Wardy...Couldn't agree more on the self-titled. We might have talked about this already, here or in some other thread, but the s/t might well be my favorite of theirs after the holy trinity (for me
) of Icon-Draconian Times-One Second. And it wasn't simply a retread of older stuff...imo on that album they managed to combine everything they had "learned" in way of catchy songwriting with a crunchier sound that still managed to be colorful and dynamic. Amazing album, really.
Symbol of Life is super-enjoyable too...I like to think of it as one of their most "club-friendly" albums, with heavy-sounding guitars combined with electro-gothic-sounding keyboards (I mean, Isolate...?). In terms of the more melancholic material, I LOVE No Celebration and the title-track.
As for the post-S/T albums...In Requiem and Faith Divides Us are both great records too. Getting progressively heavier, I guess, but still melodic enough. Tragic Idol is perhaps one step down, but I'm with you that Fear of Impending Hell, in particular, is one of the best songs of their more recent era. Then the (partial) return of "growling Nick Holmes"...neither The Plague Within nor Medusa are among my favorite PL albums, I have to say, but they are by no means bad. It's just that this going further back to their roots is not quite what I was looking for, and the material generally doesn't sound as inspired...
Obsidian, on the other hand, I liked a ton. It has a bit of a "greatest hits" feel, as the band revisits various facets of their sound, but the songs are generally very, very strong. Again, I just wish Holmes stuck to his melodic-and-occasionally-Hetfield-like vocals instead of growling. I'm not against harsher vocals per se, but his are not my favorite. Plus, I actually don't think the music calls for it.
What a great band, though. Among my absolute favorites.