paradise lost

[mars]

Hello to everyone,

Since this is my first contribution, I feel pretty excited.Reading this forum for some time now and really like it. Nice to be involved now.

Get the impression Paradise lost isn't very popular here ( i could be totally wrong ) but why is that ?
Imo there one of the top 3 ,lets say, dark metal Icons of all times.
Marvellous vocalist, brilliant effective guitar player ( thinking of the malmsteen/ cobain comparison I read somewhere on this forum ) amazing feel for melancholic melodies, interesting development as a band, so what's your opinion on these masters of doommetal ?

 

[Bambi]

they lost it a looong time ago. I remember seeing them live years back and while they sounded quite good there was sod all atmosphere.. the first coupla albums are quite good tho'

 

[ifihadafish]

Great band - shame they lost the plot, although I think they are starting to take steps 'back' in the right direction. I'm not a total Doom fan, so the early PL stuff doesn't click with me - same as Anathema's first album. PL's middle albums are fantastic - as they were live too and I loved the progressive moves towards One Second. Then came Host!! Now I heard Host live first on their tour in Belfast and it sounded great although Gregor couldn't play and a roadie filled in. But the studio album destroyed all faith in PL for a lot of fans - just too much a jump into electronica. Now we all know that Anathema started very similar to PL and IMO the two of them moved through similar progression, sort of the same in musical styles and mellowing on each album. Compare One Second and Alternative 4 - could have been a double album by the same band! This isn't a bad thing of course - I love them both! But were Anathema have crafted mellower albums on each step, I think that as they took more of a cue from the likes of Pink Floyd and PL tried a Depeche Mode route, thats why they have held onto the original Doom and Metal fanbase whereas PL just shot themselves in the foot. At least Believe In Nothing was a slight return to the better One Second period although I would love a full return to Draconian Times, but then aren't we supposed to love are favourite bands trying new things and not just trending water? Just leap a stream and not an ocean!

I think I'll shut-up now!

 

[Ivo]

PL - is for me one of the biggest dissapointments...
nothing to add...

 

[mourningstar]

imo they didn't lose anything, they simply evolved; paradise lost are one of the few bands whose changings i appreciated (even if their past is astonishing), together with anathema and amorphis.
i saw them live last year and they performed a really good show.
anathema deserve the first prize for "gig of the year", though

 

[requiem]

I think 'Draconian Times' is one of the greatest albums out there. As for their last few releases, I haven't heard much but after purchasing 'One Second' I didn't really want to follow that path with them...

I think they were a very important band as far as doom/death is concerned in the early 90's.

 

[intet]

i loved One Second! was my favourite album for years.
Believe in Nothing was not the album i expected after Host.. was a bit disappointed, though it had some great songs notworthy Control and World Pretending).

can't wait to hear the next album.
we'll see if the can make up their minds about which way to go musically..

 

[mars]

I think when you listen to 'host' without prejudice, so with an open mind and without any 'metalexpectations'or metaldemands' you 'll find a really classy, dark atmosphered album.

Some people don't seem to be able to shake of the limitations everyone develops by , mainly, listening to one kind of music.

I would like to say , do yourself a favour and don't be so narrow minded.

The same goes for anathema's last one, it's a real pitty when people lose interest because they think it's to soft, or something like that, think there are more dimensions in ( at least anathema's ) music then heavy guitars or not.

Just think both bands are not getting what they deserve, although their attitude, do what you like yourself in the first place, is admirable.

 

[ifihadafish]

Agree with your comments Mars - and of course everyone opinion and taste will be different. Hence my dislike of Host, which when I heard the songs the first time before the album was released at a PL gig I thought that Host would be superior to One Second! I have tried over the years (and with open mind) and returned to Host to see it it 'clicks' and it doesn't - not with me anyway. And it's not because it's not metal. As for Anathema's latest - I love it, mellow or not. Hell if I wanted total Metal all the time, I be locked in a room with my Manowar collection.

I can't wait to hear what PL do with their new album. Hopefully Anathema will get to do their double or dual albums this year and I've also discovered the delights of Opeth only recently (the only death grunt I can listen too!) Totally amazed by them, how they change from power to acoustical mellowness in a breath.

 

[MorphineChild]

Paradise Lost

Some songs are reeeeeaaaally perfect

I haven't really listened to all their stuff but they are one of the bands I like without having all their albums, simply because what I have is already enough for me

 

[Morpheus]

I'm going to see them next weekend in cologne at Popkomm and I'm very thrilled how they are live for I've never seen them before. And then there is no payment.......

Cheers

 

[Strangelight]

Hey, why hasn't anyone mentioned 'Gothic' as probably the most influential album of the death/doom/whatever scene? Forget about One Second etc... for a moment and all the Hetfieldesque nonsense, and hail a true classic To 'Gothic'!

 

[Parasite]

Gothic is awesome. I didn't mind their change either though.

 

[Mikiuk]

I thought Icon was pretty good as well but as strangelight said gothic just about started the whole doom thing{with St vitus and early sabbath of course}

 

[Sigma]

Best albums are: Gothic, Draconian times and One second...the rest.......

EDIT: how could i forget ICON!?

 

[SoundMaster]

I think Paradise Lost are true ICONS in the dark-metal scene (pun intended!)!!

Sadly, however, too many fans have turned a blind-eye to their Depeche Mode explorations. Of course, I can see why many "metal only" fans have disowned them.

In my view, Paradise Lost released THREE of the BEST cds of the 90s:
Icon, Draconian Times & One Second.

"Host", although solid, is just missing something....and I dont know exactly what it is. I dont mind the Depeche Mode influences (as I LOVE DM), but I just think that the songwriting was.....lacking.

"Believe in Nothing" was a step back into the right direction but it, too, is just "missing something".

Overall, however, they're still a heavily influential, pioneering band.

 

[Strangelight]

Originally posted by Mikiuk
I thought Icon was pretty good as well but as strangelight said gothic just about started the whole doom thing{with St vitus and early sabbath of course}

I'm not really talking about doom as in Sabbath etc. I mean the doom/death guitar harmony thing that kicked off the early 90s. I can hear influences on 'Gothic' from Celtic Frost and other stuff but it was that album at that time that inspired 1000s of people.
Pity they're woolies eh?

 

[pagan2002]

gothic had a massive effect on anathema. (and the fist album a bit as well.) was never keen on icon, though shades of god had one or two good tracks. gothic's the best though,
lead guitars and appleton orchestrations...godly!!

 

[pagan2002]

whats believe in nothing like?

 

[ifihadafish]

I haven't listened to it in ages, but it was a slight return to a more One Second sounding period but not with the same quality of songs. But at least it was moving away from the dire Host mess.

Does Gothic have death vocals/grunts as Shades Of God is as far back as I go with PL and it's not a patch on Icon onwards.

I had to return Anathema's Serendes to the shop as it was too doom/death vocal for me - sorry!