Somehow, we’re still here. I don’t known how we’re all standing despite the raping that certain people in power are doing, but we are all here. It’s definitely something.....that’s for sure.
Anyways, 2020 had plenty of great Gothic releases. From re-releases of iconic albums, to new records that continue to bring the vibes of Autumn, gothic romance, and tragedy, it’s obvious that the sub-genre is here to stay despite what the haters say. Two releases in that year were particularly fantastic, and I’m looking at one of them today. The band in question is actually not a stranger around these parts, as I’ve been listening to them for over 12 years at this point in my life, and at the end of this year they’ve been on my blog for a full decade. So, put on your darkest clothes, turn off almost all the lights in the room, and get ready for my review of Paradise Lost’s darkly emotional behemoth Obsidian. Let’s begin.
Background
With Medusa in the rear-view mirror, the band set their sights to the future. In 2017, they celebrated 30 years of being a band together, celebrating with a tour through the UK and Europe, including a gig in their hometown of Halifax, as well as a South & North American tour with Solstafir and The Atlas Moth. On top of that, in the same year they re-released & remastered both Host & Believe In Nothing after changing their opinion on both records some years prior (Read Here). In 2019, an official biography called No Celebration: The Official Story of Paradise Lost was released (With an expanded edition in 2022), and then 2020 rolled around.....
With plans for a tour in shambles due to The Plague covering the whole world, the lone thing that everybody could do was to go into the studio, put their noses to the grindstone, and put out the next album. Announced in March of 2020, Nuclear Blast Records stated that the name of the incoming release was Obsidian, and it would come out on the 15th of May. As lead singer Nick Holmes said:
“One of the most eclectic albums we have done in some time, we have miserable songs, sad songs, slow songs and faster songs. Did I mention miserable?”
Paradise Lost actually weren’t sure IF they were going to release Obsidian in 2020. In a few interviews they stated that because there weren’t any venues open at the time, the album might not be reached by many people. On top of that, Nick Holmes warned people that the music was especially bleak this go around, and that might turn some people off. However, they ultimately came to the decision that it was best that the record should be released, on account of people needing music during the quarantine (Correct me if that wasn’t the case).
Basic Description
A Genuine Soul Crusher & A Return To Their Roots.
Let me get this out of the way immediately: Obsidian is not a happy album. Sure, throughout their career Paradise Lost have crafted some pretty serious records in the Gothic Metal genre (Among others), but there was always.....something on those releases that stood out. Some little sliver of light that always guided the listener through the experience, and come out of the other side. Not so with Obsidian. This output is incredibly hopeless, bleak, and as I said above, genuinely soul crushing. Given the time that this came out it’s not exactly a surprise, but even if it didn’t come out in 2020, it still would be the darkest record of the band’s career. The dark nature of the music on here practically sticks to your body, and stays stuck on for a while after you’re done listening to it. They’re been plenty of darker records I’ve listened to that sent chills through me, but none of them ever affected me like Obsidian did.
However, if you are willing to wade through the bleakness of Obsidian, you’ll find it to be one of the band’s most Gothic releases in nearly a decade at that time. The Plague Within was a wonderful return to their Death-Doom origins, but it didn’t really do anything different when compared to the beginning of their career (Save for the vastly improved recording & production). Medusa, on the other hand, was a fantastic Doom Metal album, but it wasn’t necessarily that much different than anything else in the sub-genre. With Obsidian, you get a full-blown Gothic Metal return, but with some small hints of Death-Doom thrown in to add some variety. It almost felt like whiplash listening to this record for the very first time, and it was probably the same thing that some fans experienced as well. A return to Gothic Metal after nearly a decade was really surprising.....but it was a welcome one.
Best Track
In part 3 of my overview on the band, I originally stated that Hope Dies Young was not just the best track of Obsidian, but was my favorite track as well. I still stand by what I said about it being my favorite song, what with it’s highly Gothic atmosphere that echoes some of their earliest work. However, my opinions have changed to what the best track of the record is, and it has become the album’s opener, Darker Thoughts. It rightfully deserves to open the release, as it shows the listener that Paradise Lost has re-embraced their Gothic Metal roots. Nick Holmes at times still uses a bit of his Death Doom guttural vocals, but brings back his longtime Gothic singing with force. The instrumentation was fantastic, as it sounds very much like a refined track off of Draconian Times, and helped with modern recording & production technology. As one of only 2 singles & music videos released during that time, it had some big shoes to fill, but it easily managed to grab any fan’s attention with ease.
Darker Thoughts
Worst Track
I stated this when I did part 3 of my overview of the band back on Halloween 2020, but Obsidian is the bleakest record that Paradise Lost have ever released to the public (IX from the side project Host comes close in places). Now, even casual fans of the group will tell you that they’ve never been a sunshine & rainbows kind of band, and virtually every single album prior to Obsidian is dark with threads of beauty sewn into it. Somehow, Nick Holmes & the rest of the gang managed to craft a CD that eclipses everything before it in terms of how genuinely bleak & soul-crushing it is. Somehow, Paradise Lost put out a record that sticks with you in all the wrong ways. If you have the lead singer warn you that the album is going to be a soul crusher, then heed their words. If you’re a warm & fuzzy kind of person, then Obsidian is the strongest Kryptonite you’ll ever come across. You gotta be in the right mindset when it comes to listening to Obsidian from beginning to end, and even when it comes to individual tracks you have to have the right mood, though it is easier in that regard.
If I even wanted to have a Dishonorable Mention when it comes to Obsidian, I would have to give that dubious award to the bonus tracks on the Deluxe Edition of the album. Hear The Night & Defiler are actually great tracks, but they completely disrupt the otherwise great flow of the album. This is especially obvious when you consider that both of them play right after Ravenghast, which is a damn fine way to close out an album, as the two songs completely change the record’s pacing. Again, these two tunes are just as good as everything else on the release, but were placed in the most incorrect spot on the album.
Hear The Night
Defiler
One other thing: I sent this to a friend of mine who’s a fan of morally grey/dark media back in 2020, and even he said this was rough to listen to. Considering some of the things he likes, that surprised me!
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:
Obsidian
Overall Impression & Rating
Obsidian came out at a time where it’s darkness was enhanced by a once-in-a-century plague had swept the earth, and we were all isolated in order for said plague to not kill us. It’s bleakness is unlike anything that Paradise Lost has ever done in their entire career, but at the same time it marked a return to what got them so popular in the first place. If the band stays within the Gothic Metal lane until their retirement, then they’ll be raking in the cash, and even if they don’t, we got albums like Obsidian to remind us of where they came from.
Obsidian gets an 8.5 out of 10, but it’s dark nature might have listeners take the score down by a point.
And that was my review for Obsidian. Despite the incredibly dark nature of the music, it’s perhaps the best record that the band has done since 2012. With how things are in the world right now, perhaps it’s bleakness matches things better now than it did half a decade ago. However, there wasn’t just one Gothic Metal masterpiece released in 2020, so see you all around the end of the month for a look at that monster. Until then, take care!
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If you’d like to read an interview with Nick Holmes from 2020, then click on the link below:
Paradise Lost Vocalist Nick Holmes on Doom, Dirge, "Obsidian," and Horror (Interview)
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