Paradise Lost - Bristol Review

A few COVID-19-related cancellations left February 2022 a light month gig-wise. A last-minute decision to catch Doomsday Outlaw in Plymouth upped the grand total overall to two - which, in fairness, is two more than February 2021. I should not complain, but it has been great getting back to regular gig-going over the past few months - and the future is certainly looking much brighter, with plenty more to look forward throughout 2022. The second, and final, February 2022 gig came this past Thursday - when the British doom/gothic metal legends Paradise Lost rolled into Bristol in support of 2020's excellent Obsidian. Looking back, Obsidian should have been in my Top 10 of 2020. Of all of the Albums of the Year lists that I have done, 2020's is the one that I am the least happy with. If I was to redo it, then Paradise Lost's sixteenth album would be included. I listened to it a lot throughout 2020, and I have been enjoying listening to it again recently in the run-up to the concert in Bristol. I have spent a lot of time listening to the band's discography over the past month or so, and I am certainly a bigger Paradise Lost fan at this point than I have ever been. I have been a casual fan of the band for around a decade, and first saw the band live at Nottingham's Rescue Rooms back in 2012, but it is probably only over the past couple of years that I have become a true Paradise Lost fan. It probably helped that I had not seen the band live for a little while, too. Prior to Thursday night in Bristol, my last time seeing the band live came in 2016, when they performed at that year's iteration of Bloodstock Open Air. I remember the band's set being enjoyable but somewhat lacklustre, so I did not listen to their albums that much following 2016's Bloodstock. I enjoyed 2017's Medusa, but it did not prompt the full-blown back catalogue appraisal that Obsidian did, however. Obsidian, for me, is one of the band's best albums. It contains a bit of everything that has made the band great over the years, and it is a real mix of most of their eras sound-wise. I knew that I had to make the effort to catch the tour, and luckily the Bristol date was doable - despite it being midweek. With Storm Eunice looming, which made travelling back to Plymouth take around 24 hours longer than usual, I made it up in Bristol in time after a morning's work. The show was supposed to take place at the SWX, which has been closed for months following a fire, but was relocated to The Marble Factory - a venue which I had not been to for years. I remember it being a pretty average venue, but it had changed quite a lot since I had last visited. The stage was in a totally different part of the building this time, and it seemed much bigger than last time too. The industrial, warehouse setting suited an evening of gloomy music nicely, too, and it was good to see a decent-sized crowd gathered throughout despite the night of the week and the threatening storm.

Before Paradise Lost's set, however, the crowd was treated to an hour of music from Portugal's Moonspell. I was familiar with Moonspell in name only, so was looking forward to checking them out - and I was impressed with the veteran band's set. Paradise Lost played for longer, but the show felt more like a co-headline arrangement than a traditional show - a feeling that was probably boosted by the fact that there were a lot of Moonspell fans in attendance. This meant that the atmosphere throughout the band's hour on stage was excellent, and the five-piece seemed to enjoy their time in Bristol. The band's sound is generally quite gothic, but with some heavier moments thrown in. Frontman Fernando Ribeiro mixed clean and harsh vocals throughout, but for me he really shone when he sung clean. His clean delivery reminded me a little of Amorphis' Tomi Joutsen - but with more of a gothic edge. There were plenty of strong choruses throughout the band's set that allowed him to really show off, and the general atmospheric nature of their music ensured that his voice was always the dominant sound. It was the second song of the set, Extinct, that drew me in - largely due to its chorus. It was a song that was easy to latch onto due to its hooks - and from that point on I started to get what the band were about. Lots of moments throughout the set stood out, and it also helped that the band's live sound was crystal clear. They were also one of the loudest bands that I had seen for a while. When Hugo Ribeiro's drums kicked in for the first time it felt like it was going to interrupt my heartbeat - but this was quickly adjusted and the mix was balanced to allow the intricacies of the music to shine. Pedro Paixão (keyboards/vocals) was largely responsible for this atmospheric depth, but Ricardo Amorim (guitar/vocals) helped too. Amorim did not play that many traditional riffs during the set, but his playing was very textured - and the handful of occasions where he broke into a solo were impressive. Being unfamiliar with the band's songs, it is hard to pick out named highlights - but The Hermit Saints from last year's Hermitage was one that stood out. Another highlight was the penultimate number Alma Mater, from the band's 1995 debut album, which I gather is one of their signature tunes. It certainly elicited a strong reaction from the crowd, with many singing along to the wordless hooks throughout. Considering that I was largely unfamiliar with Moonspell before Thursday, I came away impressed. They are definitely a band that I need to investigate further - and I am looking forward to delving into their catalogue in due course.

Around half an hour after Moonspell finished, Paradise Lost trooped onto the stage with relatively little fanfare and launched straight into Widow, a favourite from 1993's Icon. Those who have seen Paradise Lost will know that they are a something of a no-nonsense band. There is always little fanfare to their shows, which can be refreshing, with frontman Nick Holmes self-deprecating and deadpan humour filling the gaps between songs. Like Moonspell, the band's sound mix was generally good. Holmes was a bit low in the mix for the first few numbers, but once this sorted itself out the band probably sounded the most powerful that I have heard them on stage. It helped that the set contained so much of the strong Obsidian album, too, with five of its nine songs performed. It was one of these, Forsaken, that followed Widow - and what generally followed was a mixture of general live favourites and new material. Blood & Chaos, from Medusa, came across well with its chunky riffing and strong chorus - before the synthy Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us had the crowd singing along with its big chorus. Perhaps given the hookiness of the Obsidian material, the set generally followed suit. There was little of the band's full-on doom sound on display, with anthemic songs instead preferred. The inclusion of gothic One Second is a prime example of this; while old single The Enemy also elicited a strong reaction - with a mosh pit opening up and the crowd singing along to the wordless vocal hook.

It was also a set that brought the best out of Greg Mackintosh (guitar). The band's main songwriter cuts a sullen presence, but his guitar playing is always excellent. Most of the songs played featured plenty of big leads for him to showcase his instantly-recognisable style - with solo after solo coming from his fingers throughout the night. I have always thought his playing to be rather atypical in a metal context. He seems to be influenced more by players like David Gilmour than Tony Iommi - and his soulful leads are a big part of what makes Paradise Lost stand out as a result. He can still riff with the best of them, however, as heavier songs like No Hope in Sight proved. The song has been a real setlist staple since its release in 2015 - and it was good hearing the doom/goth mash-up live again. It was one of the songs played that featured Holmes' harsh vocals, and it is great that he is still in such fine voice. His growling vocals have always suited Paradise Lost's slower sound, and No Hope in Sight was a great showcase for them. It was left to the bouncy Say Just Words to bring the 13-song main set to a close - and it was another song that the crowd really lapped up thanks to its big chorus. After a short break, however, a four-song encore followed. Darker Thoughts kicked it off, with Holmes on stage alone for the song's quiet intro - before the rest of the band joined him when the heaviness kicked in. The dancey So Much is Lost, with its prominent synths and some rare leads from Aaron Aedy (guitar), followed before the set's heaviest moment, Beneath Broken Earth, was played. This was really the only true doom song featured in the set, but it was great to hear the band really slow things down - and it contrasted nicely with the relatively upbeat So Much is Lost. Ghosts, from Obsidian, brought the show to a close - which featured some groovy bass playing from Steve Edmondson. Its groove and strong chorus allowed the show to end on a high - and the crowd certainly made their appreciation known as the band left the stage. The setlist was:

Widow

Forsaken

Blood & Chaos

Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us

Eternal

One Second

Serenity

The Enemy

As I Die

The Devil Embraced

The Last Time

No Hope in Sight

Say Just Words

-

Darker Thoughts

So Much is Lost

Beneath Broken Earth

Ghosts

Despite the hassle that getting back home from Bristol caused over the next couple of days, the show was worth the trip. It was easily the best Paradise Lost show that I have been to, and the setlist was a great mix of old and new - with plenty of anthemic tracks that were lapped up by the large crowd. It was also great to finally acquaint myself with Moonspell, whose set I enjoyed. I came away from The Marble Factory with a Paradise Lost shirt and a new band to indulge in - so the gig was certainly a success.