Icons of goth and doom, PARADISE LOST have revealed the second single, ‘Serpent on the Cross,’ from their long-awaited, 17th album Ascension that’s out September 19th from Nuclear Blast Records.
Commenting on the song, vocalist Nick Holmes says:
“The cross represents stability, prosperity, hope and happiness. The serpent represents trepidation, anguish and overbearing sadness, lurking in the shadows ready to take everything away.“
Ascension Tracklist:
1. Serpent On The Cross
2. Tyrants Serenade
3. Salvation
4. Silence Like The Grave
5. Lay A Wreath Upon The World
6. Diluvium
7. Savage Days
8. Sirens
9. Deceivers
10. The Precipice
Pre-order Ascension: https://paradiselost.bfan.link/ascension
PARADISE LOST’s first album in 5 years, following 2020’s critically acclaimed Obsidian, was produced by guitarist Gregor Mackintosh and mixed/mastered by Lawrence Mackrory. Ascension is a testament to the band’s longevity and relevance over their 35+ year career, encompassing their signature styles of gothic, death and doom fans have cherished along the way.
Ascension’s album cover fittingly features the painting The Court of Death (1870-1902) by renowned British artist George Frederic Watts, which hangs in the Tate Gallery in London. The painting depicts Death as an enthroned angel flanked by allegorical figures of Silence and Mystery guarding sunrise and the star of hope, while a warrior surrenders his sword and a duke his coronet, showing that worldly status offers no protection. The painting’s bleak, prophetic vision embodies Ascension’s dark, tormented soundscapes as mournful verses collide with dire, foreboding riffs.
Commenting on the record, Holmes states:
“Ascension is a cavalcade of molten misery, a vigorous sorrow filled stroll through a wicked world of glorious triumph and pitiful tragedy.”