Following the release of 2007’s ‘In Requiem’, Paradise Lost found themselves in a position that they had not been since the mid 90’s, back in the critics and fans year end poll lists, and were once again being lauded as the masters of Gothic Doom, and they were plaudits well earned. Following the heady heights of the mid 90’s ‘Icon’ and ‘Draconian Times’ era, they went off on a number of experimental tangents, which whilst still identifiably Paradise Lost, divided critical and fan opinion alike. The move to Century Media seemed to give them a new lease of life and following the huge success of ‘In Requiem’, much has been expected of the follow up ‘Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us’.
Maintaining their Spinal Tap-esque run of luck with drummers, Jeff Singer departed the band prior to recording, due to the pressures of touring and fatherhood, and his seat has been filled by Peter Damin for the recording of the album, prior to the more permanent (one would hope) appointment of former At The Gates and Cradle Of Filth sticksman Adrian Erlandsson. Also gone is longtime producer Rhys Fulber, the band opting for the services of Jens Bögren, in an attempt to bring a new injection of life to their sound. Album opener ‘As Horizons End’ is an excellent statement of intent, showing the band at their miserable best. The crushing rhythm guitar of Aaron Aedy is complimented by Greg Mackintosh’s mournful lead. Nick Holmes patented random gloomy lyric generator is once again firing on all formulaic cylinders, rivalled only by Ronnie James Dio’s in it’s predictability; however, in this case, that’s no bad thing. Without it, it just would not be Paradise Lost. Mackintosh’s solo is beautiful, giving the listener a false of calm and security before Aedy’s rhythm comes crashing in to compliment it with an intensity that is truly destructive. ‘I Remain’ really does take the sound back to the early 90’s, with a rawness to the guitars and Nick’s vocals not heard since the ‘Icon’ era. As harsh as his vocals may be here though, they do not quite have the same impact as they did fifteen years ago, although I’d suggest that’s more down to the passage of time than anything else.
‘First Light’ is very much a bog standard Paradise Lost track, but this lull sets you up nicely for ‘Frailty’, a quite excellent blast and musically the most creative that the Halifax collective has been in many a year. The title track is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the album, hugely anthemic and with an eminently singable chorus, sure to become a live favourite. Now whilst it’s rare to find a band who have been around as long as these guys who have not recycled riffs to bolster their catalogue, it was rather surprising to find that the lead riff on ‘The Rise of Denial’ is pretty much the same one used in ‘The Enemy’ off the previous album, and good though it is, it’s probably a bit too soon. ‘Living with Scars’ initially sounds like homage to Gojira, and I was fully expecting Nick to be singing about whales in despair. Alas not. Further riff recyclage can be found in ‘Universal Dream’, a grower of a track based around the old ‘Pity the Sadness’ riff, and with a slightly dodgy chorus, it is helped by another monster Mackintosh solo. You just have to love how that man can make a guitar sing. ‘In Truth’ is a fine close to the main album, and is a strong contender for the best song on here. The special edition features a bonus track, ‘Cardinal Zero’, and orchestral mixes of ‘Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us’ and ‘Last Regret’.
It’s fair to say, even as an ardent fan of Paradise Lost that they lost a bit of their creative spark in the early part of this decade, yet the release of ‘In Requiem’ showed that they still had the ability to live up to their early potential. ‘Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us’ doesn’t just maintain the momentum regained after ‘In Requiem’, it builds it further. In short, this is the best and certainly most creative album they have released since ‘One Second’. If Paradise Lost’s earlier output is defined by the mid 90’s pairing of ‘Icon’ and ‘Draconian Times’, then their second coming shall be defined by ‘In Requiem’ and ‘Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us’. A brilliant album and one that rightly confirms them as the masters of Gothic Doom.
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