PARADISE LOST Drummer Says New Album Is 'Very Heavy, Very Dark'

British gothic metallers PARADISE LOST have set "In Requiem" as the title of their 11th album, due in the U.K. on May 21 via Century Media Records. The artwork for the CD will be created by Seth Siro Anton, who was the artwork designer for the group's last album, "Paradise Lost".

Commented drummer Jeff Singer: "The whole process for 'In Requiem' has been very different to the experience of recording [the self-titled 10th album]. The last album was very much a case of 'go with the flow' as I came in very late with the writing pretty much finished. There were bits and pieces changed during pre production but it was about fitting in the right drum parts without much time to work on them and although I think it is a great album I didn't feel I had time to work with the songs and really create my feel.

"Being the 'newbie' at that time meant just keeping my head down and getting the job done. Two and a half years later and after touring with the band I felt a lot more settled, part of the unit and very much part of the creative process.

"It must be a year now since the first ideas were being sent across but it was around August that the first album pre-production took place. It was clear that the bar had been [raised] in terms of the performance that was needed and without putting too fine a point on it I had some hard work to do. I had four months of worry. Let's pull no punches here, love or hate PARADISE LOST, this is an iconic band and as the drummer I have to be a good representation of the band...and now I had been settled in for three years I had alot to prove! It was clear to me that as a band we were all a lot more focused and we rehearsed a lot harder for this album. Fact is that it shows and I genuinely can't wait for people to hear it.

"At this point I have to mention Rhys [Fulber, producer]. He is a really strong part of the team and is with you all the way. He bolstered me up big time and was totally confident and positive with regard to my performances. This is incredibly important to us delicate flowers that they call musicians....alright drummers! We concentrated very much on getting a great drum sound (thanks Gretsch and Sabian) and trying to get a perfect take during recording as opposed to edits or drop-ins. We also worked harder on tempos to make sure each song had a better flow and it really shows.

"One thing that made me laugh was Nick [Holmes, vocals] mentioning that he and Greg [Mackintosh, guitar] were in the studio, in adjacent rooms all day sending insults on Messenger...it is totally true LOL!!

"So what can you expect? Very heavy, very dark and lots of double bass drums..."

PARADISE LOST will play an exclusive show in London at Camden's Koko on April 12. The band will perform songs from across their ten-album career which will be filmed for the definitive DVD, entitled "From Gothic to Paradise Lost", to be released later this year.

Commented PARADISE LOST singer Nick Holmes: "We're all really excited to be playing this show at Koko. After playing so many venues in our career it'll be cool to play a different venue. It's going be a really special show as we’re playing songs spanning our whole career and hopefully we'll be able to play something very new for you. The show will be filmed for our new DVD so you'd better get those lighters ready! Come along — it should be a night to remember."

G.U.N./ Sony/BMG in Europe and Abacus Recordings in the U.K. and the U.S released the band's last album, "Paradise Lost". Century Media Records is re-releasing the album in the U.K. and U.S.