Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Paradise Lost - Gothic (1991)

I missed the boat completely on Paradise Lost. Back in the early 90s I somehow skipped the death doom / gothic metal combo of Halifax’s finest and went straight into the extreme depths of the likes of Obituary and Morbid Angel for my dm fixes. This is an important point to labour for my explanation for me coming around to doom as an over-arching genre so late in life. Paradise Lost like Trouble, Candlemass, Anathema, My Dying Bride and Cathedral were always a band I was aware of from virtually day one of my metal exploration, yet they ended up cast aside in favour of more intense extremity despite their obvious merits.

When I did finally get around to looking at them, they were releasing albums that most certainly did not sound like Gothic. This is both a good and a bad thing in so many regards. The production on Gothic is bordering on terrible. Guitars are buried under what sounds like layers of muck, with percussion suffering the same punishment also. Only Holmes’ death growls manage to sound coherent and beefy in this hideously constrained mix. I can cope with the weak and wobbly guitar melodies as they do carry some elements of authenticity to the more gothic tropes of the record, but their general lack of overall presence feels like daylight robbery. However, despite these challenges, the true dark power of Paradise Lost seeps through; almost as if consciously refusing to accept the prison walls in which the production entraps them, Paradise Lost persevere with a determination that belies the lack of strength in the album sound.

Enchanting and menacing in equal amounts, Gothic manages to be a success still even though it stands minus a limb to make its foundation solid enough to seemingly bear any weight. It does manage to hold structure on songs and set looming atmospheres also without ever becoming overly dramatic or theatrical. As a band that were already transcending a typical death / doom style their sophomore release manages to incorporate these less-extreme elements in a balanced enough format to hold the interest of this scribe at least. If you have chance to catch the version of the album with the bonus tracks you will catch this brilliance on Rotting Misery (Doom Dub), with the harrowing guitars and bone delicate piano keys complementing each other perfectly.

Even with the positives noted, it is hard to give Gothic a big score when it comes to an overall rating. The cruel sense of injustice as I consign this album to just three stars is a sensation that does weigh heavy on even my usually unforgiving shoulders. Mackintosh’s song writing ability is clear and present even at this early juncture, but it lacks a nurturing enough of an environment to be given the opportunity to really shine. Likewise, Holmes’ guttural performance intimates a promise simply stifled by clearly having a knob-twiddler at the production desk who had no idea what to do with this sound.