Paradise Lost morphed from doom/death journeyband to gothic metal pioneer nearly 25 years ago, experimenting with electronica even. Back to headbanging basics, 14th LP The Plague Within finds the Yorkshire quintet in full-frontal metal mode. A wave of guitars swirl all their genre pledges into a lighter-waving metal anthemry of thickly sensual miasma. Nick Holmes responds with both a flesh-eating growl and melancholy croon, gracefully navigating the roiling waters of “Sacrifice the Flame” and “An Eternity of Lies.”

***

This article appears in August 14 • 2015.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.