With the autumnal evenings elongating at a rapid rate now I made my way across the Pennines for an evening of Gothic inspired Doom Metal courtesy of one of West Yorkshires most successful exports, the death-tinged Doom advocates Paradise Lost.
Not long after the doors flung open we were being carved open by the iron clad lungs of Aaron Stainthorpe and his troops of doom High Parasite, and they carved the venue open with a muscular ferocity which was addictive, compelling and commanded your attention from the off. Stainthorpe stalked the stage with a hunger and desire and expelled his vocal duties with obvious passion and delight while Tombs managed the stage left with overflowing energy and artistic flamboyancy which was mesmeric and endearing in equal quantities. The kit was given a dominant and precision led beating with each track that passed and the strings were managed with decadent riffs and luxurious chords which partnered with every other facet of the band in order to generate velvety barbaric tracks which allowed Stainthorpe to absolute run riot with his assertive and imposing vocals which we have all grown to love over the years.
The set was fairly brief but showcased future anthems by way of ‘Parasite’, ‘Hate Springs Eternal’ and the colossal ‘Forever We Burn’ and allowed us a flavour of the Death Pop which has been spawned over the last few years and hopefully is burned onto the horizon for many years to come.
Next up were the Italian Doom quad of Messa and the atmosphere and intensity was overflowing from the off. The band were fairly static throughout the whole set but this only supported the passion and emotion which ebbed from every function on the stage. The voice from Sara was captivating and entrancing, her vocals were sumptuous and opulent while the strings from Alberto and Sade twisted and entwined with each other in order to create fresh and plush fretwork which welcomed in the percussion from Mistyr in order to deliver a lavish package of splendid riffs and hypnotic scores.
With the mighty Damnation Festival in the not too distant future if you want to be enveloped in a world of captivating and enchanting doom, and you are off to Damnation, then you need to make sure these Italians are on your radar when you step foot through the infamous doors in Manchester
So onto the main event and the juggernaut that is Paradise Lost and with new album ‘Ascension’ in tow it was a monumental evening of crushing and impressive Deathened Doom, and with a set peppered with classics such us ‘Pity The Sadness’ and ‘True Belief’ it was a celebration of a band who are well and truly sitting at the top of their game. The vocals from Holmes were brutal, caustic and endearingly intoxicating, each word was spat out with a thirst and venomous desire while Aedy and Mackintosh tamed their strings with an intricate beauty and a fragile construction which forged together to create a robust and muscular solidarity. ‘Say Just Words’ was absolutely phenomenal, a true goosebumps moment, and ‘Nothing Sacred’ was captivating with every chord that was dispatched.
Tonight had been a true celebration of all things Paradise Lost and it was a set which only reaffirmed that they are simply, in my opinion, the masters of their genre who are certainly showing no signs of taking their foot off the gas any time soon and for that there is nothing else to say other than Hallelujah
