Out for almost 3 weeks & still top of my listening charts, Paradise Lost's newest offering is a compelling testament of bleakness & hope rapped in strong but beautiful melody. Currently in the 24th year, the gloomy Yorkshireman have a reputation of pounding out solid albums (aside from their Synthpop phase), & this album, their 13th is no exception. I would even go far enough to say that it stands shoulder-to-shoulder to their classic albums,
Icon &
Draconian Times, maybe not as ground-breaking, but beautifully woven together with not a riff or lyric out of place. Slight hints of Alt. Rock & Dark Pop filter through, but
Tragic Idol is squarely & staunchly Metal, gloomy Metal. Despite not being Goth, the album & the band in general could be described as Gothic, in the older sense of the word. Defined melodic leads & grinding riffs permeate standouts
Fear Of Impending Hell & the title track. Other notable additions are pianos present of
Solitary One & a magnificently soaring chorus on
To The Darkness. A must have for anyone who has a romantic fascination with gray skies, dark lonely nights & darkly tormenting nightmares. & overall a hallmark for a band who at their age can still pummel, long after many of their contemporariness have fizzled out, or become self-parodying self-tribute acts.
Best Tracks: Solitary One, Fear Of Impending Hell, To The Darkness & Tragic Idol
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