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PARADISE LOST
1991 - Gothic.
1993 - Icon.
1997 - One Second.
1999 - Host.
2001 - Believe In Nothing.
more PARADISE LOST.
way more Helter Skelter.

March 19, 1991 - 2021: 30 years of: Gothic.

Hail the United Kingdom !

Once again, this rebel island supplies the evil goods. Decades after the dark cloud of BLACK SABBATH, some blokes from Halifax spearheaded another type of metallic-revolution. Not mere heavymetal, but more precisely: dark-melodic-doom-death-metal. A fine calculated mix of said BLACK SABBATH, with US legends PENTAGRAM and the almighty Swedish Gods of CANDLEMASS.

"Gothic" opens the celebrations, a mid-pace and following epic mid-part orchestrated breakdown featuring female chants crescendos. The punchier "Falling Forever" and "Silent" takes a page of traditional deathmetal, but with a guttural dungeon-twist.

Another shade of death is found on "Dead Emotion" a heavyrock-track with another church-like off-set mid-part. Pure and horrific. The closing track "Desolate" could be featured on any John Carpenter classics. A keyboard and effect outro that send chills and beautiful despair.

The united forces steps-up with album #2 and not only crafts uniqueness in darkness, but leads the ways for another British counterculture. Decades after the rock-revolution of the 60s and diametrically aside from the grindcore scene of the late 80s, PARADISE LOST, along ANATHEMA and MY DYING BRIDE became the English-trio of doom-deathmetal that would dictate sadness in the early 90s.

Gothic, the first word in the new gothicmetal branch. This record is a monument in this new sub-genre, not only by it's vibe and morbid-tones, but it would also catapult the band into a darkmetal / darkrock signature with the upcoming 1992's Shades Of God and Chart-topping 1993's monstrous Icon CD.

Search into the dictionary for "gloom" and "sorrow" ...surely you'll find a PARADISE LOST band-picture.

*
Gothic = Full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnqXkN1xpO8&list=OLAK5uy_nrtyZpodniIdXsuZ6Nb2EqBuk9r7AjohM
Interview in 1991
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GlCMIgcLT4
Live in 1991
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q9dt9vPGDE

September 28, 1993 - 2023: 30 years of: Icon.

England morphs into: melodic-metal.

From dark-deathmetal to 1992's Chapter Two-era Shades Of God CD, the sweet poison was now fed with a spoon. Not icons yet, but Icon later did iconized PARADISE LOST as one of Europe's most respected and revered metal-bands.

As we beautifully burn into the "Embers Fire", dark melodies intertwine as incense fills the room. In a gloomy burst of rock-elements, we receive the powerful punches of "Remembrance" and "Forging Sympathy". Mysterious vibes and monstrous metal viciously attacks on "Dying Freedom", "Weeping Words" and the pouring "Colossal Rains".

Muscular yet morbid, the lead-single "True Belief" is an unorthodox move, now synonymous with the band's gothic-metal signature. In one second, this cult-cut solidified their throne as melodic-metal's reigning Royalty. More doommetal crawl towards the sunlight on "Joys Of The Emptiness", spectral Church-like female vocals supports "Christendom" while the funeral 1:56sec instrumental "Deus Misereatur" forever closes the coffin-lid.

The Nick Holmes + Greg Mackintosh cryptic creations are at their strongest. This CD would also be the last for original drummer Matthew Archer ...as this event would open a revolving door of true SPINAL TAP fashion.

Faith divides us, PARADISE LOST unites us, as their next offering would break the bank: 1995's scene burning Draconian Times CD.

*
Embers Fire = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yoy1UNRABQ8
Widow = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvObVI8gpyY
True Belief = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhrkMnS8Jnw
Icon = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p3PlvvInWQ&list=OLAK5uy_lsivX15sArKQ8Dfbh--uUvo1o1ibMIccA
MTV interview in 1993
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A91Ne5aOuY
Live in Stuttgart in 1993
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvAB9Ve02GA&list=PLIMZqQaqMXQNQToBIIdRPdIrWd3OngEl3
some guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZytoUqWT1o

July 15, 1997 - 2022: 25 years of: One Second.

A Brit-pop mutation.

While American-metal was under the gun during the post-grunge era, Europe also applied some changes to the stagnant format. After the commercial success of 1995's metal-giant Draconian Times CD, England's best unit had a meeting ...with their hair-dressers.

The title-track "One Second" swallows you up and sets the mood to dark in an instant. The drum-pattern and piano back-drop comes back on the leading-single "Say Just Words". Less metal-guitars and more rock-guitars, the vibe breathes morbid moods on "Another Day", the epic "Disappear" and the dearly / deadly "Lydia".

Rocking to a new tone on "Blood Of Another" and some shades of lite-thrashmetal makes a cameo on "Soul Courageous". The record shines where no life dwells with the intricate "Mercy" and spine-chilling "This Cold Life".

All G.Q. kidding aside, during the late 90s the 80s metal-hairdo was now accessory and not mandatory. Plus the rich posh deep rock / mood rock music was the focal point of this great exhibition, as PARADISE LOST were now a full fledge dark / rock band.

This eerie evolution would again take another turn with 1999's dark-pop EMI-approved Host CD.

*
Say Just Words = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahIs4GX4yos
One Second = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go3vnLWiGb0&list=OLAK5uy_lN2Qh366PmYjoyEGbVrh_9630GzBnQmxk
Interview in Leipzig in 1997
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLRWSDOaDW0
Live in London in 1998
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwMgxxSKOO0&list=PL_9gWeiShHFH823Madzq13IlGgdHwdwmW
Review 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1fTQUVWpqQ
One Second live in 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF0gZNoeIeE

May 24, 1999 - 2024: 25 years of: Host.

Expect the unexpected.

After the melancholic-rock explorations of 1997's One Second CD ...a neck-breaking abrupt 90° sharp-turn took it's course. In this cold life, while we pity the sadness, PARADISE LOST provides the unthinkable: dark synth poprock.

Keyboards and electronica pulls us as "So Much Is Lost" smears this funeral-newwave canvas. Digging deeper into the tech-world, with the holy "Nothing Sacred" and the rich macabre melodies of "Ordinary Days".

Pushing morbid art to the extreme on the string-supported ballad "It's Too Late", while both "Wreck" and "Made The Same" are serious somber treks. Beat-box drums patterns and synth-pop flavored through and through, this "Deep" exhibition is crafted "In All Honesty". PARADISE LOST are painted in black.

Necessary evil ? ...bold creative move ? ...or career-suicide ?

In a long line of controversial records: Dynasty, Cold Lake and Load ...PARADISE LOST now presents a miss-understood gem in their evoluting catalogue. The proud Brits never backed away from this forever failure event, as displayed and embraced by their recent 2023 Holmes + Mackintosh side-project band: HOST.

A downtown-club fashion-statement now inked to EMI, the gothic ones fully expressed their unorthodox black-pop soundwaves to a stunned metal-audience. Slowly rekindling with overdriven-guitars, the darkness shall rear it's ugly head again, on 2001's Believe In Nothing CD.

*
So Much Is Lost = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy8eM_6GaZ0
Permanent Solution = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZQ-iePMmKc
Host = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW_jtGkk3Ks&list=OLAK5uy_l-lVWLDO7JXbxO0yzyJOt4yjwt3GluRaM
Interview on Norwegian TV in 1999
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2u_o8lDhxY
Live at Bizarre Festival in 1999
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akYbN-Higc0

February 27, 2001 - 2021: 20 years of: Believe In Nothing.

Our hosts bites back.

Northern England's premier darkmetal merchants rode thru the 90s with high achievements, until 1997's One Second CD devolution. After a major-label signing, the 90° non-metal electro-pop release of 1999's Host CD once again, caught us all off-guard. The road to metal-recovery is a long hard journey and 2001's Believe In Nothing CD is a step towards, or inwards, inside the band's evident inner blackness-filled soul.

The "Mouth" single is a strong statement of redemption. A groovy morbid tale with incisive hooks, from the writers that brought us the "As I die" and "Forever Failure" classics. More dark synth melodies are displayed on "Illumination", a cold and hazy lullaby. The pop-pattern and post-alternative is still present on "Fader", yet in a more melancholic way. Extra heaviness-point for "Look At Me Now" and "Control", whereas the crushing "Sell It To The World" is a track that could've been a dance-floor hit.

Still released on EMI at the height of the Napster-controversy, this record is a parallel with the ever changing landscape in the then rock-world, on both sides of the Atlantic. While away from the metal-elements, this particular era gave the band more headroom for artistic / theatric expression, one that hadn't been explored in the past.

Surfing on the melodicmetal wave of the new millennium, they would return to their heavier roots and bite again with more grit on 2002's Symbol Of Life and 2005's Paradise Lost CDs.

*
Mouth = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h010Epjzuk8
Fader = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQvtIYtz8I4
Believe In Nothing = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzZMikl8BL8&list=PLVW4qs00sl7_VH-HZuR7TjbRxm7nmIZ4N
Interview in Finland in 2001
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT-T9UTbdNY
Live in Hamburg in 2001
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh3bdTPNJO4&list=PLA27018D36AA5F1AD
In retrospect in 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1XNSSuazZg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFR31j_gL_Y

more PARADISE LOST:

Death-Metal EU 1991