Paradise lost is a very solid metal band. Nick Holmes (vocals), Greg Mackintosh (lead guitar), Aaron Aedy (rhythm guitar), Steve Edmondson (bass), and Adrian Erlandsson (drums), make it clear that they have been around the genre for their entire lives. They have a good understanding of what forms the base of a metal band.
Their latest album, Tragic Hero, their thirteenth studio release, includes everything a metal-head looks for. The guitars are always employed in either long, drawn-out power chords, or a solid chuggy riff, or a solo—they are rarely found outside of those areas. The drums are simple but very direct and heavy. The vocals are loud and guttural, but also easy to distinguish.
Though they stay true to their metal style throughout the album, they also find ways to mix it up so that there is some diversity to the record. “Fear of Impending Hell” and “Worth Fighting For” are both ballad-esque, as the vocals are softer and the music is noticeably slowed down. “Theories From Another World” and “In This We Dwell” are more gothic sounding tunes. And finally there is the very epic closer, “The Glorious End,” which gives the listener a little bit of everything Paradise Lost has to offer. There are also some cool guitar tones that appear in islands throughout.
As I said before, I believe Paradise Lost to be a very solid metal band; they have their fundamentals down. However, there was not much on the album I hadn’t heard before. I believe the best music will always contain evidence of experimentation, and that never really appears on Tragic Idol. But if you are a metal-head who simply wants to hear metal done right, you will surely enjoy the album.
Key Tracks: Crucify, Honesty in Death, The Glorious End
Seth Wood-MuzikReviews.com Contributor
July 3, 2012
