It’s fair to say that Paradise Lost have been one of the frontrunners in the death/doom genre for many years and their latest album The Plague Within shows exactly why they still are. A well-rounded and established piece, this could perhaps be one of Paradise Lost’s strongest releases to date.
Opening with No Hope In Sight, which has already been presented to the masses via a lyric video, it’s a powerful and striking opener that draws the listener in, holding their interest as the track progresses with massive guitar riffs that you’ll want to bang your head along to and a fantastic vocal performance courtesy of Nick Holmes.
Things progress fantastically from there and one of the standout songs is Beneath Broken Earth, which is perhaps the most ‘traditional doom’ track on the album. Gloriously heavy and slow-paced, Paradise Lost really take their time with getting their point across and it really pays off for them as the song really leaves a lasting impression on you.
Winding things up with epic Return To The Sun, which is even complemented with some choral vocals at the beginning and end, it finishes on a high and leaves no room for doubt that this is an album set to go down an absolute storm when it’s released en masse to the public.
9/10
