:: Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us

Paradise Lost

When you look over Paradise Lost’s lengthy twenty year career, it’s clear that the Yorkshire based act isn’t afraid to push the envelope and challenge their audience with every new release. And while some of the band’s releases from the late ‘90’s through to the early ‘00’s didn’t quite sit comfortably with some older fans, the said albums (in particular 1999’s ‘Host’, 2001’s ‘Believe In Nothing’, 2002’s ‘Symbol Of Life’ and 2005’s ‘Paradise Lost’) still stand strong amongst some diehard fans, and remain consistent with the band’s progression and change of sound at the time. But with the release of ‘In Requiem’ in 2007, Paradise Lost not only managed to combine the best of the old and new sounds, but once again win back favour with their older fan base within the metal scene, with many proclaiming the album as the band’s long awaited return to former glory and sound. Given the overwhelming success of ‘In Requiem’, the last couple of years has seen quite a few releases from the band, including a feature film documentary on their history to date, a live CD/DVD set, and a compilation of early demos, which has allowed the band to plot their next move. Now returning with their twelfth album ‘Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us’, the question is whether or not the band can possibly maintain the brilliance of ‘In Requiem’? The answer is quite simply yes – and then some. In a lot of ways, ‘Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us’ follows the same direction of ‘In Requiem’. But while the similarities between the two is evident throughout, Paradise Lost have managed to refine their sound enough to sound just that little more convincing than anything heard on their last release. ‘As Horizons End’ is a typically gloomy opener, and one that easily stands out as the heaviest song the band has recorded in years. Nick Holmes’ vocals are perfectly balanced between the miserably melodic and the angered growled efforts, while Greg Mackintosh’s guitar work is nothing short of inspired and crushing. ‘I Remain’ picks up the pace a little more, with the surprise inclusion of some thrashing guitars adding some welcome aggression to proceedings, while ‘First Light’ returns to the slow moving terrain of the opener in true depressive Paradise Lost fashion.
The riff led ‘Frailty’, ‘The Rise Of Denial’, the chugging ‘Universal Dream’ and the savage ‘Living With Scars’ reinforce the band’s return to heavier sounds, with Mackintosh’s contributions the foundation of the song’s core. Meanwhile, it’s on the title track ‘Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us’, the gently orchestrated ‘Last Regret’ and ‘In Truth’ where the band cleverly incorporate the atmospherics and melodic sounds of their recent, and fuse them with their newfound heavier influences with stunning results. In terms of the bonus tracks on the limited edition version of ‘Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us’, ‘Cardinal Zero’ is a solid track for the most part, even if it sounds like a departure from the proper album itself. The riffs are a little more rock sounding for the most part, but the song does eventually start to gel around the halfway mark, with the latter half of the song sounding great. Unfortunately, the ‘Lost In Prague Orchestra Mix’ of both ‘Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us’ and ‘Last Regret’ don’t quite hit the mark. Although interesting, the orchestration on the two tracks drown out the band themselves for the most part, leaving the songs sounding more like experiments that were better left on the cutting room floor. Are they interesting? Yes. Are they essential? No way. ‘In Requiem’ is a magnificent album from Paradise Lost, and one that proved that Paradise Lost could still produce an album that could make most sit up and take notice. And while ‘Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us’ isn’t much of a departure from the sound heard on their earlier effort, it has been perfected just that little bit, which gives the album an edge over its predecessor.
This is classic Paradise Lost, and an album that no fan should be caught not owning in their collection. This is definitely one of 2009’s classic releases.