Ascension (Paradise Lost album)

Last updated

Ascension
Ascension (Paradise Lost album).jpg
Studio album by
Released19 September 2025 (2025-09-19)
Genre Gothic metal, death-doom
Length51:02
Label Nuclear Blast
Producer Gregor Mackintosh
Paradise Lost chronology
Icon 30
(2023)
Ascension
(2025)
Singles from Ascension
  1. "Silence Like the Grave"
    Released: 6 June 2025
  2. "Serpent on the Cross"
    Released: 11 July 2025
  3. "Tyrants Serenade"
    Released: 15 August 2025

Ascension is the seventeenth studio album by British gothic metal band Paradise Lost, released on 19 September 2025 through Nuclear Blast. [1] [2] It is the first studio album of fully new material by Paradise Lost since Obsidian (2020), marking the longest gap between studio albums in the band's career. It is also their last album to feature drummer Guido Montanarini, who appeared on Icon 30 (2023), and left Paradise Lost in May 2025. [3]

Contents

Background

On 24 March 2023, Paradise Lost announced on their Facebook page that touring drummer Guido Montanarini had become an official member of the band. [4]

In a November 2023 interview with Portugal's Metal Global, Nick Holmes said that Paradise Lost had been working on new material for the follow-up to Obsidian: "Hopefully at the beginning of next year, we can have a few months downtime so we can actually get working more on the album. But... I think we've got a few songs done; we need to review them. So, yeah, we'll hopefully write an album next year, anyway. Whether it's gonna be recorded [next year], I don't know, but hopefully at least written". [5]

In May 2025, prior to the release of Ascension, Montanarini became the sixth drummer to leave Paradise Lost; [3] he was replaced by Jeff Singer, who had previously drummed for Paradise Lost during the 2000s. [6] On 6 June 2025, the band announced the release date of Ascension, while also releasing the album's lead single entitled "Silence Like the Grave". [1] [2]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Serpent on the Cross"6:12
2."Tyrants Serenade"4:20
3."Salvation"7:07
4."Silence Like the Grave"4:46
5."Lay a Wreath Upon the World"4:51
6."Diluvium"5:47
7."Savage Days"3:54
8."Sirens"4:46
9."Deceivers"3:37
10."The Precipice"5:42
Total length:51:02
Bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."This Stark Town"5:38
12."A Life Unknown"4:10
Total length:60:01

Personnel

Paradise Lost

Charts

Chart performance for Ascension
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [7] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [8] 20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [9] 21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [10] 29
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [11] 7
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [12] 6
Italian Albums (FIMI) [13] 83
Japanese Western Albums (Oricon) [14] 23
Scottish Albums (OCC) [15] 8
Swedish Hard Rock Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [16] 2
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [17] 3
UK Albums (OCC) [18] 54
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [19] 3
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [20] 2

References

  1. 1 2 Kennelty, Greg (6 June 2025). "Paradise Lost Announces Long-Awaited New Album, Streams "Silence Like The Grave"". Metal Injection.
  2. 1 2 "Paradise Lost Announces New Album 'Ascension', Shares 'Silence Like The Grave' Single". Blabbermouth.net. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  3. 1 2 Farrell, Margarent (29 May 2025). "Drumpocalypse 2025: Paradise Lost Split With Guido Montanarini". Stereogum . Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  4. "Paradise Lost – Facebook". Facebook. 24 March 2023.
  5. "Nick Holmes Hopes To Complete Songwriting Process For Next Paradise Lost Album In 2024". Blabbermouth.net. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  6. "Paradise Lost welcomes back Jeff Singer on drums". Facebook. 31 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  7. "Austriancharts.at – Paradise Lost – Ascension" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  8. "Ultratop.be – Paradise Lost – Ascension" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  9. "Ultratop.be – Paradise Lost – Ascension" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Paradise Lost – Ascension" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  11. "Paradise-Lost: Ascension" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Paradise Lost – Ascension" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  13. "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 39 (dal 19.09.2025 al 25.09.2025)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  14. "Oricon Top 30 Western Albums: September 29, 2025" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  15. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  16. "Veckolista Hårdrock, vecka 39" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  17. "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 39" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  18. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  19. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  20. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 September 2025.