Paradise Lost - The Plague Within
- Written by Marky Edison
Paradise Lost are back. Well, they hadn't really gone away. This is their 14th album in a career that has lasted over a quarter of a century. But while the band have been consistently filling venues in central and eastern Europe over the last decade, their albums have not been troubling the charts this side of the channel. That may be about to change as Paradise Lost release The Plague Within; a guitar driven, riff packed collection of gothic metal, the likes of which haven't been heard from them since 1995's Draconian Times.
Prior to recording the album, Nick Holmes had been singing with death metal supergroup Bloodbath. Lead guitarist and co-writer Greg Mackintosh had also been enjoying the heavier end of the metal spectrum with recently formed Vallenfyre. In interviews both have said that the album was already written before their side project sojourns but that the experience of playing heavier music did influence the recording of The Plague Within.
Paradise Lost have never been afraid to let their sound evolve. Early albums like Lost Paradise and Gothic were miserabilist death metal and kick-started the gothic metal subgenre. Katatonia have previously said that they formed essentially as a Paradise Lost tribute act and moved on from there.
The Icon / Draconian Times era saw Nick Holmes' vocals become smoother and more melodic and the band including acoustic piano and guitars in their repertoire. Then rather than capitalise of the success of those albums, the band continued to explore other ways of playing metal, bringing synths and symphonic elements into the fold. It's no surprise that the 'Depeche Mode of metal' enjoyed big successes in Germany and surrounding countries after that but this side of the water Paradise Lost faded from view somewhat.
Elements of all those disparate styles are evident throughout The Plague Within. The synths, classical backing vocals and string arrangements still there but in a supporting role. This album is guitar driven and packed to the gills with killer riffs. The songs range in tempo across the album; slow funereal dirges, mid tempo chugging riffs and explosive thrash shredding abound.
Greg Mackintosh's guitar sings, providing the melodies and countermelodies that we have grown to expect. Nick Holmes' vocal delivery uses the range of styles he has mastered over the years. His voice is an additional instrument, with effects board, from clean and soulful to grunty and aggressive, to full on death growl, depending on the mood of the music. The emotional range of their combination brings The Plague Within to a level that other heavy bands just can't reach.
In lesser hands such an amalgamation of metal styles could descend into pastiche but, in the context of The Plague Within, this is more of a consolidation of the many aspects of Paradise Lost's past musical exploits into a cohesive whole. They may be on their third drummer but between them the five members of the band have played Paradise Lost music for over a century and have probably the most enduring stable line up in metal. Perhaps it has taken this long to get to make an album of this standard because it takes that breadth of songwriting experience and a level of maturity in approach that only comes with the experience of playing together for so long.
This is the heaviest album Paradise Lost have done yet, aided by the production of Jaime Gomez Arellano (Cathedral, Ghost). Arellano was chosen for his "organic" approach and that certainly rings true on The Plague Within. Opening with 'No Hope In Sight', Mackintosh's and Aedy's twin guitars announce the album with a mid tempo riff that sounds like a fanfare heralding the return of a prodigal. Holmes uses different vocal styles from one section to the next, matching the changing riffs and moods of each section.
'An Eternity Of Lies' is a stand out track. Beginning with keys and strings, Mackintosh's melodic lead lines build gradually and inevitably to a Black Sabbath-esque trudging groove. 'Punishment Through Time' thrashes violently while 'Beneath Broken Earth' unleashes doom so down-tempo that even Massive Attack would consider it part of their slow-set.
Apart from a show at Queen's University Belfast in 2009, Paradise Lost have disappeared from the radar in Ireland and the fan base has lain dormant. So the announcement of a gig in Dublin's Academy this September came as a surprise. The video for the glacial, in both pace and tone, 'Beneath Broken Earth' has roused much interest in the metal community.
In a world of screamo and metalcore it is almost a novelty to hear such an old-fashioned approach to metal. Thunderous and hummable riffs. Lyrics that are contemplative rather than histrionic. Such things stand out is the current environment and The Plague Within appearing now feels like Obama's initial presidential run. Can we have straight up heavy metal that embraces quality songwriting, and melody, and still be heavy as hell? yes, we can!