ALBUM REVIEW: The Lost And The Painless – Paradise Lost
Fans of the doom and gloom rejoice: it’s been 30 years since PARADISE LOST gifted us with Gothic and cemented their place as the godfathers of gothic doom. In light of such a momentous anniversary, the Peaceville legends have collated their early works on The Lost And The Painless, a 6CD and DVD set, presented in a 92-page hardback book chronicling their stratospheric rise in the scene.
On the six CDs, fans will find remastered versions of debut album Lost Paradise and seminal sophomore Gothic, as well as early demos from 1988 and 1989, and the Gothic EP from 1994. Of course, there isn’t much more to say about the studio albums on offer here that hasn’t already been said, though it is nice to have them remastered and spruced up, which keeps them feeling as invigorating as the day we first heard them. A lot can – and has – changed in 30 years, but the legacy of these records is just as strong as ever, and it’s a fitting celebration of some of extreme metal’s most treasured moments.
The demos are perhaps of more interest as they have been less available until now and show how the band started – the sound they were finding and the subgenre they went on to create. The telltale signs are all there and it’s a thrill to hear early versions of Internal Torment and Paradise Lost, while Morbid Existence is a brutal assault that gave the first clear signs that this band was onto something.
Two further CDs include live recordings of shows from Bradford, Liverpool (both 1989) and Ludwigsburg (1991), as well as the DVD which contains footage of four early live shows between 1989-91. It is a thorough, brutal history of the band, and the grainy, home-video quality to the live shows particularly nails home the fact that PARADISE LOST are innovators and pioneers in a scene that has grown so much in recent years. With each set happening within a relatively short span of time, there is a fair amount of crossover in the setlists; Frozen Illusion is performed on three of the four shows, and the Berlin and Lost Tapes shows are astonishingly similar.
The real winner here though is the book: a gorgeous, hardback monolith that delves into everything that makes PARADISE LOST the band we all know and love. Caringly curated by legendary music journalist Nick Ruskell, and featuring contributions from the likes of NAPALM DEATH’s Barney Greenway, MY DYING BRIDE’s Aaron Stainthorpe and a foreword by another English metal institution in Dani Filth, the legacy of PARADISE LOST is on full display. A lively, colourful collection of stories and encounters, recounting the days of DIY record stores, underground gig line-ups and chance encounters, giving a remarkably human element to such a revered band.
Illustrated by long lost relics of early promo shoots, underground fanzine covers, hand scrawled setlists and flyers for merch, it’s a deep, rich retelling of one of metal’s most gifted innovators, and one that shines a light on how their sound evolved over the years. The live shows and debut album in particular are far closer to death metal, and the DIY aspect soon gives way to a more polished, refined version of the band.
One for the diehard fans, and a true collectable, it’s a release the metal world didn’t need, but who can be mad when it’s a band as formidable as PARADISE LOST?
Rating: 8/10
The Lost And The Painless is out now via Peaceville Records.
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