Paradise Lost - "Paradise Lost", 2005

If "Symbol of Life" marked the return of the band to more guitar-based songs while retaining some of the electronic elements of the previous three records, as well as revealing a bit of an industrial vibe, it's with 2005's self-titled effort that Paradise Lost finally re-embraced its metal roots, starting a stylistic backtracking process that didn't necessarily work for the best in the long distance. I touched upon those consequences a bit more thoroughly in my recent review of the band's latest album, "Ascension," so I won't repeat myself here; it's not even needed, since "Paradise Lost" was still a great record, despite being a step backward regarding the band's evolution and probably the very last where the band managed to retain that easy-listening, anthemic factor that made much of its back catalogue memorable. 

Greg Mackintosh's guitars are back in full regalia, with a heavy, chugging tone that brings to mind albums like "Icon" and "Draconian Times"; his signature leads are also spot-on, crafting melodies that often drive the songs and blend effortlessly with Nick Holmes's vocal lines. The singer also seems to be in great shape vocally, blending the softer tone he introduced on "One Second" and "Host" with a more aggressive, old-school '93-'95 approach when needed, while not as gruff. The rest of the band follows its leaders with the usual tightness, although Jeff Singer on drums is a very different player compared to the estranged Lee Morris; the technical finesse of the latter certainly added a special touch to the songs' arrangements, while Singer is a more basic skinbeater that offers a solid backbone but feels more like a gothic metal version of AC/DC's Phil Rudd. Considering the already straightforward nature of the songs on the album, perhaps a more imaginative drummer would have added a slightly more sophisticated flair, but it's a minor gripe.

The album's opener, "Don't Belong," features a rather pompous introduction, with keyboards and an electric piano paving the way for an emotional vocal pattern by Holmes, not unlike "One Second"'s title track; the song then explodes into a doomy, brooding chorus before returning to a softer verse, then it repeats the chorus once again, and it goes into the mandatory guitar solo and closing riff, featuring a typical lead by Mackintosh. This very standardized, classic rock-inspired song structure is repeated over pretty much all the tracks, making the album a tad unimaginative, if not predictable, but after all, the band has always been about the songs first and foremost; a progressive, more structured record such as "Shades of God" turned out to be the only exception to the rule, at least up to that point. In this regard, the more pop sensibilities of the band's 1997 to 2002 output are still lingering beneath the more metallic surface, with most of the songs offering catchy choruses and immediately memorable refrains, largely thanks to Holmes's talent for captivating vocal lines and Mackintosh's inspired, classy playing. 

The use of dynamics, alternating softer sections with louder, sing-along choruses, is often employed on "Paradise Lost," with songs such as "Laws of Cause," the irresistible "All You Leave Behind," and "Shine" being obvious examples of that technique. Other songs implement a similar trick while keeping things heavier; the gloomy "Sun Fading" builds up its tension before exploding in a power chord-ridden chorus, while the more uptempo "Grey" is a melancholic hit that immediately qualifies as one of the best songs on the record, worthy of being featured in every Paradise Lost playlist or greatest hits. 

Remarkable, mid-tempo bangers such as "Redshift" and the single "Forever After"—respectively featuring some electronic, atmospheric elements and female backing vocals—could have fit comfortably on "Symbol of Life," and they showcase Steve Edmondson's pumping bass, while the album's closer, "Over the Madness," is a doom-laden, highly dramatic number featuring an outstanding guitar solo, making it the second-best song on the record. That's a proper example of how the band was once able to write a breathtaking, accomplished doom song, compared to similar but mediocre later attempts such as "Beneath Broken Earth," most of the stuff on "Medusa," or even some of the doomier material on "Ascension."

The limited edition CD also features two bonus tracks out of four non-album B-sides (the other two can be found on the "Forever After" CD single). "A Side You'll Never Know" deserves a mention for sounding like something out of "Believe in Nothing"; therefore, it makes sense that it wasn't featured in the regular album tracklist. It's a great one, nonetheless, and another proof that the band still had that sort of more easy-listening songwriting in its DNA before forcing the full-on metal revival on itself.

The album artwork is another in a line of questionable covers by the band; this time Seth Siro Anton is responsible for it, and it looks as much like a generic Photoshop job as most of his other work, although it's still better than the one he's done for the following "In Requiem" album. To be fair, most of the metal album covers of those years suffered from a similar fate, and they really didn't age well at all. It's a different story for the album's production, though, thanks to a balanced sound once again courtesy of Rhys Fulber; it's a bit looser than the martial precision of "Symbol of Life," with a decisively more reverbed ambiance that almost brings to mind the "Icon" times.

"Paradise Lost" is a collection of well-crafted songs, including several potential hits; there are probably just a couple of less inspired tracks, but they are still worthwhile enough to elude the skip button. On the other hand, it marked the beginning of a slow and inexorable creative decline for the band, which started chasing after its own past glory in a constant devolution toward obsolete gothic clichés and often awkward extreme metal detours. It's a stylistic compromise and a rather unpretentious record, contrarily to most self-titled efforts; there's nothing unexpected or left-field to be found here, if not the return to a heavier and more guitar-oriented sound, and even that move was rather predictable at that point in the history of the band. The album lacks the forward-thinking, experimental nature and the surprise effect of the band's past output, but it's saved by the undeniably high quality of its songwriting. While I think "Symbol of Life" was an overall more exciting, fresher record, the self-titled album is still one that I listened to a lot, and it's undoubtedly better than anything the band released afterward.

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