U.K. gothic doom-death pioneers PARADISE LOST will return to North America after a six-year absence for a headlining tour in support of their latest album, "Medusa". Joining them are Iceland's premiere psychedelic post-metal export SÓLSTAFIR, as well as THE ATLAS MOTH. Commented PARADISE LOST vocalist Nick Holmes: "The last time we toured in the USA was in 2012 on the 'The Epic Kings And Idols' tour with Devin Townsend. Six years, and a couple of albums later, we are really pleased to announce that we will finally be heading back to the States for our very own coast-to-coast headline tour. It's our 30th-anniversary tour, and we will be playing a selection of our best songs from over the years. Looking forward to seeing you all there!" Tickets go on sale everywhere Friday, July 13 at 10 a.m. local time. Confirmed dates are as follows: Oct. 02 - Soundstage - Baltimore, MD Oct. 03 - Gramercy - New York, NY Oct. 05 - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA Oct. 06 - Le Fairmont - Montreal, QC Oct. 07 - Opera House - Toronto, ON Oct. 09 - Agora Theater - Cleveland, OH Oct. 10 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL Oct. 11 - Riot Room - Kansas City, MO Oct. 12 - Gothic Theater - Denver, CO Oct. 13 - The Complex - Salt Lake City, UT Oct. 15 - Neumos - Seattle, WA Oct. 16 - Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver, BC Oct. 17 - Bossanova - Portland, OR Oct. 19 - 1720 Venue - Los Angeles, CA Oct. 20 - Glasshouse - Pomona, CA Oct. 21 - Fillmore - San Francisco, CA "Medusa" was released last September via Nuclear Blast. The artwork was created by Branca Studio and shows the infamous Gorgone Medusa from Greek mythology, carrying venomous snakes as hair and turning anyone into stone who would dare to look into her eyes. PARADISE LOST guitarist Greg Mackintosh told the Moshpit Backstage podcast that "Medusa" is "probably" the band's "heaviest album to date, partly because of the way the songs are written. Also, partly, because of the production," he said. "The production is very kind a bit of a throwback production in a way, and also very organic. It's basically the mics recording everything, no editing, no nothing. It's very much a doom metal album." He continued: "We had a very clear idea of what we're doing before we even started writing this album, which we don't normally have. Normally, we start writing and see what happens. But with this record, we had a very clear idea that we wanted to do a doom metal album. And, it just worked that way. The first song on the album is eight and a half minutes long and our label [Nuclear Blast], when we told them we wanted to put it first, they were a little apprehensive because it throws people into the deep end. It's not as immediate as maybe as some of the previous albums, but I think it's a grower. That's the whole point to me. But, yeah, it's very heavy, very doom metal. It can be quite eclectic in parts and there's a range of vocal styles and a range of different musical styles on there." Greg also commented on PARADISE LOST's stylistic changes, saying: "I think it's a natural process. If we did, not every record the same, but say we did five records in a row and they were all very similar, it would be like working on a production line for me. It would feel like, just very pedestrian. Personally, I like to be challenged, but also have something fresh. "I think the reason we're still going after all this time is when we approach a record, we approach it as if we're a brand-new band and this is our first record and we have no history and no baggage. That really affects your viewpoint then, on everything. It can really change your writing style. I think that's the key to me, just thinking, 'What am I one-hundred percent into at this moment in time? Let's just go for that.' It can change year in, year out, you don't know. The music you got into when you're fifteen, sixteen, always stays with you at some degree, always keeps coming back, but you can still diversify from that and keep it all fresh for yourself."
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