It doesn’t seem that long ago I was reporting on the fantastic Paradise Lost 20th anniversary shows with the other members of the Peaceville three, and yet here we are celebrating a quarter century of top notch northern gloom. It’s a journey that has almost taken them full circle, from their raw death doom beginnings to experimentation with electronica, and progressively returning towards their harsher roots and eventually reaching a point few would have ever imagined. Rather than go for the typical easy option greatest hits collection upon reaching this milestone, Paradise Lost have instead opted for a collection of rarities looking back over their career. Whilst this collection focusses mainly on the period spanning the past 3 studio albums, the title hints at something more. The ‘Tragic’ referring to the most recent album, the excellent ‘Tragic Idol’, and the ‘Illusion’ referring to the ‘Frozen Illusion’ demo which, whilst not their first, preceded their first studio album. This collection starts with Paradise Lost at their most recent and ends at the very beginning. Nice!
Beginning with the only brand new track on the album, ‘Loneliness Remains’ stays largely in keeping with the overall sound that the band had on ‘Tragic Idol’. The pacing and song structure are not a million miles away from the sound they had on ‘Shades of God’ but with a more refined slant. By refined I mean in terms of the production which is naturally miles ahead of their early albums, and also in their musicianship which has grown naturally along with them. Paradise Lost have produced some excellent cover versions over the years but the two on this album are rather lacking, the first of which is a cover of Spear of Destiny’s ‘Never Take Me Alive’. It is a great song in itself but it never quite reaches the force or impact which it threatens and clearly needs. The two original tracks from those sessions are completely in keeping with the rest of the Tragic Idol material and it is encouraging to see there was so many good songs left off the main album as it shows the band are in excellent creative form.
The tracks from the ‘Faith Divides Us…’ bonuses are dominated by the Lost in Prague orchestral versions of ‘Last Regret’ and ‘Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us’. Many bands have now experimented with the full orchestra, but the majority use the orchestra in addition to their own instruments. Here we find Nick Holmes backed solely by the orchestra and the results are rather disappointing. The arrangements are sadly lacking with the title track being the biggest let down, as done with a full band and orchestra it should have been immense. The bonus material from ‘In Requiem’ includes a cover of Everything But The Girl’s ‘Missing’, the sadness of which is perfect for PL to get their gloom around, yet it seems to pass by without the impact that it should have had. The inclusion of the instrumental track ‘Godless’ is very welcome. Originally a B-Side to ‘The Enemy’, it is an atmospheric piece that would suit a movie very well.
The real gems here though are saved for the very end, being brand new recordings for 2013 of their classic tracks ‘Gothic’ and ‘Our Saviour’. These sound excellent with the improved production and whilst Nick Holmes may not have the venom of his youth for the death growls, he still does a bloody good job, and it’s testament to his ability that he can still carry this off with aplomb as he can sing clean on the ‘One Second’ and ‘Host’ material. Both tracks seem a fraction slower than the originals, but this is offset by the improved musicianship. Yes the raw and organic nature of the originals may be gone, and as a result there will still be those who dismiss these, but you can’t please everyone. Personally I’d love to see the next album take a step back in this direction.
This is not just a collection for obsessive completists as there is a lot of new material here and all of it good if not outstanding. It certainly isn’t the ideal entry point for someone just discovering the band, but it makes for a very worthy purchase for anyone who didn’t manage to get all the special edition albums. Even as an acknowledged Paradise Lost fanboy, there’s more than enough here to warrant adding this to my collection. Congratulations guys on 25 years in the business. Long may you continue!
(7/10 Lee Kimber)
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