With their 11th studio album Paradise Lost keep on amazing us. Throughout the years their music changed many times, but the core always remained the same - incredible emotion and talent. That hasn’t changed in “In Requiem”. Some people look at it as the sequel of “Paradise Lost” (2005), but if I had to relate it to a previous album, I’d look further in the past to “Icon” and “Draconian Times”. The atmosphere of the new CD is just nostalgic - on one hand, because of the vocals and riffs that remind of the above mentioned albums, on the other - because of the sound in general, bringing back the respect of massive metal. For those who are acquainted with the band form “One Second” and/or “Host”, the new record would sound as a totally different band. For the older fans it would be a fiery reminder. Nevertheless, “In Requiem” is a proof for everyone that the boys form Halifax are still damn good. From the new work of the Englishmen you should expect heavy, captivating metal with less delicate and lyrical vocals and melodies, replaced by powerful bass and drums, lots of masterly solos and true musicianship bringing to our notice the class of the band we’re talking about. The darkness and the melancholy are still a main ingredient of their recipe, but served without compromises or scruples, hitting you right in the face without giving you a moment to relax or fall into oppressive thoughts. On the contrary, the power or music gets you up in the air every time, so that every single play is like the first and you could retrace the ideas and sounds on “In Requiem” once again. I couldn’t give a better or worse song within the album, because each is a piece of art, balanced in a way that there are no excessing or lacking elements. In general, the album is exceptional, gripping, complex giving you the joy of unraveling the songs one by one or all at once. It’s incredible that after all those years Paradise Lost don’t give a single sign of running out of creativity, which can only please us.