Bulgaria's Tangra Mega Rock recently conducted an interview with vocalist Nick Holmes and guitarist Greg Mackintosh of British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST. You can now watch the chat below.On the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to 2012's "Tragic Idol":Nick: "We're about three quarters of the way through an album. We're getting there. The ball's rolling. And we've got another maybe four songs or so to go. So far, it's sounding pretty good."On whether the band is planning to perform any of the new songs live before the next album is released:Nick: "No, because when you play it live, you release it. So we don't wanna release it until we really have to. And it doesn't matter how good or bad it sounds, you basically are releasing it. So it's a case of wanting to hold back as long as we can."On PARADISE LOST's upcoming performance with an orchestra on September 20 at the Roman theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria:Nick: "We thought it would be a good idea to play in Bulgaria with a real orchestra. It's something we've sort of thought about, but it's kind of quite hard to make it happen. I mean, a lot of our songs lend themselves very well to classical arrangements, so it's nice to have the oppottunity to give that a go. Yeah, it should be interesting."For PARADISE LOST's one-off performance in Plovdiv, the band will be joined by the renowned Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra founded nearly 70 years ago and made up of over 100 highly qualified musicians. The orchestra has its roots in the hundred year old orchestral tradition in Plovdiv and over the years has launched the careers of many world-famous conductors.The prestigious evening will be promoted by the Bulgarian independent radio station Tangra Mega Rock and orchestrated by conductor Levon Manukyan who wrote the first metal ballet and is the founder of the Levon Manukyan Collegium Musicum orchestra. During his career, Levon has given the classical treatment to rock and metal works by MARILYN MANSON, ALICE COOPER, DREAM THEATER, AC/DC, EVANESCENCE, GUNS N' ROSES, KISS, LED ZEPPELIN, NIRVANA and JUDAS PRIEST, and worked with world-famous soloists including ex-NIGHTWISH vocalist Tarja Turunen.Said the band: "We have recorded elements of orchestration many times in the studio over the last two decades, as many of our songs lend themselves well to classical arrangement. However, we have never before had the chance to play with a real orchestra in a live situation, so it's very exciting to have the opportunity to play with Plovdiv Philharmonic and in such a prestigious location as the Roman theatre.""Tragic Idol" sold around 900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 32 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.Released in April 2012 via Century Media Records, "Tragic Idol" was recorded in part at The Chapel studios in Lincolnshire, England and features cover art by by Parisian designer Valnoir, who has previously worked with MORBID ANGEL, LAIBACH, ULVER and WATAIN, among others.
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