Hey man! Glad you liked the album, I think you really understood it :) funnily enough, I mixed and mastered the last Hooded Menace too! Cheers, the producer/mixer/mastering of Obsidian (and the previous 2).
You recorded this band perfectly. I'm an audio engineer myself in California, PL is my favorite band and I listen a lot to the little production details. The bass guitar in this mix in mind-glowingly good! amazing job
Blayne amazing review m8, I totally agree, there is nothing to complain about, record is just outstanding, I've heard it a few times already and it simply blew me away, production and guitarwork is just simply flawless!!!! The whole record sounds like a band aid put on an open wound, very emotional and healing at the same time, for me 5/5!!!!!
haha, metal reviewers are usually on top of their shit! Not to mention they usually cover the biggest release of the week, generally, and will get promo copies I'd assume to formulate/start editing days before :)
Damn, that's a good review. Have been enjoying their peaks and troughs over the years and to see this is a great sign. Always good to see Blayne enthusing about something, especially when he wasn't expecting to!
Love this record so far, and why oh why was Paradise Lost so unknown in the US in the 90's in that Icon and Draconian Times era?! Would have fit like a glove on The Crow Soundtrack, pick pretty much any song!!!
Man, the last two albuns (now three with this one) are the best way they could take and are amazing. Exactly because of the diversification, even bigger in Medusa and Obsidian. Even though my favorite riffs are in The Plague Within. It's a collection of nasty riffs and beautiful melodies. You won't regret giving The Plague Within and Medusa some bigger attention once you liked so much this one!
@peteM3rlin Those are incredible albums too, made in PAST times. It's nice they will always be available for listening regardless the band's rights for doing anything they want with their music. And it's also nice that you have the right of listening only the ones you like, isn't it? Well, it's the just the same for me here. Cheers!
This record is amazing. It’s a 5/5 to me, and it’s not even my fav Paradise Lost album. Incredible how the band managed to release such an impactful work, being on the road for so long.
In my mind they've been back since "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" in 2009. "Obsidian" may be up there among the best, as they've reached deeper and darker then they have for a long time, and at the same time they reach back to a sort of eighties goth sound that really works. But "Draconian Times" will never be surpassed in my view - it's one of the best albums of all time, certainly one of the best albums of the nineties. 25 years I've been blasting that album and it never lets me down. :-) Side note: Heavier isn't necessarily better.
Nice Hooded Menace tee!! \m/ This seems like a cool record to listen to. A lot better than their last record, I reckon. Thnx for the review, Balyne!! Cheers!! 🍻
Been loving everything since In Requiem, which this is starting to sound similar to. Great mix of goth and doom. Medusa felt a tad bit stale, but still really good. Happy to hear they’re a little reinvigorated.
I discovered this band when In Requiem came out in 2007, been a huge fan ever since. Felt the same about Medusa. A couple of incredible songs, but it was the first PL album since In Requiem that I didn't listen to 100's of times all the way through. Fearless Sky may be one of the best death/doom songs ever written though, in my humble opinion.
@@mattv2635 Agree with everything you said. Fearless Sky is one of their best, but as a whole "Medusa" didn't grab me quite as much. Still a solid ass 3.75/5 ish.
FANTASTIC album!!! for me it's the best since requiem. Icon and draconian times still the best of them for me! This album has great drum work, melodies, vocals... great album!
They found a kick ass drummer. The guy is talented. The previous one was great too but this one really nails many passages and the mix is perfect. In some albums the snare was too grainy now it blends perfectly.
I just knew a few songs by Paradise lost and didn't care much about them generally but when I heard darker thoughts, was blown away. Kept going on and on listening to the album and just became a fan at the end.
'Big bands don't have that heaviness that smaller bands do'. Wow, this is probably the most inaccurate statement of this millennium, especially when it is made in a Paradise Lost review. 99.9% of the smaller bands' guitarists would rip off their testicles with their bare hands, just to have come up with just one of Greg's riffs. And that is riffs from the past 3 records only
🤘PARADISE LOST🤘one of my favourite all time bands😊 I’m glad that they’re back and released Obsidian. Not all established band loose their edge, who’d thought that Revelations of Oblivion by Possessed was gonna be a killer record! This album does feel like an amalgamation of Paradise Lost’s discography. Recent albums feel like they’ve put a bit more emphasis on the bass, which I like to keep the band well rounded. Obsidian was definitely worth the wait!
I just tripped across darker thoughts, listened to it twice, bought the album, and now I'm addicted. The comments tell me to listen to plague, I'm excited to hear it!
Paradise Lost is an incredible band. It’s like that exactly know what I wanna hear in their music. So many great albums were released this year, Code Orange, EXA, Ozzy, Trivium... But Obsidian gets a full 10/10 from me. Best album of the year so far, it’ll be hard for any band to pass that album.
If you want heaviness well done listen to The Plague Within, that's the really best album they've released in years, even tho I Love the new one, Plague is really Death/Doom Paradise Lost at their best.
Goddammit! This kind of hype is what sold out the "big package" vinyl edition of the record before I could get it :( Totally agree with everything in the review tho :D
Hey, greetings from Colombia... got that winter album, lp and cd... shared the hell out of it in a radio show called "Psicosis", in 98.5 fm UN Radio in Bogotá. circa 1998 - 2012Good times! Paradise Lost rules... a band doing what they feel like doing... although some decisions from them I didn't like... don't mean to be a 'only the classic' guy, but stuff like "True belief" and "jaded" are awesome... and those first three records, damn! Gotta listen to the rest of their material. Great Show Banger...
You have to review Medusa. That album deserves 5/5 IMO. Even if the review is now 3 years overdue. It is heavier, mostly death doom so it is right in Blanyne's ballpark.
My first thought listening to this album was "that's the closest thing to TON you can find". And that's a huge compliment. It satisfies my TON cravings, but it's its own thing of course. Great stuff! 10/10
Are you guys gonna do the new Naglfar album? There hasn't been a review, but I also haven't seen it mentioned as a shout out or on metal monthly that I remember. It's their 5th album on Century Media (7th album overall), so it's not like a tiny non-label indie band nobody has heard of, and their new videos for the album have 90k and 130k views. I was actually surprised to hear no mention of it on your channel so far.
This one is a little different. I love Medusa and Plague, Tragic was good too. This one will take some growing on me, but it's certainly very good and listenable. Just kinda like the pure drudgery of Medusa a little more. But a Paradise Lost album is always a little bit of a gamble. Tithe kicks ass. Great stuff, it's got a lot of grind and doom with Conan style shouting over it. I'm all about that kinda mixy matchy funsky. Btw, Devangelic dropped another one yesterday and she's a ripper if you like brutal death. Peace and such.
Just because you're too lazy to listen to Plague Within and Medusa doesn't mean those albums are not heavy or "meh". They kick ass. You just gotta give them a proper listen.
Listen to Beneath Broken Earth from The Plague Within, just!...*Mwah* 👌 Medusa didn't quite catch me, admittedly, but I'm going to go back to it again though. It feels like it must be the missing link between Plague and Obsidian and I can't not listen to that after how incredible Obsidian is.
Music has literally been the thing that has saved me, i had a number of strokes when i was 10 and by 12 i felt i shouldn't be here still but i listened to slipknot etc which helped me vent how i felt at that point and from then i moved onto more extreme stuff like death metal talking about gore and death lyrics whereas a little further down the line i listened to black metal which sounded like shit but resonated with me as far as the "we are misfits but thats ok" kinda vibe!! So ya been listening to alternative music for a while but honestly believe that it saved me from a young age!! You guys have definitely made it more mainstream available and I definitely appreciate everything that you have done! Keep up the good work!! Love you guys this is what the world of people who have no nation or identity need!! Keep it up!!! You are helping millions!!!
Obsidian is the band's best release since Tragic Idol (2012). I liked Plague Within and Medusa but Obsidian has better production overall. 32 years in and Paradise Lost can still make stellar records.
It’s a strong album, one of their best in recent years, but isn’t true that there’s no filler songs. Or from another perspective there are so good and strong songs that the weakest ones become quite some fillers. Especially last couple of songs. I think sadly the album reflects the logic of today streaming as I can really feel the album goes from strong to weak in order to grab the attention of the listener much that it can. Paradise Lost albums in the past have always a very strong ending song, which I see is not the case in the couple of recent albums.
I don't agree with your reviews often Blayne, but here I do. I never really liked Paradise Lost, more a Candlemass type of Doomer (or Funeral Doom) ;) . Great f**king year for brit doom! My Dying Bride, now Paradise Lost. The hat trick for me would be Conjurer getting also an album this year!!! :)
Medusa was average, but The Plague Within was a return to form. That album was pretty much, quality-wise, similar with their 90s classics. This new record is much better than Medusa, but lacking compared to The Plague Within in terms of heaviness and vocals. Growls are used much more sporadic. The guitar tone is softer compared to previous 2 records. Paradise Lost is playing a slightly heavier of the music they've put out between Draconian Times and The Plague Within. There are several highlights that makes the album better, particularly Defiler, Ravenghast and Darker Thoughts (although the 1-2 minute intro was amateur hour). There are other solid tracks and some fillers. But still, a decent record for guys that are hitting their 50s.
Hey man! Glad you liked the album, I think you really understood it :) funnily enough, I mixed and mastered the last Hooded Menace too! Cheers, the producer/mixer/mastering of Obsidian (and the previous 2).
You recorded this band perfectly. I'm an audio engineer myself in California, PL is my favorite band and I listen a lot to the little production details. The bass guitar in this mix in mind-glowingly good! amazing job
@@mattv2635 i have to agree on the bass sound and how it sits in the mix. So good!
DUDE! You did an incredible job.
Great mixing! So good🤘🤘
❤️🤘
Dude. Bro. Medusa and The Plague Within are incredible albums, treat yourself and listen to them.
Preach! Plague is definitely a career highlight for PL as well.
@@DoomDoctor one of my favorite albums of all time, really.
I like both albums but The Plague Within I felt was a stronger album compared to Medusa
Yes, he-s missing out on those two, especially The Plague Within.
Even Tragic Idol was a damn good record but i agree The Plague Within and Medusa were better.
Blayne amazing review m8, I totally agree, there is nothing to complain about, record is just outstanding, I've heard it a few times already and it simply blew me away, production and guitarwork is just simply flawless!!!! The whole record sounds like a band aid put on an open wound, very emotional and healing at the same time, for me 5/5!!!!!
That was fast!! Just listened the full album this morning. Completely agree on 4.75/5, although a 5/5 would look good. Loved the album.
haha, metal reviewers are usually on top of their shit! Not to mention they usually cover the biggest release of the week, generally, and will get promo copies I'd assume to formulate/start editing days before :)
Damn, that's a good review. Have been enjoying their peaks and troughs over the years and to see this is a great sign. Always good to see Blayne enthusing about something, especially when he wasn't expecting to!
Everyones likes an enthused Blayne
lol its bit funny as I use to see them as 2 bands :D
Love this record so far, and why oh why was Paradise Lost so unknown in the US in the 90's in that Icon and Draconian Times era?! Would have fit like a glove on The Crow Soundtrack, pick pretty much any song!!!
Love the album, Paradise Lost still does a great job.
Man, the last two albuns (now three with this one) are the best way they could take and are amazing. Exactly because of the diversification, even bigger in Medusa and Obsidian. Even though my favorite riffs are in The Plague Within. It's a collection of nasty riffs and beautiful melodies. You won't regret giving The Plague Within and Medusa some bigger attention once you liked so much this one!
@peteM3rlin Those are incredible albums too, made in PAST times. It's nice they will always be available for listening regardless the band's rights for doing anything they want with their music. And it's also nice that you have the right of listening only the ones you like, isn't it? Well, it's the just the same for me here. Cheers!
My favorite is the Icon album.
I got super hyped by the singles already and now this review? Can't wait to dig into it!
A fan from the very beginning, back in 92 and Shades of God till today. Amazing band.!
Ravenghast!!!!!! What a perfect song, it blew me away
how about Ending Days?)
-- incredible track, one of my favorites of the album
This record is amazing. It’s a 5/5 to me, and it’s not even my fav Paradise Lost album. Incredible how the band managed to release such an impactful work, being on the road for so long.
Excellent review. I’ll give the review a 5/5. Love the break down analysis of the drummer, guitar parts and vocals.
Amazing they put out a record this good so far into their career. I only listened to it once so far but I am sure I will be going back to it often.
Love when this happens!!!
In my mind they've been back since "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" in 2009. "Obsidian" may be up there among the best, as they've reached deeper and darker then they have for a long time, and at the same time they reach back to a sort of eighties goth sound that really works. But "Draconian Times" will never be surpassed in my view - it's one of the best albums of all time, certainly one of the best albums of the nineties. 25 years I've been blasting that album and it never lets me down. :-) Side note: Heavier isn't necessarily better.
Seems like it should get five skulls since there were no negatives.
We like to keep you guessing...
Nice Hooded Menace tee!! \m/
This seems like a cool record to listen to. A lot better than their last record, I reckon. Thnx for the review, Balyne!!
Cheers!! 🍻
Great review!
And +1 for that What we Do in The Shadows reference! \m/
Been loving everything since In Requiem, which this is starting to sound similar to. Great mix of goth and doom. Medusa felt a tad bit stale, but still really good. Happy to hear they’re a little reinvigorated.
I discovered this band when In Requiem came out in 2007, been a huge fan ever since. Felt the same about Medusa. A couple of incredible songs, but it was the first PL album since In Requiem that I didn't listen to 100's of times all the way through. Fearless Sky may be one of the best death/doom songs ever written though, in my humble opinion.
@@mattv2635 Agree with everything you said. Fearless Sky is one of their best, but as a whole "Medusa" didn't grab me quite as much. Still a solid ass 3.75/5 ish.
FANTASTIC album!!! for me it's the best since requiem. Icon and draconian times still the best of them for me! This album has great drum work, melodies, vocals... great album!
They found a kick ass drummer. The guy is talented. The previous one was great too but this one really nails many passages and the mix is perfect. In some albums the snare was too grainy now it blends perfectly.
Great review I've been listening to these guys since they come onto the seen I will be checking this album out today
If anyone gets a chance to see Paradise Lost, go. They are amazing live. 🤘🤘🤘
I just knew a few songs by Paradise lost and didn't care much about them generally but when I heard darker thoughts, was blown away. Kept going on and on listening to the album and just became a fan at the end.
I always look forward to Blaynes reviews for the humor
'Big bands don't have that heaviness that smaller bands do'.
Wow, this is probably the most inaccurate statement of this millennium, especially when it is made in a Paradise Lost review.
99.9% of the smaller bands' guitarists would rip off their testicles with their bare hands, just to have come up with just one of Greg's riffs. And that is riffs from the past 3 records only
Agreed but this channel doesn’t regally review stuff just a quick google search or listen to the lead single then put out a review.
tragic idol and this one is simply one of the best records for the past 10 years...
I'd add The plague within too
🤘PARADISE LOST🤘one of my favourite all time bands😊 I’m glad that they’re back and released Obsidian. Not all established band loose their edge, who’d thought that Revelations of Oblivion by Possessed was gonna be a killer record! This album does feel like an amalgamation of Paradise Lost’s discography. Recent albums feel like they’ve put a bit more emphasis on the bass, which I like to keep the band well rounded. Obsidian was definitely worth the wait!
I just tripped across darker thoughts, listened to it twice, bought the album, and now I'm addicted. The comments tell me to listen to plague, I'm excited to hear it!
Listened to it yesterday so was stoked to see this review. Did it justice
Paradise Lost is an incredible band. It’s like that exactly know what I wanna hear in their music. So many great albums were released this year, Code Orange, EXA, Ozzy, Trivium... But Obsidian gets a full 10/10 from me. Best album of the year so far, it’ll be hard for any band to pass that album.
If you want heaviness well done listen to The Plague Within, that's the really best album they've released in years, even tho I Love the new one, Plague is really Death/Doom Paradise Lost at their best.
Winter vinyl on the wall?! Awesome!
Quarantine Blayne is awesome. Outside bad. Inside good. Another exceptional display 🤘🏾
This is an amazing review mate, I run now to listen to the record. Cheers!
Goddammit! This kind of hype is what sold out the "big package" vinyl edition of the record before I could get it :( Totally agree with everything in the review tho :D
Absolutely incredible album!! The MG Gundam Barbatos is amazing.
Have been waiting for this one all day!
Me too bro hahahahaha I already heard the album 5 times. Amazing master piece
Hey, greetings from Colombia... got that winter album, lp and cd... shared the hell out of it in a radio show called "Psicosis", in 98.5 fm UN Radio in Bogotá. circa 1998 - 2012Good times!
Paradise Lost rules... a band doing what they feel like doing... although some decisions from them I didn't like... don't mean to be a 'only the classic' guy, but stuff like "True belief" and "jaded" are awesome... and those first three records, damn!
Gotta listen to the rest of their material.
Great Show Banger...
Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us. Tragic Idol. The Plague Within. Medusa. Obsidian. Wow.
You have to review Medusa. That album deserves 5/5 IMO. Even if the review is now 3 years overdue. It is heavier, mostly death doom so it is right in Blanyne's ballpark.
Definitely a reinvention in the best way possible!
lots of references...but cohesive...5 of 5 for me...have a great may day weekend...
I loved this album. Really great
Gundam, PS5, Katana, Vans...my long lost brother?
The album is super awesome, thanks for the under bands Blayne 🤘🔥
Absolutely love Paradise Lost, got into them with Draconian Times, still sounds so good✌️
Perfect Apocalypse music.
How very topical...
Definitely going to check this out.
Nice one mr Smith. Thanks for reviewing this masterpiece. 🤘🏼
My first thought listening to this album was "that's the closest thing to TON you can find". And that's a huge compliment. It satisfies my TON cravings, but it's its own thing of course. Great stuff! 10/10
Yeah I couldn't be happier with a new Paradise Lost release
I fell in love them again..great album, it’s perfect for my quarantine. To me 5/5!!
Com certeza, está no top 5 de melhores álbuns deles
Verdade
top demais!
Love this album 🥺
I didn't now there are different versions of cliff's notes internationally. huh
Blaine, you should seriously check out the new Okkultokrati album La Ilden Lyse, out today on Southern Lord. Amazing
Exgenesis - Solve Et Coagula, a must-do review, get on it!
Good review Blayne. Album rules
Love this record!!.Great review!!.
probably on the top 5 they ever done, good review and blayne must listen to medusa!!! ;-)
Are you guys gonna do the new Naglfar album? There hasn't been a review, but I also haven't seen it mentioned as a shout out or on metal monthly that I remember. It's their 5th album on Century Media (7th album overall), so it's not like a tiny non-label indie band nobody has heard of, and their new videos for the album have 90k and 130k views. I was actually surprised to hear no mention of it on your channel so far.
Brilliant album and band, as always!
Great band! Awesome review.
Paradise Lost just keep getting better and better!
The opening track on this one, daaamn!
That better not be a 1st pressing of Into Darkness being wasted in a photo frame
Finally! A notable release worth reviewing.
4:11 even though I know only one sisters of mercy song, I also thought about them :D
Undeniable.
Great review, excellent album, amazing band!!!
"Fair enough, I'll shut up."
*presses X to Doubt*
Blayne: Paradise Lost... Are they back?
Paradise Lost: You know, everybody keeps asking us if we're back.... Yeah, I think we we are!
Alex Ojeda There’s a typo in your comedy routine
in my opinion they never left . been a fan through all their albums even the ones that many fans hated like host .
This one is a little different. I love Medusa and Plague, Tragic was good too. This one will take some growing on me, but it's certainly very good and listenable. Just kinda like the pure drudgery of Medusa a little more. But a Paradise Lost album is always a little bit of a gamble.
Tithe kicks ass. Great stuff, it's got a lot of grind and doom with Conan style shouting over it. I'm all about that kinda mixy matchy funsky.
Btw, Devangelic dropped another one yesterday and she's a ripper if you like brutal death.
Peace and such.
I knew this cd would be good but this surpassed my expectations.
Just because you're too lazy to listen to Plague Within and Medusa doesn't mean those albums are not heavy or "meh". They kick ass. You just gotta give them a proper listen.
I see a gundam in the background. extremely based!
agree . .really good album, best from paradise lost in a long while...
Paradise Lost is gothic not like "raven, cemetery and black veils" stuff, their gothic like f*cking medieval architecture style
Listen to Beneath Broken Earth from The Plague Within, just!...*Mwah* 👌 Medusa didn't quite catch me, admittedly, but I'm going to go back to it again though. It feels like it must be the missing link between Plague and Obsidian and I can't not listen to that after how incredible Obsidian is.
Great review, great album
My favorite PL album since Draconian Times..
Music has literally been the thing that has saved me, i had a number of strokes when i was 10 and by 12 i felt i shouldn't be here still but i listened to slipknot etc which helped me vent how i felt at that point and from then i moved onto more extreme stuff like death metal talking about gore and death lyrics whereas a little further down the line i listened to black metal which sounded like shit but resonated with me as far as the "we are misfits but thats ok" kinda vibe!! So ya been listening to alternative music for a while but honestly believe that it saved me from a young age!! You guys have definitely made it more mainstream available and I definitely appreciate everything that you have done! Keep up the good work!! Love you guys this is what the world of people who have no nation or identity need!! Keep it up!!! You are helping millions!!!
Great review!
Dope Barbatos dude
Obsidian is the band's best release since Tragic Idol (2012). I liked Plague Within and Medusa but Obsidian has better production overall. 32 years in and Paradise Lost can still make stellar records.
I somehow knew you would love the drums. :D
Great album, and tekken is sick too
Agree on all.
It’s a strong album, one of their best in recent years, but isn’t true that there’s no filler songs. Or from another perspective there are so good and strong songs that the weakest ones become quite some fillers. Especially last couple of songs. I think sadly the album reflects the logic of today streaming as I can really feel the album goes from strong to weak in order to grab the attention of the listener much that it can. Paradise Lost albums in the past have always a very strong ending song, which I see is not the case in the couple of recent albums.
Something to listen to in the shadows.
I didn't expect Blaine to have a fucking samurai sword in his basement/sex dungeon... but i guess i am not disappointed.
This album is a total banger for sure.
Was that a Varg reference with "let's find out"?
Highly doubt that based on the two's opposing political views lol
Varg didn't invent that phase.
I don't agree with your reviews often Blayne, but here I do. I never really liked Paradise Lost, more a Candlemass type of Doomer (or Funeral Doom) ;) . Great f**king year for brit doom! My Dying Bride, now Paradise Lost. The hat trick for me would be Conjurer getting also an album this year!!! :)
So your arm got repaired finally. Niceeee, but "banger fans" With the left arm wrapped was much cooler!
Medusa was average, but The Plague Within was a return to form. That album was pretty much, quality-wise, similar with their 90s classics. This new record is much better than Medusa, but lacking compared to The Plague Within in terms of heaviness and vocals. Growls are used much more sporadic. The guitar tone is softer compared to previous 2 records. Paradise Lost is playing a slightly heavier of the music they've put out between Draconian Times and The Plague Within. There are several highlights that makes the album better, particularly Defiler, Ravenghast and Darker Thoughts (although the 1-2 minute intro was amateur hour). There are other solid tracks and some fillers. But still, a decent record for guys that are hitting their 50s.
Still waiting for that new Testament album review. Also the new Vader.
What happened to the Deathscythe?!
sometimes blayne talks like Sam in high speed