Paradise Lost – One Second

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Paradise Lost One Second Album Cover   1997 Music for Nations

This album pissed off a whole slew of Paradise Lost fans at the time, including me. I hated it.  It wasn’t Draconian Times and it definitely wasn’t Shades of God.   Not that I wanted rehashes of those albums, but I really loved the power of those huge guitars mixed with Nick Holmes‘ vaguely melodic death growls.

Well, here we are 10 years later and I’ve changed my tune. Perhaps after watching Paradise Lost evolve from the total grindcore of their debut puker to the heavy-yet-accessible metalgoth of Draconian Times to the Sisters/Depeche-influenced stylings of the 4 discs that comprise their middle years, it all makes sense to me now and I can appreciate what was in retrospect a very natural progression.

One Second is the CD where Paradise Lost first truly embraced their goth leanings that first truly came to light on the preceding masterpiece, Icon.  I was there for the debut and have been a fan since “Gothic,” and I’ve gotta admit this is really good stuff.  I wouldn’t rate it a 5 simply because there are some clunkers in the mix (hey, nobody’s perfect), but it’s a fascinating hook-ridden album that provides a fine transition into their baffling-yet-interesting goth-electronic phase that fans either loved or hated.

Some really strong tracks are to be found, like Say Just Words and Another Day…and damn if Soul Courageous isn’t just my fave Paradise Lost track forever and ever amen.  This disc isn’t nearly as SisterModefied as, say, Host or Symbol of Life, but you can definitely hear the beginning of the transition.

Dive in with an open mind and enjoy the music.

Rating:  4 out of 5 

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Lake of Tears – Moons and Mushrooms

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Lake of Tears - Moons and Mushrooms   2007 Dockyard Recordings

I was so looking forward to hearing this CD. LOT put me under their spell with the “A Crimson Cosmos” CD and it has been an interesting, fun and somewhat bumpy ride ever since. If you read my review for LOT’s “Black Brick Road” CD (my fave, right up there with …Cosmos), what made that CD charming is precisely what makes this one sometimes cringe-worthy.

With English being Daniel Brennare‘s second language, the phrasing in his lyrics can be quite unique and charming. Conversely, it can sometimes make one cringe with phrases that just don’t work. And when they don’t work when you read the lyrics, chances are they’ll sound pretty uncomfortable when they’re sung.

To wit:
“It’s a new kind of thing
and it comes with the morning
Some new kind of fuzz
You need some new kind of buzz” – from “You Better Breathe While There’s Still Air”
And “Makes me feel just like a leaf…”, well you get the picture.

The music is just average compared to their other work, but it’s hard to criticize because you can just hear that they poured everything they have into the making of this disc.
I dunno, the effort gets an “A” but the finished work is a “C”, especially following the brilliance that was “Black Brick Road.”

Rating:  3 out of 5 

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