Paradise Lost - "Believe in Nothing", 2001

The 1997-2002 era of Paradise Lost is often regarded with a certain snobbery by a wide portion of the metal audience, who accuse the band of selling out to reach a larger audience and failing at it, only to return to the sound that characterized its roots and most successful years. The band itself, while maintaining that "One Second" and "Host" were excellent records, decidedly left those times behind stylistically, starting with 2005's self-titled record, and progressively reintroduced the heavier sound they were known for, to the extent of occasionally resurrecting the growling vocal style of yesteryear since the questionable "The Plague Within." While "One Second" and especially "Host" finally garnered some respect from a part of the fanbase over the past 25 years, 2002's "Symbol of Life" and 2001's "Believe in Nothing" seem to have been largely forgotten and marked as the black sheep of the discography, with the latter in particular being generally despised; the band's songwriters, Nick Holmes and Greg Mackintosh, repeatedly asserted that they were in a bad headspace while making the record, being fried on prescription (and non-prescription) drugs, as well as being plagued by depression and other personal turmoil. On top of that, the record label held them by the balls, since "Host" had bombed and the band was then in huge debt for that album; therefore, the EMI executives regularly interfered with the "Believe in Nothing" production. Despite these conditions being the perfect recipe for disaster, I firmly consider "Believe in Nothing" to have turned out as a very good effort, regardless; as commonly happens in many other similar scenarios, I suspect Holmes and Mackintosh's judgment has been clouded by all the bad memories associated with it.

At the time, this album partially reintroduced the heavy guitars that were the trademark of the band's sound in the first half of the 90s; the impactful power chord-ridden opening of "I Am Nothing" was a breath of fresh air after a few years when the guitars were buried under a thick layer of electronics, especially on the Depeche Mode-influenced "Host," and it was a pleasant surprise for the longtime fans, even for those like myself who still managed to appreciate "One Second" and "Host" for their merits. The soaring Mackintosh leads on this song are as inspired as ever, and when he breaks into the solo near the end of it, it's an absolute joy to listen to. The song is both catchy and melancholic; it features excellent vocal melodies and lyrics, and it was good enough to be hailed as a new classic. It's a real pity that it unfortunately disappeared from every live setlist right after the 2001 tour.

The production immediately hits as crisp and powerful, although a tad too compressed and still retaining the poppy sensibilities of the band's late 90s records; the electronics are still heavily featured throughout the album, with programmed beats and loops often pairing with Lee Morris's drumming, and a variety of synthesized effects popping up left and right between the wall of guitars. Holmes' vocals are at the forefront of the mix, still sounding as melodious and clean as on the previous two records, and Steve Edmondson's pumping bass is particularly audible, often driving the rhythm with its round, captivating character. Morris offers another notable performance, once more proving he was the best drummer the band has ever had to this day, even if the snare on the record comes off as slightly processed, likely due to some questionable production choices.

If "I Am Nothing" was a strong opener, the lead single "Mouth" was equally good, and it was my introduction to the album; I remember downloading a low-quality MP3 of it off the band's website on a 56k dial-up modem connection, taking about two hours, and listening to it on repeat for days on end until the album was finally released. The melodies on both the verses and the chorus are haunting and memorable, and the bridge, leading to a classic Mackintosh lead, is beautifully depressing: "We've seen it all through many years of lonesome hell / Back to a place where we all terminate." The other single, "Fader," sounded a bit more contrived while trying to be a commercially successful hit; the alternative rock-sounding clean guitars in the beginning would have scared every metalhead off, but the song becomes increasingly more intriguing, and the chorus is frankly irresistible, regardless of its mainstream appeal. While overlooked back then, the band would have a hard time writing such an easy-listening jewel these days.

Tracks like "Look at Me Now" and "Sell It to the World" bring faster tempos and a barrage of electronics, with the latter’s lead guitars strangely echoing the band's "Icon" era. "Divided" or "Control" feel like less inspired filler, while remaining decent, but deep cuts such as the rocking "No Reason" (with its catchy chorus and solo), the gloomy "Something Real," and the somber closer "World Pretending"—a surprisingly doom-ish ballad dripping with melancholy— are top-tier material that deserved greater recognition.

Even less impactful songs such as "Illumination" or the groovy extra-album track "Waiting for God" are worth listening to, if only to appreciate Nick Holmes's vocals; the singer really shines on this record, offering one of his absolute best performances, with an array of melodies that immediately become earworms. And while I touched on the B-sides, it's a travesty that "Leave This Alone" wasn't included in any of the album versions, not even the Japanese one, since it's a fantastic song that's even better than some of the actual album cuts.

Released with absolutely no fanfare and unusual but striking cover art, "Believe in Nothing" flopped on release. Even the European tour that followed was a rather underground affair, to the point that I didn't even know the band was playing a couple of concerts in my country. I think some shows might have even been canceled due to low presales.

"Believe in Nothing" is possibly Paradise Lost at its most nihilistic, both lyrically and in terms of attitude; behind the glossy production, classy arrangements, and clean-cut looks lied a wounded band, struggling both personally and artistically, but still able to translate its torment into music with a dark and sharp vision.

It's kind of outrageous that such a good record was so overlooked and that the band itself ended up forgetting about it. I didn't care much for any of the band's post-2005 releases (save for 2007's "In Requiem," which, in hindsight, still featured some good material), and every time I see audiences and critics losing their minds over tired, backward-thinking records such as "The Plague Within" or the latest "Ascension," I just don't get it; for a record that gets a bad rep such as "Believe in Nothing" (but could as well be "Host" or "Symbol of Life"), one can only wish that the band still sounded that vital and fresh, with songs brimming with great hooks and melodies. On a closing note, don't bother with the remixed and remastered version released in 2018: it just sounds worse, and it doesn't even feature all the extra album tracks.

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