For my life and the stars creation: a Paradise Lost retrospective

Athens, Fuzz Club, 19.03.2011

In an older interview guitarist Greg Mackintosh had said that “when you’re on tour, the good days are very good and the bad days are very bad.” In this light, the day mentioned above must have been a great one for Paradise Lost; and their concert sparked a wider discussion, which is where this post stemmed from.  As a result of the band’s long carrier and varied releases, the era during which one becomes familiar with their music matters considerably; and thus it is only fair to say that my relationship with Paradise Lost was shaped by the Icon album, and the musical direction it introduced.

Paradise Lost established themselves as pioneers of the underground doom metal scene in Britain with their first two albums (Lost Paradise, 1990, Gothic, 1991), and in 1992 they moved from the small independent label Peaceville to the relatively bigger Music for Nations to release their third effort Shades of God. This album included the single As I die, which combined a strong melody, a rather fierce rhythm, and relatively ‘clean’ vocals, thus signaling, more than any other of their efforts until then, the different sound which was soon to emerge. 

And in 1993 came Icon.  Almost two decades later, the album’s artistic value, the influence it exerted, as well as its significance for the band’s subsequent musical development, are considered to be self-evident. What was going on back then, however, is that the new course taken by Paradise Lost was perceived exactly as such; it was a sonic environment never heard before, so melancholic and at the same time so dynamic, so well thought of and carefully structured, and yet so expressive and emotionally intense. The latter was largely due to Nick Holmes’ astonishing vocals, which set the standard for a whole genre. Christendom and True Belief are characteristic examples of the ways in which the album manifested the band’s evolution.

One of the most interesting aspects of that era was the strong visual content of singles and albums. Dave McKean, one of the most significant and multidimensional contemporary artists, contributed his trademark aesthetic quality, while Stylorouge offered the originality of its graphic design and art direction, and also created Paradise Lost’s classic logo.

 

Dave McKean: As I Die 1992,  Shades of God 1992   Lost Souls Domain

Stylorouge:  Icon 1993,  Seals the Sense 1994    Lost Souls Domain    

Paradise Lost continued to evolve, and gradually began to base their sound on keyboards and entirely ‘clean’ vocals; their 1999 album Host  is  a case in point, which also caused dissatisfaction to a part of their fanbase.  As a result of the band’s inclination to change, various terms have been employed to describe their music: doom metal, gothic rock, as well as synthpop, while vocalist Nick Holmes has sometimes been compared to James Hetfield of Metallica, and other times to Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode. 

However, such attempts to define Paradise Lost are irrelevant to their musical output; they are an expression of the need to regulate difference, that is to interpret the band not in their own terms, but in terms of what others happen to know of and/or expect from them. And although views and preferences will inevitably vary, what is certain is that Paradise Lost always took risks in order to do what they wanted. In this respect, it is interesting to note Greg Mackintosh’s reply to the question what is the main issue in every musician’s carrier: “To do what you feel and not what’s expected”.

It is equally important to note that set lists represent all periods, which suggests that the band perceive their work as a whole.  In the meantime, Paradise Lost continued to evolve, and in the recent years they turned again towards metal, still without repeating themselves. Perhaps the exact character of Paradise Lost’s music has never come across as clearly as it did through the interpretation of two tracks from their latest album Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us by the Prague Orchestra.  The end result is determined by the structure of the composition and the orchestration, rather than depends on the use of particular instruments, including electric guitars; and maybe this is exactly the reason why Paradise Lost are able to use the latter so effectively.