Gothic/doom metal icons Paradise Lost will release their long-awaited 17th album, Ascension, on 19 September via Nuclear Blast Records. The band's first album in five years, following 2020's critically acclaimed Obsidian, was produced by guitarist Gregor Mackintosh and mixed/mastered by Lawrence Mackrory. Ascension is a testament to the band's longevity and relevance over its 35+ year career, encompassing its signature styles of gothic, death and doom metal fans have cherished along the way.
Ascension's album cover fittingly features the painting The Court of Death (1870-1902) by renowned British artist George Frederic Watts, which hangs in the Tate Gallery in London. The painting depicts Death as an enthroned angel flanked by allegorical figures of Silence and Mystery guarding sunrise and the star of hope, while a warrior surrenders his sword and a duke his coronet, showing that worldly status offers no protection. The painting's bleak, prophetic vision embodies Ascension's dark, tormented soundscapes as mournful verses collide with dire, foreboding riffs.
Paradise Lost has also offered a glimpse into its melancholic masterpiece with the record's first video single, "Silence Like The Grave".
Vocalist Nick Holmes on the record: "Ascension is a cavalcade of molten misery, a vigorous sorrow-filled stroll through a wicked world of glorious triumph and pitiful tragedy".
Paradise Lost has welcomed back Jeff Singer on drums, who was a member of the band in 2007-2008 (In Requiem). "When I got a call asking if I would drum for Paradise Lost again it was clear the time was right and we could actually make this happen. Nothing could make me prouder. Firstly, the band, management and fans have always made me feel part of the family and secondly, as a fan of the band, it is a dream and something I have thought about a lot over the years. Paradise Lost are in my blood. I can't wait and am so excited to get out there with the lads playing the songs I love and meeting our amazing loyal fans again." Jeff Singer
See Paradise Lost's live/tour dates below and Ascension Of Europe Tour 2025 - part I dates HERE. Link
Ascension tracklist:
01. Serpent On The Cross
02. Tyrants Serenade
03. Salvation
04. Silence Like The Grave
05. Lay A Wreath Upon The World
06. Diluvium
07. Savage Days
08. Sirens
09. Deceivers
10. The Precipice
Paradise Lost Live/Tour Dates:
June 7 - Berlin, DE - Columbiahalle (w/King Diamond)
June 10 - Wiesbaden, DE - Schlachthof (w/King Diamond)
June 11 - Tilburg, NL - O13 (w/King Diamond)
June 13 - Oberhausen, DE - Turbinenhalle (w/King Diamond)
June 14 - Ludwigsburg, DE - MHP Arena (w/King Diamond)
June 16 - Milan, IT - Alcatraz (w/King Diamond)
June 17 - Zurich, CH - Komplex 457 (w/King Diamond)
June 18 - Dessel, BE - Graspop Metal Meeting
June 21 - Lublin, PL - Lublin 2025
June 28 - Vana-Vigala, EE - Hard Rock Laager 2025
June 30 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy
July 1 - London, UK - Roundhouse
July 4 - Joensuu, FI - Ilovaari Festival 2025
July 6 - Sariyer, TR - Headbangers’ Weekend 2025
July 10 - Malakasa, GR - Rockwave Festival 2025
July 17 -Málaga, ES - Sun and Thunder Festival 2025
July 31 - Bergen, NO - Beyond The Gates 2025
Aug 1 - Czaplinek, PL - Pol’and’Rock Festival
Aug 8 - Jaroměř, CZ - Brutal Assault 2025
Aug 15 - Eindhoven, NL - Dynamo Metal Fest 2025
Dec 13 - Bradford, UK - Bradford Live
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"Goth people want to have fun sometimes too. I guess if your listening time is 99% dark, sad songs or evil black metal songs, sometimes you want 1% joy, and here I come." - Franck Hueso
"There were already bands doing small illustrations of symphonic metal, and I was thinking, why doesn't someone do this all the time?" - Christofer Johnsson
"For my sake, I could just stop playing the old stuff, but on the other hand, I know that our fans want it." - Anders Kobro
"It's my kind of duty to provoke people and to make sure they feel something — to dance, cry, do whatever they feel. I do motivate them, because that's my purpose." - Chris Corner
