Happily a much more rounded affair than Paradise Lost’s previous foray into the realms of visual entertainment, ‘The anatomy of melancholy’ (also released as a standalone double CD and special edition CD and DVD) offers up two discs and a complete reproduction of the band’s anniversary concert at London’s Koko club. Recorded just prior to the release of the well-received ‘In requiem’ album, the concert found the band on fine form and tackling songs that hadn’t seen the light of day for many a year previously including the evergreen classic ‘Gothic’ which receives a rapturous response from the crowd.
Of course no gig is ever perfect and the biggest shame here is that the band completely ignore their ‘Lost Paradise’ debut album, but what you do get is standout tracks from each of the band’s other releases (including ‘so much is lost’ from the much maligned host record) performed energetically by a band rediscovering their love of all things heavy and given an extra boost by the fact that Nick Holmes is on rare form, belting out tracks like ‘as I die’ and ‘forever failure’ with all the fire and fury of the original recordings. And what a track listing it is; time and time again Paradise Lost remind you exactly why they are (and have been for many years) leaders of the doom/gothic metal scene with a set list chosen, seemingly, to smash any doubters out of the arena once and for all. Opening with ‘Enemy’, the band rip through ‘Grey’, ‘Erased’ (a Symbol of life highlight) and a vitriolic ‘Red shift’ before unleashing a beefed up ‘so much is lost’ which catches many off guard by sounding perfectly at home with its ostensibly heavier cousins. Then there’s rare B side ‘sweetness’, the deathly ‘praise lamented shade’ and even two cuts from fan favourite Gothic – the title track and the mighty ‘Eternal’ not to mention choice cuts from Draconian Times and One Second.
Of course, as anyone with previous disappointments in the live DVD field will know, an astonishing set list is nothing without good sound and video to go with it, but here the greater financial clout of Century Media comes into play and the DVD features both a stereo and well balanced 5.1 mix (both of which present the band in a good light with the 5.1 maintaining the edge thanks to a sensitive mix that doesn’t see the vocals swamped by the bass) as well as crisp clear video courtesy of several cameras placed around the venue. In terms of quality, then, it is light years ahead of ‘Evolve’ which suffered from washed out colours and a weak guitar sound. The first disc is entirely taken over with the concert so we have to look to the second disc for features and they’re… well, a little lacklustre really. There’s a couple of pretty decent promos from In Requiem (‘the enemy’ and ‘praise lamented shade’), a chat with Paradise Lost themselves which reveals little, a 2007 tour report which is pretty fun and a trailer for ‘over the madness’ which is rather pointless and finally a chat with the fans which I’ve never bought myself to watch. However to gripe about a lack of features seems a little churlish because the point of this disc is not to see some grab bag of clips readily available on Youtube but rather to sit back and watch Paradise Lost blast through a selection of their best known songs (as well as a few curveball choices) with decent sound and no danger of getting sweated on in the mosh-pit and in that respect this DVD succeeds just fine.
So overall ‘Anatomy of melancholy’ is a worthwhile purchase. While it may not have the most enthralling set of extras (for a lesson in how to provide special features check out the Exodus DVD) the main concert is a spectacular reminder of how good Paradise Lost can be in the live environment and that alone is worthy of your money and time.
Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. Enemy
3. Grey
4. Erased
5. Red Shift
6. So Much Is Lost
7. Sweetness
8. Praise Lamented Shade
9. Pity The Sadness
10. Forever Failure
11. Once Solemn
12. As I Die
13. Embers Fire
14. Mouth
15. No Celebration
16. Eternal
17. True Belief
18. One Second
19. Last Time
20. Gothic
21. Say Just Words
DVD2:
Interview With Paradise Lost.
Fans At The Koko.
Lost In Europe.
Promo videos:
01. The Enemy.
02. Praised Lamented Shade.
03. Over The Madness – Document Trailer.
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