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Concert Review – Paradise Lost (Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON, 05/18/2025)

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One of the pioneers of death and doom returned to Toronto after seven long years with a beyond flawless performance, sounding absolutely heavy, dark and vibrant.

OPENING ACTS: Nepenthe and Gigan

Concerts on a Sunday night are only truly fun when you don’t have to work the next morning, allowing you to enjoy the whole event to the fullest without checking the time every 30 seconds. Well, fortunately for all Torontonian fans of first-class Doom Metal, the iconic PARADISE LOST, with support from NEPENTHE and GIGAN, brought to the always cozy Lee’s Palace their undisputed The Devil Embraced North America 2025 exactly in the middle of the Victoria Day long weekend, meaning we could inhale all heaviness and doom blasted by one of the trailblazers of the style without worrying about the next day. A huge shout-out to Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment for not only bringing Paradise Lost to Toronto after almost seven years, but for also fixing the issue with tickets from a few buyers that were showing Helmet instead of Paradise Lost, and another one to Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi for making magic with the photos of the opening bands as the lighting during both was way too red or too green, plus all the smoke, making it almost impossible to see the bands onstage. They looked like shadows only, to be fair.

The lighting might have been horrible for good photos, but the music by Guelph, Ontario-based Blackened Doom Metal outfit NEPENTHE, the first attraction of the night, was beyond amazing. Playing songs from their two EPs, those being Elegies of Loss and Doom (2020) and The Fading Promise of Tomorrow (2024), both available on Spotify (and I highly recommend you go listen to both), like the excellent Dawn, the band spearheaded by the multi-talented Konrad Schroeder, who has the undisputed ability of playing really complex beats and fills while at the same time delivering solid clean vocals and desperate harsh screams, kicked some serious ass onstage for the delight of everyone who was already at the venue. Seriously, those guys were an incredible opening act, and hopefully I’ll get to see them again on the stages of Toronto in the near future, because the reaction of the crowd to their austere, captivating songs was awesome.

Band members
Konrad Schroeder – vocals, drums, percussion
Scott Rice – lead guitars
Steven Rowlands – rhythm guitars
Chris Rowan – bass

After a quick break (which I used to go grab some food outside, as I was starving), it was time for a lot of noise, heaviness and smoke, courtesy of Chicago, Illinois’ own Progressive/Technical Death Metal entity GIGAN, and when I say there was a lot of smoke, believe, it was A LOT of smoke. Having released the beautifully titled album Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus in 2024, which is by the way available in full on Spotify, the band formed of Jerry Kavouriaris, Eric Hersemann, Rajan Davis, and Nathan Cotton turned Lee’s Palace into a cauldron of violence and insanity, blasting heavier-than-hell sounds that would make your head explode if you were not wearing any type of ear protection. The smoke made it almost impossible to see the band members on stage, only their silhouettes, but that didn’t make their performance any less enjoyable. Eric’s riffs were utterly heavy and dissonant, and when you add to that the insane drumming by Nathan and the demented roars by Jerry, you have the perfect recipe for a brutal sonic chaos. In other words, if Gigan ever visit your city with their live concerts, don’t miss the chance of witnessing a tsunami of first-class noise.

Band members
Jerry Kavouriaris – vocals
Eric Hersemann – guitars
Rajan Davis – bass
Nathan Cotton – drums

PARADISE LOST

After the top-notch concerts by Nepenthe and Gigan, the crowd was more than ready for the feast of top-of-the-line Doom Metal by the main attraction of the night, the one and only PARADISE LOST. Although they’re not purely Doom Metal anymore, blending their core music with Death and Gothic Metal, plus a high dosage of Gothic Rock, the band spearheaded by the “voice of doom” Nick Holmes was finally back in Toronto after so many years, not only playing songs from their latest album Obsidian, released in 2020 (available on Spotify, and which fans in Toronto had never had the chance to see live), but from their entire career, including my favorite Paradise Lost songs of all time, Enchantment and The Last Time. These two were flawless, and the reaction of the fans to them was also beautiful to say the least.

Greg Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy were insane armed with their axes, blasting incredible riffs, solos, and headbanging nonstop like if they were part of the crowd. Steve Edmondson and Guido Zima made sure the venue kept trembling during the entire show with their demonic kitchen, and of course, Mr. Nick Holmes was perfect with both his clean and deep guttural vocals. Songs like As I Die, The Devil Embraced, and No Hope in Sight, which showcase the band’s strongest doom vein, simply darkened the atmosphere (in a very good way, of course) for the delight of the band’s most diehard fans. Add to that the absurdly catchy Say Just Words, and a stunning cover version for Bronski Beat’s Smalltown Boy, and there you have the perfect setlist for a very enjoyable and fun night of heavy music in Toronto. I don’t think it will take another seven years for Paradise Lost to return to the city again, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a holiday or in the middle of the week, or even if it’s Christmas Eve, I’ll be there. Because as the lyrics say in the closing song of the setlist, the excellent Ghosts, “for the ghosts, the ones to break me for Jesus Christ.”

Setlist
Enchantment
Forsaken
Pity the Sadness
Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us
Eternal
One Second
The Enemy
As I Die
The Devil Embraced
The Last Time
No Hope in Sight
Say Just Words

Encore:
Embers Fire
Smalltown Boy (Bronski Beat cover)
Ghosts

Band members
Nick Holmes – vocals
Greg Mackintosh – lead guitars, keyboards
Aaron Aedy – rhythm guitars
Steve Edmondson – bass
Guido Zima – drums

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Album Review – Paradise Lost / Draconian Times (1995)

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The best, darkest and most detailed album by one of the pioneers of Gothic and Doom Metal.

paradise_lost-draconian_times-frontI remember when I was a teenager that there was a stupid “urban legend” about the album Icon, by British Gothic/Doom Metal band Paradise Lost, selling more copies worldwide than Metallica’s Black Album. We all know that was pure bullshit, but one thing was true: with the albums Icon and especially Draconian Times, Paradise Lost became one of the most respected bands of the 90’s, being recognized as one of the pioneers of Gothic/Doom Metal and appearing as one of the main attractions in many festivals all over the world, something not seen very often taking into account the dark and sluggish music played by the band.

Draconian Times, as any other album from a similar genre and/or style, is not an easy product to be assimilated, mainly due to its obscure and depressive themes, and of course, its slow pace (you shall never expect to hear some fast drums in a Gothic song, my friend). However, it’s a brilliant Heavy Metal album with several amazing moments, even if you’re not a big fan of this type of music. The first track of the album, Enchantment, is an excellent summary of the band’s music, with a beautiful piano intro and excellent riffs throughout the whole song. It’s a great mix of Gothic and Doom Metal, with particular highlights to Nick Holmes’ powerful voice and the song’s somber lyrics (“In depth grasp the chains / Struggle as the waters gain but I… / All I need is a simple reminder) and eerie atmosphere.

The second track, Hallowed Land, is what we can call pure Doom Metal,  while The Last Time became an instant hit with its faster than usual rhythm and lyrics and chorus tailored for being sung loud by all fans at their shows (“It’s a cruel misfortune / Forbidding us to see / When stories may collide / It’s a sad state of mind / Heart’s beating… / Heart’s beating for the last time”). This might be considered their biggest hit, despite its a more commercial approach not being well digested by their diehard fans. Then we have Forever Failure and its lyrics that deal with the constant losses in our lives, a very depressive and slow song not recommended for people who have some kind of suicidal tendencies. Once Solemn closes the first part of the album in a brilliant way, being a fast tune with a very good rhythm, and more Heavy Metal than any of the other songs (sometimes even sounding like Metallica).

Paradise LostIf Draconian Times was comprised of only its first five tracks, it would have deserved a flawless 5.0. However, after that the album loses a little its energy and creativity, but nothing that makes it less compelling. Shadowkings has nice riffs and its pace is good, albeit not enough to outdo the previous songs, while Elusive Cure, sounds extremely Gothic, eerie and deep. The following track, called Yearn for Change, showcases an obscure but pleasant rhythm, while Shades of God goes back to the more melancholic approach of “Elusive Cure”, despite not being as solid and entertaining. Finally, we have Hands of Reason, with a very beautiful guitar solo embellishing its overall result, followed by the sluggish and damned I See Your Face, and the final track, Jaded, which is extremely melancholic and another good example of how slow and somber the union of Gothic and Doom Metal can be.

Many different special editions of Draconian Times have been released since the original version in 1995, all of them with some bonus songs, videos and other shenanigans. In addition, there’s a live album called Draconian Times MMXI, where the band plays the album in its entirety. If you cannot find any of the fancier versions of it, I suggest you at least search for the one that comes with The Sisters of Mercy cover Walk Away. It’s an amazing version for this classic song that’s worth the extra investment without a shadow of a doubt.

The front cover is beautiful and makes a great connection with the music in the album, representing all the sadness and sorrow found in the lyrics and rhythm. Another important thing is that despite being considered a Gothic band by many, very few songs have over 5 minutes in Draconian Times, making the album more “commercial” or at least easier for the radio stations at that time and MTV to play some of the songs during any of their daily programs. Those were good times when Rock N’ Roll and Heavy Metal were respected and admired, with Paradise Lost being competent (and lucky enough) to enjoy some fame in the world of mainstream music even playing mournful and unhappy sounds.

Best moments of the album: Enchantment, The Last Time, Once Solemn and Walk Away.

Worst moments of the album: Shades of God.

Released in 1995 Music For Nations

Track listing
1. Enchantment 6:04
2. Hallowed Land 5:02
3. The Last Time 3:27
4. Forever Failure 4:18
5. Once Solemn 3:03
6. Shadowkings 4:41
7. Elusive Cure 3:21
8. Yearn for Change 4:19
9. Shades of God 3:54
10. Hands of Reason 3:58
11. I See Your Face 3:17
12. Jaded 3:26

Japanese Edition bonus tracks
13. Walk Away (The Sisters of Mercy cover) 3:24
14. Laid to Waste 3:16
15. Master of Misrule 3:07

Band members
Nick Holmes – vocals
Greg Mackintosh – lead guitar
Aaron Aedy – rhythm and acoustic guitars
Steve Edmonson – bass guitar
Lee Morris – drums