While “In Requiem” will never make us forget “Draconian Times”, it was a step in the right direction, back to the atmospheric doom roots. Having recently issued their demos on CD for the first time, the death/doom vibe has been satiated for Misters Holmes, Mackintosh, Aedy and Edmondson. “Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us” moves on from there, still planted in the glorious sound of old, but transitioning towards the modern sounds which followed those early to mid-90s recordings. As such the running order is virtually reflective of their career, slow & heavy early, loosen up as it progresses.

In truth, this would have been a much better buffer between old PL and new PL than “One Second”, as it never fully abandons those trademark guitar tones.

The disc starts appropriately enough, ‘As Horizons End’ in that depressive groove the Brits do so well. On one of Mackintosh’s contorted riffs, follow-up ‘I Remain’ portents going even slower, but quickly opts for more lively territory (a relative term with the Lost boys). Ethereal keys and Holmes’ opting for cleaner voice herald ‘First Light’ wandering away from the plodding still the backbone of said track, while ‘Frailty’ is a speedy number, solely with clean vocals. The title track could have been lifted off the album “Icon”. ‘Living With Scars’ sees the invasion of minor electronic trickery, while the piano begun ‘Last Regret’ appears to be a legitimate attempt at a ballad/single. ‘Universal Dream’ threatens to run off on an upbeat tempo first heard on ‘Once Solemn’/’Pity The Sadness’, but restrains itself. Unfortunately, the closing ‘In Truth’ is a disappointing way to close a solid effort.