Review by Anna on July 25, 2010.

"I love romantic music. Paradise Lost is my favorite band", said the 30-something German I met on a recent vacation. He was no metalhead, and considering I had chosen to escape to a tropical atmosphere surrounded by rainforest, I was a bit surprised to hear what for me is a household bandname coming from this stranger's mouth. But then again, I wasn't.

This is an example of the generational and geographical mark Paradise Lost has made from the 90s on, in Continental Europe and beyond. They are one of the pioneers of the Death/Doom and Gothic Metal genres, and "Faith Divides Us- Death Unites Us" is their twelfth studio album.

As I was born a little late and lived a bit too far, this is the same geographical, even generational mark that I was just barely graced by. There is a sense of irrational regret as I'm listening to this, feeling that Paradise Lost should have been one of the bands I grew up on, while I was living in a place where you were lucky to have heard of these band names. Although as I'm listening to them now, over two decades from the time they started, there is such a resonance inside that somehow, I don't feel like a stranger to this music at all- as if I could easily familiarize myself with them as though no time had ever been "lost". This is apparently a band that has not lost their focus over all this time.

Stylistically, "Faith Divides Us- Death Unites Us" lies within the realm of Gothic/ Death/Doom, the "gothic" element lending forth a nuance of elegance, consistent to what this "meant" in the 90s. This album is thoroughly satisfying from start to finish. The word "balanced" comes to mind as I'm not feeling any bit of musical conflict at all. No one instrumentalist is trying to outdo another-everything comes together harmoniously and every member does their part in bringing forth beauty to the songs in a very stable formula, making each track feel truly "complete". Musical treats include several really good short solos throughout the album. Naturally, several related bands can be "heard" in the music, the most notable example being the track "First Light" which delightfully reeks of Amorphis. This album is solemn in feeling and neutral in aftertaste, and the execution is superb.

Whether you are new to Paradise Lost or have followed them since the beginning, you cannot really go wrong with this album. For fans of Anathema, My Dying Bride, Amorphis, Katatonia, and beyond, this is quality that reflects a very special era in metal, not too long ago.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8.7
Production: 10
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 9

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by Adam M on September 18, 2010.

This opens with a pretty classical influenced introduction and proceeds into a Death Metal showcase. The style is varied enough to avoid being generic and held together well by some solid performances. The structures have a lot of twists and turns throughout their length. There’s a combination of melodic and a punishing approach to give them a distinctive enough sound. There’s a Thrash influence to be found as well. Regardless, the band displays a ferocious mindset that is sometimes put into compelling effect and other occasions drags a little bit.

The style they play is somewhat technical, but also more straightforward than a band like Nile performs. It has punch, however, and there is a scathing display of riffs to be found. The performances to be found are quite competent, but not overwhelmingly amazing. The band is tight and efficient in delivering a relatively constrained style to the table, though they may not have the most original standpoint the listener has ever heard. The album maintains a relatively consistent quality and doesn’t have many complete standout moments. 'Like Breeding Rats' has a slightly more acrobatic display than other tracks on the disc, however.

There also isn’t anything particularly noteworthy to be negative about with this outfit, though they do sound uninspired at times. The album at times reaches a crushing intensity, but Debt Of Nature never up the ante a couple more notches like I believe they could. Regardless, "Crush, Kill And Burn" is a very good release, though it falls short of being phenomenal by quite a margin. This is recommended the most to fans that can appreciate Death Metal to its fullest extent.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7.5
Originality: 7
Overall: 7.4

Rating: 7.2 out of 10