PARADISE LOST were yet another representative of atmospheric rock to visit moscow this year. It was the band's third trip to moscow. Beginning as a death metal band, PARADISE LOST soon shifted to doom — their 1992 album Gothic is considered by many to be virtually the benchmark of the genre; then came Shades Of The God, Icon, and Draconian Times. After that came experiments with electronics — not particularly successful in my view — and with the turn of the millennium the band changed direction again, growing heavier once more, yet strikingly different from their work of the early 1990s. The band's permanent vocalist Nick Holmes considers that PARADISE LOST effectively created the gothic metal style. To avoid writing a lengthy analytical piece, I will leave this decidedly personal opinion of the namesake of the Baker Street detective celebrated by Conan Doyle without further comment.
The concert took place at the DK Gorbunova; many had doubts as to whether the band would fill the Gorbusha, as it turned out, completely without justification. But let us start from the beginning. PARADISE LOST were supported by two acts. First: DARK PRINCESS. To put it mildly, the performance was a disaster. Unfortunately there is no other word for it. To blame: primarily whoever was responsible for the sound. The female vocals of singer Olga Romanova — frankly rather mediocre — did not sound but crackled; the male vocalist fared somewhat better, but his backup role plainly did not save the situation; the guitars amounting to a cacophony despite the fact that the band plays very lightly also contributed nothing to the band's success that evening. Musically — not bad, but nothing new whatsoever, a complete zero in terms of innovation. The hall's reaction was extremely negative; I was immediately reminded of how TEATR TENI had been received warming up for DIO in that same hall not so long ago. Here it was identical — all manner of unkind words were directed at the band; by the end of the set, the majority of those who had initially gathered in the hall had left it, preferring to spend the time outside. The band felt it — vocalist and musicians had been performing with considerable restraint, and quietly and calmly departed the stage (the vocalist didn't even say goodbye, visibly offended — well, the truth has always been an unwelcome mirror), making way for the next band: MELANCHOLY.
And these turned out to be welcome. No, the sound was not fixed — or rather the instrumental side improved, but the male vocals came through with very heavy distortion. But firstly the band was better known; and secondly, they were considerably more interesting and colourful on stage. Doom combined with nu-metal is a strange idea at first glance, but that is precisely what the band is. A vocalist-guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, female vocalist, and cellist played a very decent set that left most of those present with quite a positive impression; what spoiled it was the sound, which everyone hoped would normalise by the time the evening's heroes took the stage.
They hoped in vain. Of all concerts at the DKG in recent times, the sound for PARADISE LOST was the worst. For a club hall this sound would have been a six out of five; but for the DKG, whose sonic capabilities are well known, the sound was at best a three. Throughout the concert either Holmes himself would disappear from the mix, or the rhythm section would merge into a blur, or the lead guitar solos would become inaudible. Periodically the sound would suddenly come close to perfect — but the idyll was short-lived, and problems would re-emerge before long.
A few days before the visit it had become officially known that the musicians would be arriving without lead guitarist Gregor Mackintosh. Many were dismayed, assuming the band would perform as a four-piece — exactly the lineup they had presented in Kyiv two weeks earlier — which would have meant a near-total absence of songs from the early albums. However, five people took the stage: Aaron Aedy, bassist Stephen Edmondson, vocalist Nick Holmes (he and Mackintosh constitute the original lineup — despite constant stylistic changes, across all these years only drummers had ever changed in the band), the band's regular drummer, and a guitarist (whose name no one knew) standing in for Greg. The first track — also the opening track on the latest, self-titled album — was "Don't Belong." The band then clearly alternated songs from the two most recent albums, Paradise Lost and Symbol Of Lyfe, written in the same style. The majority of those who had come to the DKG that day — and the hall with its balconies held some 2,000 people — knew precisely these albums, singing along to the songs virtually from beginning to end. After the fifth song ("Red Shift") the moment came for fans of the band's older material to rejoice. The next four songs came from 1992–1995, and finally the heavy guitar riffs could be heard. "Hallowed Land" opened this sequence — everyone recognised it instantly from the intro. Then "Enchantment," likewise from the 1995 album Draconian Times. The keyboard parts had been pre-recorded, as had the female vocal — standard practice for the band. And then Holmes announced the next song, or rather began its title: "As I..." — "...Die!" completed a good half of the hall — after which this composition, regarded by many as PARADISE LOST's greatest achievement, was performed. Sadly, the near-growled vocals were nowhere to be heard; the voice was more hoarse and raw than in the other songs of the evening, but this of course bears no comparison to what can be heard on the album Shades Of God — the band's third album, released in 1992. Following the meditations on death came another hit — "True Belief" — from yet another classic doom album, Icon, which concluded this retrospective section. Three more songs, one of them "One Second," and the band left the stage. The encore was very brief: the band returned to close the concert with the standard encore for this tour. "The Last Time" — one more track from the 1995 album this evening — followed by newer songs "Forever After" and "Over The Madness," in which the session guitarist literally lost Mackintosh's most interesting solo. And the final song — the rousing "Say Just Words."
To say the concert was brief would be an understatement: 70 minutes is very little; the band played only 16 songs, and Holmes and company's songs are not particularly long. In essence, this fact combined with the sound were the main negative aspects of the concert.
Now for the more pleasant side of things — Aaron Aedy was, honestly, a pleasure to watch: he was genuinely enjoying himself, taking no less delight than the audience — and perhaps even more — radiating positive energy, which could not be said of Holmes, who was extremely calm and melancholic throughout.
The audience genuinely received what they had come for; many sang every song from beginning to end, while the crowd's behaviour was perfectly adequate. There were quite a few who tried to get on stage, but security efficiently escorted them out; the concert passed without incident.
The setlist overall was more than satisfactory — a third of the songs from the band's older catalogue. Compositions from the less-beloved Host and Believe in Nothing did not feature. Overall, the concert deserves a solid four out of five. One can only hope that during future visits by well-known bands, such regrettable sound problems will not recur.
Special thanks to SPIKA MERCHANDISING for the accreditation provided.
Report by Alan
Setlist:
1. Don't Belong 2. Erased 3. Grey 4. Mystify 5. Red Shift 6. Hallowed Land 7. Enchantment 8. As I Die 9. True Belief 10. No Celebration 11. For All You Leave Behind 12. One Second
Encore: 13. The Last Time 14. Forever After 15. Over The Madness 16. Say Just Words