Paradise Lost
Genre
Gothic
Country
United Kingdom
Biography
Paradise Lost’s breakthrough album ‘Gothic’ (1991) propelled them to the top tier of the doom metal genre, a status the Halifax sons were able to consolidate on both Shades of God (1992) and Icon (1993). Over the years their output mellowed somewhat but 2007’s ‘In Requiem’ saw them return to their heavier roots. Over the last decade they’ve continued to redefine their sound, marrying the doom influences from their early days with more melodic elements and a mixture of clean and harsh vocals. On ‘The Plague Within’ (2015), Holmes’ taking over mic duties for Bloodbath crystallised into the angriest vocals he’d produced in years. The powerful combination of Aedy’s crushing riffs and Mackintosh’s lamenting melodies create that typical gothic Paradise Lost atmosphere and the rhythm section is a slow, unrelenting machine that crushes everything in sight. Their last full-length to date, ‘Medusa’ (2017) continues in the same vein in terms of heaviness but abandons the gothic approach in favour of the doom sound of their early days. The result is some of the heaviest work they’ve put out since the early 90s. A one-hour set is far too short because there’s so much great stuff to choose from but in the end their consistency is also the key to their longevity. (#GMM20)