There’s a firm argument to be made that Paradise Lost represent one of the UK’s finest metal bands with their back catalogue being a varied yet endlessly impressive embarrassment of riches. Whilst some fans will long argue over the likes of ‘one second’ and ‘host’, many have equally come to embrace those records for what they are – bold, artistic statements from a band who have steadfastly refused to be pigeonholed – and, however you choose to view those albums, there is no question that Paradise Lost’s recent run of albums have showcased a band at the very top of their game with ‘faith divides us, death unites us’ and ‘the plague within’ proving to be particularly effective entries into the band’s canon.
No strangers to the live album, in recent years Paradise Lost fans have been treated to a live recording of genre classic ‘draconian times’ in full, and an excellent double live set in the form of ‘anatomy of melancholy’, which saw the band tearing through a wide selection of classic tracks with a typical mix of metallic fervour and mordant humour. ‘Symphony for the lost’ is a rather more unique set than either of the aforementioned albums. Following in the footsteps of former brothers-in-gloom Anathema, Paradise Lost descended upon the ancient Roman Theatre of Philippopolis in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in the September of last year to record a live set alongside the Orchestra of State opera, Plovidiv and the Rodna Pesen choir. However, where Anathema used the experience to draw out the ethereal beauty of their songs, Paradise Lost were in a particular unforgiving mood and thus used the orchestra to provide sanguine embellishments to the band’s atmospheric brand of doom with impressive results. A meeting of minds between band and orchestra is, of course, nothing new with everyone from Dream Theater to Metallica and from Satyricon to, err, Kiss embellishing their music with orchestras in recent years, but there’s a feeling that Paradise Lost have a more fitting sound than most when it comes to orchestral collaboration and so it proves here with the band’s grandiose material lending itself perfectly to the expanded arrangements.
Beautifully packaged, Century Media have outdone themselves with this one. First and foremost, vinyl fans are not being treated as second-class citizens by the label, with the double vinyl package also including the DVD (all too often a baffling exclusion with live albums). Aside from including the DVD, the vinyl package also features a gorgeous 16 page, 12” book featuring photos from the concert, whilst the gatefold sleeve showcases Denis Forkas’ stunning artwork to great effect. This is definitely a vinyl edition to treasure. However, if vinyl isn’t your thing then there’s also a handsome digi-book offering up the album in 2xCD/1XDVD configuration, and whichever one you go for, you can’t escape the feeling that Century Media have presented this special concert in fittingly impressive packaging for the fans.
Musically the album is a must for Paradise Lost fans, especially the first half. The selection of songs, which include cuts from ‘tragic idol’ (the title track), ‘the plague within’ (‘victim of the past’), ‘faith divides us, death unites us’ (‘last regret’) and a monumental rendition of perennial favourite ‘gothic’ is well chosen, with the orchestra used to add a sense of depth that can never truly be attained with keyboards. Spurred on by the experience the band give a ferociously tight performance, and whilst Nick’s voice may not quite be the force of nature it once was, his vocal performance is still satisfyingly diverse, ranging from the haunting melodies of ‘soul courageous’ to the forbidding roar of ‘victims of the past’. Nonetheless he does strain at the high notes, as anyone who has seen Paradise lost will attest, and the material feels more natural when he’s focusing on lower melodies and deathly screams. What does show through is that Nick (and the band) seem more comfortable with their death metal roots than previously (helped, perhaps, by Nick’s brutal performance with Bloodbath and Greg’s Vallenfyre project), and ‘symphony for the lost’ is one of the band’s more diverse live sets, certainly in the first half as the band cherry pick highlights from across their catalogue. Never overshadowing the band, the orchestra is judiciously used and the results are impressive, but if one highlight must be found, it is surely ‘gothic’ which soars majestically as the band and orchestra unite in a compelling display of musical symbiosis.
The second set is much more familiar territory, treading similar ground to previous live outings, and therefore far less essential, although fun. With the orchestra dispensed with (leaving the stage looking somewhat empty), the band play a varied set of tracks including a crushing rendition of ‘the last time’, an impressive one-two punch in the form of ‘isolate’ and ‘erased’ (from the underrated ‘symbol of life’ album) and, of course, the ubiquitous and yet-still-excellent ‘say just words’ which has lost none of its power to set the adrenalin coursing around the veins. One thing surprises, however. With a choir having been present in the first half of the set, surely the band could have found one female singer from amongst them all to tackle the lines in ‘erased’ rather than relying on playback? That niggle aside, the second half is a mini greatest hits set, and whilst, If I was being picky, I could bemoan the lack of ‘forever failure’, that’s the nature of the beast when you have a band with as lengthy a recording history as Paradise Lost and it’s likely that the band will never be able to please everyone with their live choices regardless of what they do.
Whether ‘symphony for the lost’ will appeal to you, then, comes down primarily to how much the orchestral section of the concert interests you. The second half of the set, though impressively performed and recorded, offers little different to previous live outing ‘the anatomy of melancholy’ other than a rather more picturesque surrounding than the Koko club, but the orchestral set is worth the time. A band who have long harboured orchestral ambition, this is not an attempt to retrofit the music in the vein of ‘S&M’ but rather an extension of musical tropes long present in Paradise Lost’s music and it works well. The DVD is something of a bonus rather than the heart of the set, as Paradise Lost have never been the most visually appealing of performers, although the surround mix is a nice touch (and there’s a documentary included as well if you’re curious as to how it all came about), but overall there’s more than enough here to satisfy the Paradise Lost fan, particularly those who have been happy to support the band’s various musical incarnations and the vinyl edition is a gem for those who love physical editions.
