The compositions revolving around Lilith as well as her soaring performance are just too good. Now that they have this one under their (onion) belt, I hope Soulgrind can return to the studio and create another work with this level of artistry, but a little more cohesion.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Inverse Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: August 14th, 2026

Starker Wacken-Gig von den great britains #ParadiseLost

https://www.magentamusik.de/paradise-lost-woa-2026-9208205928595568990

#Wacken

Since the last Filter dropped, it still hasn’t stopped raining and storming in my neck of the woods. Consequently, my minions trudge evermore through the thin sheet metal of our ducts as the thunder rattles everything like so many dice in a tabletop nerd’s clutches.1 Yet I must press them and push them, for we have quotas to meet and ravenous appetites to sate.

So it is with shaky hands and discombobulated craniums that my grunts hand over the goods. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Thrashed Thrall

Ascended Master // Crepuscular Gloom [May 8th, 2026 – Self Released]

Death thrash is best thrash, if you ask this sponge. Something about this unholy combo really rustles my jimmies, especially when its executed with great speed and riff-centered fervor. Cincinnati’s Ascended Master nail that combination right into the grave, boasting a sound that’s three parts Death, one part Atheist, and a pinch of Blood Red Throne. With a sense of groove that gives barnburners “Blood Spilled Upon the Stars,” “Crepuscular Gloom,” and rabid closer “Xenopaleontology” a deadly swagger liable to cause fierce whiplash in all who would headbang to it, debut LP Crepuscular Gloom” is a record pumped full of testosterone and adrenaline. Speedy rippers like “Midnight Mother” and “Ghoul Queen” put the pedal to the metal with a ferocity more commonly associated with Kvaen or Hellripper in the modern pantheon, but the record’s natural engineering and coherent screams hark to earlier times where Death reigned supreme in the scene. However, it would be inaccurate to call it pure worship. Ascended Master have an intense personality and a particular ferocity that allows Crepuscular Gloom to integrate smoothly into their respective category without blending into the crowd. As their career develops from this point, I expect we’ll see their identity bloom and rise with greater distinction, further setting them apart and threatening year-end lists all around. Just wait, you’ll see!

ClarkKent’s Prehistoric Pulls

Ilienses Tree // Toward the Storm [May 1st, 2026 – Meuse Music Records]

Ilienses Tree sow their roots deep into the island the band originates from—Sardinia, just off the coast of Italy. Their name, Ilienses, refers to an ancient Nuragic civilization that, during the Bronze Age, built impressive stone tower structures that still stand today. While the band isn’t nearly so old, their second album, Toward the Storm, dabbles in the sort of slow, deliberate doom that speaks of the patience of those ancient ruins. They lean towards a style of funeral doom that has the brutal power of My Dying Bride, but their record also contains the unpredictable dynamic drumming of Oromet and sneaks into speedier death/doom territory akin to Paradise Lost and Novembers Doom. Ilienses Tree have a mastery over melancholic lead riffs, such as the one that opens “To Not Be Forgotten.” “Sudden Rain” flexes the band’s creative muscle most impressively. Beginning in a slow burn and anchored by a poignant guitar lead, the song has a sudden burst of energy, turns in a lovely duet between arpeggiated riffs and bass, and features several more memorable and distinct guitar leads. Though the songs average nine minutes, they fit neatly into a 38-minute record, and thanks to progressive structures, they never feel overlong. If you’d like some music that simultaneously hits you in the feels and provides a shot of adrenaline, then go towards, not away from, this storm.

Anna Fiori // Metztli [May 21st, 2026 – Self Released]

Sometimes symphonic metal bands grow a touch stale from a failure to innovate, relying too heavily on the gimmick of symphonic instruments. Anna Fiori, however, has created something pretty special, with a Mexican/Aztec twist on the genre. Her band mixes “pre-Hispanic instrumentation” with cinematic symphonics and heavy guitars to create thrilling high-energy music. While some songs hit a more poppy Beyond the Black mold (“En El Vacio”), others take a longer-form route. The nine-minute “Luna Llena (Xiki Noeso)” blends indigenous chants and flutes with orchestral elements that sometimes sound like an exciting score to a whimsical adventure film. The highlight, “Luna Menguante (Nimotemak),” contains a mix of cool riffs, flutes, and blast beats before taking us on a bonkers ride involving operatic singing, off-kilter pianos, a few solos, and perhaps the summoning of a demon or two. While the song compositions are tons of fun, Fiori’s performance ties it all together. She sings in the sweet poppy manner of Epica’s Simone Simons, the operatic style of many a Therion singer, and even some growls in the spirit of Seven Spires’s Adrienne Cowen, if not quite her power. Fiori even briefly raps on a couple of tracks, with a pretty impressive section on the outro track, “Tetzahuitl, Pt. 2: El Origen,” and goes off-script with an infectious laugh on “Entre Mil Voces.” Clearly she’s having a lot of fun. Metztli hits some of the familiar symphonic notes while injecting enough personality of its own to make for an entertaining, and sometimes wild, ride.

Grin Reaper’s Spring Fling

Beyond the Veil // Oblivion [May 1st, 2026 – Wormholedeath Records]

There’s little online information about Tokyo prog metallers Beyond the Veil,2 and while I don’t recall how I stumbled across debut Oblivion, I’m glad I did. Upon listening, I was immediately enamored by their familiar yet enchanting blend of drama and technicality. Fans of Opeth and Dream Theater will uncover a trove of unapologetic prog where Beyond the Veil weaves gorgeously conceived instrumentation into intricate compositions. Oblivion also embraces long-form arrangements, sporting six tracks ranging between seven-and-a-half and sixteen minutes each. Credit to Beyond the Veil, though, because even with such robust runtimes totaling over an hour, Oblivion never feels repetitive or bankrupt of ideas. Quite the opposite, in fact, as each listen reveals new knots to untangle and coils to unwind. Perhaps the facet I’ve come to appreciate the most as I revisit Oblivion is Beyond the Veil’s merger of piano, mellotron, and orchestrations with guitar, bass, and drums. They’re hardly the first band to do this, but each song sounds well-attuned to incorporating the right instrument for the right part rather than spotlighting heavy-handed wankery, allowing Oblivion to soar. While Beyond the Veil doesn’t break the mold with this one, getting lost in Oblivion never sounded so sweet.

Lago // Vigil [May 8th, 2026 – Everlasting Spew Records]

Vigil introduced me to Lago and their infectiously abrasive death metal, and this album is forty-two minutes of unhinged brutality flecked with melody. The blood of Immolation, Morbid Angel, and Incantation pumps through Lago’s veins, delivering unapologetic tangles of dissonant, jangling guitars, fuming blast beats, and murky bass runs beneath Cole Jacobsen’s devilishly demented gutturals. Lago’s brew is potent stuff, swirling and churning with caustic acid that will leave your eardrums scarred and cowed with nary a moment wasted. Complimenting the devastating filth Lago dredges is Gus Barr’s warbling lead guitar, which cuts through the grime with off-kilter shredding. “Behold, Ruin” and “Initiation Rite” hit with the immediacy and aplomb of Immolation, lurching onwards with Brian Miller’s timekeeping straight out of Close to a World Below’s playbook. Meanwhile, “Procession into Slaughter” and “The Land Was a Desert” launch into Azagthoth-tinged, otherworldly riffs. Everything about Lago screams danger, yet once the blood starts flowing it’s impossible to turn away from their murderously addictive violence. Once Vigil has its hooks in you, you won’t want them to Lago.

Redshift // Down the Wire [May 29th, 2026 – Pale Wizard Records]

As a massive Rush fan, Redshift’s Down the Wire immediately caught my attention with ample parallels. A power trio wielding buttery smooth bass lines, Lifeson-leaning chords, and Tiago Martins’ tender tenor call to mind Canada’s greatest export for all the right reasons. Yet Bath, England’s Redshift is more than a Rush clone, and on Down the Wire they bounce and whip in syncopated flurries and chromatic runs while dabbling with vocoded vocals and deathly roars. As the best prog does, Redshift explores vast territory in a commensurately brief runtime. Opener “The Routine” hits the Rush influence hard and early, but “The Clown” draws upon Synchestra-era Devin Townsend kookiness while “The Rogue” dabbles in Yesified eclecticism and even features guest keys from Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen). One thing Redshift steers away from is the self-seriousness associated with a lot of prog, and Down the Wire radiates a pervasive sense of fun. Trumpets and samba-coded melodies enliven “The Rogue” while “The Singer” assaults with fierce growls, wicked solos, and perfectly balanced instrumental interplay. Down the Wire fires on all cylinders, scorching with progressive songwriting and so much replayability that I regret not getting the chance to write a review in full. If you’re Down to the Wire and need a prog fix quickly, Redshift is a clever choice that won’t disappoint.

Spicie Forrest’s Nostalgic Nugget

Haste the Day // Dissenter [May 1st, 2026 – Solid State Records]

I haven’t heard the name Haste the Day since 2008. At the time, I was on the tail end of my metalcore phase and pushing into heavier styles, so while I recognized their quality, I didn’t latch on to them as I did other acts of their ilk. It’s a shame, because Dissenter is the sound of my adolescence. Slinging the same emo-flavored metalcore as early As I Lay Dying and August Burns Red, the Indianapolis-based six-piece offers 39 minutes of beautifully aching nostalgia. Stephen Keech’s lead vocals sound pushed and strained (complimentary), evoking the emotion of early Linkin Park (“Shallows,” “Grave”). Guitarists Scott Whelan, Brennan Chaulk, and Dave Krysl are so in sync, delivering stellar layered riffs and leads felt in the soul (“Burn”). When Michael Murphy’s bass comes to the fore, as on “Liminal,” he brings a heaviness and intensity that hurtles me back to middle school like it was just yesterday. Dissenter is a bit heavier and faster on the front end, but even the not-quite-overwrought power ballads of the back half maintain their drive and pacing thanks to Giuseppe Capolupo’s kit work (“Adrift,” “Escape”). For those of us who cut our teeth on acts like Haste the Day, late-career and comeback albums can be an anxious affair, but I’m happy to report that Dissenter is a worthy walk down memory lane.

Clear blue summer sky, an 18th century wool trading space modelled after an Italian piazza, and a selection of prog metal bands. I'm quite happy.
#HalifaxPieceHall #Katatonia #paradiselost #Opeth

Nick Holmes looks EXACTLY like my PE teacher back in the days. I despised him wholeheartedly. Love #ParadiseLost though. #Wacken

Day Three – Final, Electrifying Night With Electric Callboy, Lamb Of God, Nevermore, Paradise Lost And Deafheaven. Hills Of Rock 2027 Promo Tickets Sold Out In Just One Hour

https://metalphotos.org/2026/07/30/day-three-final-electrifying-night-with-electric-callboy-lamb-of-god-nevermore-paradise-lost-and-deafheaven-hills-of-rock-2027-promo-tickets-sold-out-in-just-one-hour/