Welcome back to Paradise Lost month fellow Otaku & Metalheads!
At the beginning of the month we took a look at the band beginnings in the 90s. A time of finding one’s self, and a time of experimenting. The 1990s is considered by many to be the band’s heyday, and when they released some if not all of their best work. By the end of that decade, however, the fanbase became divided by the group’s decision to charge their sound. Would this carry over into the new millennium? Yes.....and no, but let’s find out anyways!
Believe In Nothing (2001)
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| Re-Release |
With the band’s Gothic Rock/Metal branches seemingly trimmed off by the end of the 90s, Paradise Lost looked to stay on their new path seemingly for the rest of their career. However, the band’s creative gears never did truly stop, and for a good chunk of 2000 they were recording their 8th studio album. The plan was originally going to be a September the 18th release in that year, but as the band said around that time:
“As you know near to Christmas many artists all rush to release "Best Of" albums in a hope of increased sales. Paradise Lost feel that the new album is far too special to merely be lost among thousands of others and, by releasing in January will avoid this.”
However this January release date didn’t come to pass, and instead Believe In Nothing would come out kicking and screaming on February the 26th, 2001. I say kicking and screaming, because the band wasn’t exactly fond of it at the time. As Nick Homes elaborated in 2007:
“We were never really happy with the production on that album. I think the songs on the album were good, but I definitely wouldn't rank the album overall in amongst our top five albums ever. We were all very confused by a lot of things going on around us at the time, hence the cover! (Laughs) I think they were pretty grim times, and I think that's reflected on the rather dour tone of the songs. Practically all of us were on prescribed drugs at that time! (Laughs) I was taking such strong anti-depressants at the time that I didn't really know what was going on at the time. The artwork for the album is a classic example where our brains were at the time. There were just bees in my head! (Laughs) I have no idea what that cover was supposed to represent. On a personal level, Believe In Nothing represented a really dark time in my life. I don't think anything positive comes out of being depressed or down like that. My personal life was kind of in a bad way at that time, and I think that album is a direct result of that. I know a lot of people really love that album, and I think that's great. But for me, I think the most disappointing element is the production, which I think could have been punchier, and the feelings the album conjures up. From Host through to Believe In Nothing, we didn't really kind of know where we were going. We were really in a dilemma.”
It also didn’t help at the time that EMI forcibly asked Paradise Lost to add rock elements to their new synth sound, and it was because of this lack of creative control that Gregor Mackintosh said that the album "doesn't really exist for him". However, leave things to time & fate to change things around, as this album (And Host from part 1) was kind of rediscovered as hidden gems by both the band & fans in recent years. As Holmes stated in 2018:
“It's no secret that we were never entirely happy with the production on this record, despite really liking the songs. It's been a long time coming, but we finally found the right moment to go back into the studio with Gomez (Orgone Studios) and play around with it. We hope you all enjoy the remixed version so you can hear how the songs were meant to sound.”
Best Track? I kinda gotta give it to Never Again. The song seems like the band’s past & present are colliding on this specific track, and in rather surprising ways. On one side you got their Gothic past from Icon & Draconion Times, and on the other side you got their Electronica/Synthpop present. The two sides combine in a way that feels natural on an album that’s anything but, and it’s because of this that it stand out among everything else on Believe In Nothing. Definitely something to not skip.
Never Again
Worst Track? Really the forcing of the rock elements from EMI was what ultimately hurt Believe In Nothing. Paradise Lost were comfortable in their Electronica/Synthpop chair, and didn’t appreciate having to put a cover on said chair that they didn’t want in the first place. Thanks to the 2018 remaster it doesn’t feel so forced (And by extension the band doesn’t quite have an issue with it), but you can still sort of tell that the rock aspect feels partially out of place.
Believe In Nothing. Not a bad album by any means, but it was stained by the forcing of elements that the band didn’t want to use at the time. However, with the bits of Gothic Rock & Metal creeping back in (By force, but creeping back in), it appeared as if the band may return to their old ways. Merely a year later......said appearance was something of the truth. Next album!
Symbol Of Life (2002)
With an album the band wasn’t fond of in their rear view mirror, Paradise Lost looked to their next musical venture to clear their heads. In May of 2002, the band would sign onto GUN Records for the next leg of their career, and from June to July of that year were in the recording studio working on their 9th album. Then on October the 21st of 2002, Symbol Of Life was released. The album was something of a departure from their Electronic/Synthpop phase (Despite still using some of it), as they worked with producer Rhys Fulber to bring back their heavy & metallic sound from years prior. Bringing on guest musicians like Devin Townsend, Jamie Muhoberac, and Lee Dorrian certainly helped with this, as was the occasional usage of Industrial aspects. The end result was an album that not only seen as the beginning of the return to the land of metal, but was also seen by some as a unique & varied release.
Best Track? Bit of a tie between the 2nd song Erased, and the cover of the Bronski Beat classic Smalltown Boy. The former is one of the tracks where I think that hint of Industrial the band found was used, and at the same time almost feels like a lost song from the early 90s that they re-recorded. It an energetic tune that really gets you moving, and shows that Paradise Lost were much more versatile that people give them credit for. The latter track may not have as much of the gay politics that the original band put into theirs, but that doesn’t mean this cover isn’t any less potent in terms of emotions. This definitely is one of the most metallic songs on the album, but it still has a little bit of Electronic/Synthpop at points. Though you can only find this song on the limited edition version (More on that below), that should not stop you from listening to it.
Erased
Smalltown Boy
Worst Track? Like I said in part one at the beginning of the month, Symbol Of Life’s only flaw is that it’s an album that doesn’t know what it wants to be. Whereas One Second was an album going into a new genre, Symbol Of Life was leaving a genre. To give the band some credit, they seemed much more certain as to what direction they wanted to set foot on with this record. Having been Electronic/Synthpop for a few years (Along with a hint of Industrial on this release), the time was right to go back to their Gothic past, and in the process found themselves in at a fork in the road. Luckily, the fans would know which route they’d walk down on 3 years later.....but I’ll get to that in a minute.
The only other fault with Symbol Of Life isn’t with the music itself, but the availability. This album is rather difficult to locate, and as I type this there is only 1 used copy on Amazon for purchase. It’s not the special edition, but instead is the original. With the remastered versions of Host & Believe In Nothing put out not that long ago, I can only hope that this album gets the same treatment.
Symbol Of Life. Quite possibly my favorite album from their time in the 2000s, and while it may be mildly confusing as to which way they would go, it’s a far more confident & solid release than One Second. If you weren’t a fan of the band Electronica/Synthpop phase back in the 90s, then weirdly enough you might get a kick out of this release. It’s definitely surprising, that’s for sure. Next album!
Paradise Lost (2005)
With their return to their metallic ways now in full, it seems as if things were back on track for the band. However, they would run into a bump on the road in March of 2004 when Lee Morris left the band over “personal and musical differences”. His replacement would take the form of Jeff Singer, who’s work prior to the group included the bands China Beach, Kill II This, and Blaze. With their second new drummer on the team, they went back to studio (In this case, Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire and Hollypark Lane in Los Angeles) from between January to June of 04 or April to September of that year (Wikipedia has 2 dates. I’m not sure which is which). Then on the 17th of March, 2005, the band’s self-titled album was released.
Paradise Lost, as an album.....is the return that older fans were waiting for! Virtually all of the Electronic/Synthpop trappings are gone, and instead they went right back to their familiar Gothic Metal stomping grounds. As much as I like their late 90s to early 2000s work, I found it to be incredibly refreshing to hear the band perform in the style that’s obviously a comfort zone for them. In a way it feels as if they never actually left the genre they helped make as I was listening to this album, but I’ll get to that in a second. Suffice it to say, Paradise Lost hit it out of the park with this album. It not only signified a return to their past, but it was also a statement. A statement that would tell everyone that the band was back, and they weren’t leaving in any way!
Best Track? Sun Fading & Accept The Pain come across like lost tracks from the band’s Icon or Draconian Times days (Pick whichever album you prefer). Gothic, gloomy, and haunting beauty are just some of the ways to describe these two song. The former comes across as a little slower paced, but both are equal in my ears’s minds in terms of quality. Don’t skip either of these!
Sun Fading
Accept The Pain
Worst Track? To be perfectly honest, I don’t think there’s a single bad song on this album. Over the Madness comes across as a little weak, but even then it doesn’t impact how genuinely awesome Paradise Lost is. One could complain about how long it took the band to get back to their metallic roots, but only the most pickiest of listeners would try this.
Paradise Lost. My other favorite album from the band’s time in the 2000s, this self-titled record showed that they were back in their metallic suit, and they weren’t going to get out of it anytime soon. If you were put off by their electronic-flavored period, then you won’t be disappointed by this one. Next album!
In Requiem (2007)
With their return to Gothic Metal now etched in the wall thanks to their self-titled album 2 years before, Paradise Lost were back as the fans wanted them to be. After making a deal with Century Media, they began work on their 11th studio album from 2006 to 2007. Going between The Chapel Studios in London and Strait Sound Studios in Gibson, Vancouver, In Requiem was released on the 21st of May in 2007, and the people couldn’t be happier. The album was generally well-received and rated rather favorably by music critics and the band’s fans, as both were pleased to see Paradise Lost return to their heavier, gothic metal sound similar to that of earlier albums like Draconian Times. To aid in this badassery, they acquired the artistic services of Seth Siro Anton (Real name Spiros Antoniou, the lead singer of Septicflesh) to do the album cover, and as you can see.....it definitely is badass.
Best Track? Like their self-titled album, I gotta pick 2 songs as the best representatives of the album. In one corner is Unreachable: at first coming across like a lost track from the Host days, it quickly becomes apparent that it is a full blown Gothic Metal tune. It does have some Host-like vibes here and there, but it’s heart and soul is quite Gothic. In the other corner we have the 3rd to last tune, Beneath Black Skies. There’s a faster pace on this as apposed to Unreachable, and unlike that track there’s no Host vibes to be felt. Beneath Black Skies is a pure Gothic song, and harkens back to that Draconian Times era where they were on top of the world. As I said above...don’t skip either of these!
Unreachable
Beneath Black Skies
Worst Track? Absolutely nothing! As with their self-titled album from 2 years prior, virtually every single song on In Requiem is great to listen to. I do find Nick Holmes’s mild usage of gruffer vocals to be slightly jarring at first when you consider the 3 albums before this one, but it in no way diminishes how potent the music is on here.
In Requiem. A little harder than their self-titled album, but never loses that gothic edge they gained back in 2005. If you liked the record prior to this one but wanted a little more bite for your buck, then this one will be to your liking. However, with this success in the books.......another challenge would appear on the horizon. Next album!
Faith Divides Us-Death Unites Us (2009)
In Requiem proved to be a big success for the band in May of 2007. So much so, that a documentary was released in November of that year called Over The Madness. On it documented the impact they had has had on gothic metal and provides insight into the mindset and workings of the band, while the 2nd part included further interviews & rehearsal footage, along with backstage and memorabilia sections. With all of this success it appeared as if nothing could stop them, but that would not be the case.
On the 13th of August, 2008, drummer Jeff Singer announced his departure from Paradise Lost on the band’s website. He stated that he wanted to be with his family, had an upcoming job, and the incoming South American tour would interfere with that. Sadly, the band would have to cancel this tour, and just a few days later on the 28th of August, it was officially announced on their website. Mark Heron from Oceansize would take over on drums for a time, but when it came to early 2009, that would change. At that point, the band had recorded an album with producer Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden. At that time there was no full-time replacement for the drummer position, but they would played by Swedish drummer Peter Damin. On 16 March 2009, when recording for the album was done, the band recruited Adrian Erlandsson (Who’s prior bands included At the Gates and Cradle of Filth) as a full-time drummer for the band.
After all of this, the band’s 12th studio album, Faith Unites Us-Death Divides was put out. Released on Century Media Records on the 25th of September in 2009 in Germany, on the 28th in the rest of Europe, and on the 6th of October in the US that year, the album was still a further sign that the band were staying put right where they were. Maybe even more so on this album, as Paradise Lost brought back a little bit of their old Death/Doom days to round out the album’s sound. The end result is an album that’s slightly heavier than the last two, but still manages to be quite gothic at the same time.
Best Track? First Light is just a meaty song. Nick Holmes brings back a little of his Death/Doom style vocals for parts of the track, and some of the instrumentation matches this, but at the end of the day it is a Gothic Metal song through and through. Not much more to say than that!
First Light
Worst Track? About the only complaint I can give this album, and even then it’s more of a nitpick, would be the mild return to their earliest material. I’ll get into this more when we get to part three, but it seems as if Paradise Lost never tries anything different when they try to sound like their old selves. Again, they’re not going completely back, but it’s noticeable enough that anyone who didn’t like the band’s Death/Doom period may be turned off by this record. Emphasis on the word may.
Faith Divides Us-Death Unites Us. A potent & serious album, it continues to prove that Paradise Lost is back to stay as we once knew them. Even with a mild return to their earliest material, it’s still a Gothic masterpiece of the highest quality. I definitely recommend this to anyone who is interested.
And that was part 2 of my analysis of the career of Paradise Lost. The 2000s was a time of a little bit of experimentation, but it was also when the band realized that their old ways were still awesome. With the return to the past practically set in stone, the 2010s were set for the boys from Halifax to conquer.....and it would be quite a time indeed. See you all on Halloween day, but before that happens.....there is one special post that must get made. Join me next week to find out what it is!
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If you’re curious about listening to this band, click on the links below:
Believe In Nothing
Symbol Of Life
Paradise Lost
In Requiem
Faith Divides Us-Death Unites Us
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