Paradise Lost – ‘Draconian Times MMXI’ DVD/CD Special Edition Review

On April 1^st, Paradise Lost descended upon London to play the only UK date of their ‘Draconian Times’ tour. It proved to be an auspicious occasion, every bit as celebratory an affair (as far as Paradise lost ‘do’ celebratory) of one of doom’s classic and most well-loved albums as one could have hoped for.  As is the tradition in such cases, one can hardly blame Paradise Lost for having had a camera or three handy and now you can witness the show (or listen to it if you so wish) from the comfort of your armchair, the real benefit being that unlike the confines of the forum, the sound mix is crystal clear and your sight lines aren’t obscured by some berk waving a mobile phone about in front of your face as they try to take some shoddy video footage for youtube.

Released in a number of formats, ‘Draconian Times MMXI’ can be purchased as a standalone DVD, CD or vinyl or as a special edition box set featuring both CD and DVD (sadly there is no option for vinyl and DVD) and it is the latter edition that we will concern ourselves with here. Beautifully packaged in artwork that provides a rather attractive companion to the stunning original, the box set is enclosed in a DVD-sized digi-pack held together with a slip case. It is the same format we’ve come to expect from Century Media releases and it looks no less impressive here than it did on the rather wonderful Arch Enemy set. Inside you’ll find the three discs housed in secure plastic retainers and a booklet which houses archive interviews and pieces on the band in a multitude of languages (including an awesome piece from the Polish Metal Hammer) making this accessible for the band’s many international fans. Spread over three discs, the first disc contains the concert in beautifully rendered 5.1 and stereo mixes, the second disc contains band and fan interviews, promo videos from ‘faith divides us, death unites us’) whilst the CD covers the whole show with the exception of a large portion of the encore (‘as I die’, ‘true believe’, ‘one second’ and ‘say just words’) although the missing tracks are generously included as a free download, the code for which is provided on a drop card.

Having been present on the night my overwhelming memory was of the rapturous response that ‘Draconian times’ material received. The awed hush as ‘enchantment’ introduced the show, the raised voices on ‘once solemn’ and the wave of love that flowed through ‘jaded’ – it’s all included here whilst  the sound deficiencies of the night (a common problem at the Forum), happily, are not. The mix is crystal clear with each instrument performing well and if Nick Holmes’ voice is not quite as powerful as it used to be, it doesn’t show as he articulates each track with a power and authority that holds the audience spellbound. The video quality is also excellent with almost no special effects present apart from an irritating habit the drummer-cam has of flipping over every time it focuses in on Adrian, causing a sense of nausea that is in no way related to that excellent drummer’s abilities. A desire to place a boot firmly in the rear end of the errant cameraman aside, the show is a joy to watch and the sombre stage lighting perfectly captures the mood and feel of the gig whilst occasional crowd shots reveal the enthusiastic crowd giving it their all during the faster numbers.

Not always the most communicative of front-men, Nick is clearly wrapped up in the evening, dropping his by-now trademark sarcastic comments in between tracks and raising a smile when he issues the now familiar command for the crowd to pretend they’re enjoying themselves even if they are, in fact, not. It is, of course, an unnecessary order to issue for almost everyone present at that gig would gladly have sold a kidney to attend, and enjoyment was surely at the very top of the agenda. The set list, meanwhile, is excellent with a fine encore delivered upon the main set’s conclusion, including renditions of two of the recent album’s stand out tracks – ‘faith divides us, death unites us’ and ‘rise of denial’. These two tracks made it onto the CD, presumably because the other tracks have all appeared elsewhere, and they provide a strong finish to an already earth-shattering gig.

Overall ‘Draconian times MMXI’ is another fine addition to Paradise Lost’s video collection (following on the heels of ‘the anatomy of melancholy’) providing a grand souvenir of the night for those of us lucky enough to have been there and offering a glimpse of what it was like for those who weren’t. With top-notch sound and some stunning packaging, this is a must for fans and a great introduction for those who are still, somehow, unaware of Paradise Lost’s multitudinous charms.