Paradise Lost (metal band) - classic or dud, search and destroy

Just started listening to Draconian Times, first time I've ever heard this band. I find the Hetfield-ish vocals a tad jarring with the music right now but it's got a nice sound. The album artwork is gorgeous.

classic if only for gothic

still a great band still making great records

Yeah? I've still never heard them, although I used to work with a girl who was totally smitten by what she (metalhead, Vampirella collector, French/International Relations major, who got into French culture via pix of the final resting place of her childhood hero, Jim Morrison) considered their very refined theatre ov metal. I found some PL LPs in another shop, another town, and called her---she came over, but said they were the *other* Paradise Lost.

They're a band I have a great deal of nostaligia for! I must've seen them play in London four or five times in the mid nineties. FWIW I prefered their pre Draconian Times albums (vox less Hetfieldian). Not familiar with anything after it.

They were often a target of mockery from some of my pals for being too dour and pretentious, by the way.

last year's paradise lost record was awesome

ofc it was billed as a return to the "true" paradise lost but honestly it feels like a new chapter

About 20 years ago for a very brief period, "Embers Fire" was my favourite song. I'd probably find it chronic now. Certain songs from the "One Second" album I also recall being quite hooky.

ofc it was billed as a return to the "true" paradise lost but honestly it feels like a new chapter

― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson)

Just listened to "Beneath the Broken Earth" - could be off Shades of God!

Prompted by this thread, I have actually now listened to Embers Fire again. Pretty damn dismal. Say Just Words, however, isn't bad. All the ingredients are in place to make it utterly atrocious, but it somehow just about comes off.

I am likely the only person alive who will rep for 1992's Shades Of God.

It is a transitional album between the undeniably brilliant first two releases and the more commercial sound the band would embrace on Icon and Draconian Times.

The songs are morose yet beautiful, haunting yet hinting at the melodies that the band would soon embrace. It has elements of doom, a classic/trad metal ethos, death metal underpinnings and it's all tied together with a slightly progressive feel which mainly comes from a rhythm section that sounds really unique on this release.

I loved the older stuff and The Plague Within was one of the more solid metal releases last year though a lot of what fell in between was not nearly as good.

Shades of God is excellent, easily the better of the Shades Of God/Icon/Draconian Times era. At the time it might've felt like a transitional album but listening to it again it's very similar musically to the two that came after.

Pity the Sadness ued to be my favourite song of theirs.

Not completely sold on Draconian Times. "Enchantment" is a full-blown classic, "Hallowed Land" and "Elusive Cure" are very good too, the guitar sound is always great but I find a lot of the songs a bit dull (especially towards the end) and the vocals are often too overbearing for the style of music.

Here's the site of the cover/sleeve artist
http://www.hollywarburton.com/

I'll definitely get more of their music in hopefully not too long.

I was very eagerly anticipating DT back in 95 (aged 16) mainly because of radio previews of Enchantment and was pretty disappointed by the whole album. Icon and Shades of God are both better iirc.

Degeneration is close at haaaaaaaand.

medusa is so so so awesome

It's taken me longer than expected to warm to Gothic. It isn't what I expected for one of the most important goth metal albums. As much as I like it, I prefer the banging bonus tracks which are alternate versions of songs from the first album. I'll need that first album soon.

so I finally got around to Medusa, never being a huge fan of PL, and holy fuck does this shit pack a punch.

suuuuuuch a great record. a genuine new classic.

"Fearless Sky" is such a fucking sinister opening track.

Not really getting into Medusa, despite some really nice stuff in there, it sounds a tad too straightforward? I've come back to it someday.

I'll come back to it someday. Most people seem to love it.

new album feels more and more like a major triumph the more i listen to it

i loooove this band, tho

just ran through the last three in a row, awe-inspiring feat imo. the first half of the plague within might even be my favorite part of it

I'll leave this ruined world to your GOOOOOODDDDD!