Gothic (album)
| Gothic | ||||
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| Paradise Lost studio album | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Peaceville Records | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
10 |
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running time |
39:24 |
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| occupation |
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Keith Appleton |
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Studio (s) |
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Gothic ( English for “Gothic” , figuratively “dark, eerie”) is the second studio album by the English band Paradise Lost .
The release, which was received on Peaceville Records in March 1991 as Death Metal with Doom Metal influences or Death Doom , is in retrospect as defining the style and eponymous for Gothic Metal .
Music genre
On Gothic , Paradise Lost took the step from Death Metal, which determined the previous album Lost Paradise , to Gothic Metal, for which they advanced to become a pioneer. The heavy riffs are similar to those of bands like Trouble or Candlemass , there are also Death Metal-like grunts , which are used more variably and in some cases are not as deep as on the previous record, but often no less aggressive. These elements are borrowed from Gothic-Rock and Dark-Wave à la The Sisters of Mercy and Dead Can Dance , which "were an important influence on Paradise Lost" , as well as individual keyboard passages and the high voice of guest singer Sarah Marrion and anticipate later hallmarks of Gothic Metal.
“With 'Gothic' we were absolutely keen to experiment. We had nothing to lose, we had nothing to gain. The whole album is a big experiment. Approx. a year later there were many bands, especially in Europe, that sounded a lot like this LP. The use of opera singers as background vocals almost became a trademark of many bands after 'Gothic'. […] If they build on our style and then make something of their own out of it, that's fine. […] The Gathering from Holland, for example, are big Paradise Lost fans. You admit it and that's OK "
In addition, the title track Gothic contains orchestral passages, the Outtro Desolate is entirely instrumental recorded by the Raptured Symphony Orchestra . Important influences for the classical and orchestral elements were Celtic Frost's Into the Pandemonium and Morbid Tales .
In the slow passages, the band was inspired by Black Sabbath and The Melvins , from the latter the debut album Gluey Porch Treatments is especially mentioned . What is also striking is that compared to Lost Paradise , which already contained female vocals in Breeding Fear , the songwriting was much more variable. The tempo changes from slow, doomy passages to mid-tempo songs, and high-speed parts typical of Death Metal are dispensed with. Songwriter Gregor Mackintosh also works within the songs with tempo changes , unexpected breaks and unusual time signatures, such as a 6/8 time signature in Rapture . For the guitar and drum sound, the extensive use of reverb was dispensed with, which gives the record a particularly dry sound beyond the orchestral parts. In addition, the guitars are much less distorted than on the debut album. The dominant Mackintosh lead guitars, which are often superimposed in two parts, are particularly striking, which - due to the mostly monotonous singing - transport the melodies of the pieces.
“We had completely exhausted our style. So we tried not to think so narrow-minded anymore and maybe to treat our dark side to one or the other melody. "
“Death Metal was and is a pretty exciting thing. But of course it also has its limits. I mean, how low can you tune your guitar down? Until the strings dangle slack from your neck? We, on the other hand, tried to look at the whole thing from a different point of view, and I used to have enough veins in my eye while I walked like a mad dog. "
History of origin
With Gothic, Paradise Lost set a counterpoint to the grindcore wave in England in the early 1990s, which Nick Holmes confirms in an interview: "We started playing so extremely slowly back then because everyone else was super fast." The band is into death metal rooted, but don't orientate yourself on the scene, but rather in your personal environment.
The album was recorded from November 1990 to January 1991 at the Academy Music Studios in London . From April 1991 a first extensive European tour followed, u. a. with massacre . This first respectable success also enabled the band to negotiate a more lucrative contract with Music for Nations for the next albums .
The title of the record was created after Gregor Mackintosh saw the film Gothic by Ken Russell . He said to Holmes, "Hey, what about calling it that?" Holmes hesitated before agreeing because he didn't want people to think Paradise Lost was a goth band. In addition, the title has something to do with horror literature and Gothic architecture: "We just like looking at gargoyles." "We like to look at gargoyles ."
Elsewhere, Mackintosh denied reference to Ken Russell's film, stating:
“We live in what is known as the Lake District in northern England. There are many castles, mountains and endless green meadows. For me 'Gothic' describes a certain feeling. Sure, the architecture is one of them. The title sums up the mood and the willingness to experiment of the album very well. I also love Gothic Poems , especially by Mary Shelley and Lord Byron . "
The tracks Gothic and The Painless were re-released as remixes on the Gothic EP along with Rotting Misery and Breeding Fear from their 1994 debut .
Texts
In terms of text, Gothic is a further development, the texts, all of which were written by Nick Holmes, seem more mature than on Lost Paradise . They are often about dark emotions, "being miserable" as Holmes put it. Motives such as pain, fear or separation are thematized in an often cryptic way that cannot be clearly interpreted.
“My view of life is pretty depressed, at least at the moment. You know, the whole of life in the north of England, our own situation, that is very dreary and pathetic, one tends to have rather gloomy feelings. But for me it also has its charm, I like these moods somewhere, they also have their own beauties. "
The processing in the music is not an active process, but happens "completely by itself". He is also not interested in a “pure aestheticization of the depressed”. Holmes writes in a personal way "about many bad things, such as drugs". But not in a political way, but rather as “reflections” so that people “get an idea of what moves me”.
reception
Gothic is generally considered a "breakthrough" for Paradise Lost. Robert Müller spoke in the German Metal Hammer of "enormously intense" songs in which "suddenly incredibly beautiful spots" appeared. Meanwhile "Paradise Lost is perhaps the Death Metal version of Christian Death ". He awarded seven out of seven points. However, in the monthly soundcheck of all editors, the record only reached 20th place with an average of 3.80 points. Rock-hard editor -in- chief Götz Kühnemund , who awarded eight out of ten points, praised the fact that the band moved away from the "usual death metal clichés" with the album, which on the other hand was a style break for the early fans even then worked. Nevertheless, the style change that was also practiced subsequently paved the way for new fan groups. On Allmusic.com, where Eduardo Rivadavia called Gothic a “perfect logical step in retrospect”, the album received three out of five stars.
In the book "Best of Rock & Metal" by the German rock-hard magazine, Gothic ranks 148th out of 500 albums discussed. Robert Pöpperl emphasizes the “wonderfully disposed” guest singer and speaks of a “record of the century” that makes the later development “to the lame copy of Depeche Mode ” seem “tragic”. Alexander Melzer from metal-observer.de thinks Icon (1993) is stronger, but counts Gothic “to be one of the most influential metal albums because it has redefined a complete style ...” The record is also published in the British “Decibel Magazine” thanks to its “innovative” sound it is called a “cult classic” that has “opened the gates for many trends in the metal world”.
effect
The effect of the Gothic album and its successors is often described in the cultural field. This work is considered to be the style-defining feature of a whole genre, Gothic Metal , on the basis of which a mixed culture of Gothic and Metal was formed a little later .
“After the release of 'Gothic', bands did spring up like mushrooms, all of whom were influenced by Paradise Lost, to say the least. A whole style was even named after the album: Gothic Metal. "
“With an almost meiotic approach, they [Paradise Lost] created a new style in the early 1990s with the album 'Gothic' that combined the elements of Gothic Rock and Death Metal. Gloomy men, for whom Gothic Rock did not produce hard guitars, and Metal types who could no longer hear the eternal thrashing around grew together to form a new fan base. "
Track list
- Gothic - 4:51
- Dead Emotion - 4:37
- Shattered - 4:01
- Rapture - 5:09
- Eternal - 3:54
- Falling Forever - 3:35
- Angel Tears - 2:40
- Silent - 4:41
- The Painless - 4:02
- Desolate - 1:52
Artwork
The cover was designed by Mackintosh and Holmes as a shaky section from a band photo. This was greatly enlarged and rotated 180 degrees. The photo shows Matthew Archer's breast pocket and part of Gregor Mackintosh's arm. It was photographed by Richard Moran and edited by Nick Holmes. Similarly, on the inner, also blurred-looking band photo, the faces of the band members were largely not shown due to the choice of the section. The crucifix on the back of the album was made by Gregor Mackintosh's brother.
"A lot of people think it was some big plan but really it was just a bunch of young kids just fiddling around in the dark."
"A lot of people think it was a big plan, but it was just a bunch of young kids fiddling around in the dark."
Web links
- Gothic at Allmusic (English)
- www.rockhard.de: Review by Götz Kühnemund.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b www.rockhard.de: Review by Götz Kühnemund
- ↑ a b c d e www.allmusic.com: Review by Eduardo Rivadavia
- ↑ a b c www.laut.de: Band biography
- ↑ a b www.gauntlet.com: Band biography
- ^ A b c Albert Mudrian: Choosing Death. The unbelievable history of Death Metal & Grindcore , Berlin 2006, p. 196f.
- ↑ Götz Kühnemund : Gothic - Interview with Paradise Lost . In: Rock Hard , issue 50, 5/91, p. 22.
- ↑ a b c d Matthias Mader: Paradise Lost - The Last Innovators , Iron Pages, Issue 24, p. 5, October / November 1993
- ^ Matthias Mader: Paradise Lost - The Last Innovators , Iron Pages, Issue 24, p. 4, October / November 1993
- ↑ a b c d e f Scott Koerber: An Eternal Classic. The Making of Paradise Lost's Gothic , in: Albert Mudrian (Ed.): Precious Metal. Decibel presents the story behind 25 Extreme Metal masterpieces , Cambridge, Mass., 2009, pp. 120–129, ISBN 978-0-306-81806-6 , own translation, online at www.decibelmagazine.com ( Memento from 21. September 2010 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ a b c Robert Müller: Paradise Lost. The darker sides of life , in: Metal Hammer, No. 5, 1991, o.Pag.
- ↑ a b www.allmusic.com: band biography of Jason Ankeny
- ^ Robert Müller: Review Gothic , in: Metal Hammer, No. 5, 1991, o.Pag.
- ↑ Rock Hard: Best of Rock & Metal
- ↑ www.metal-observer.com: Gothic review by Alexander Melzer
- ↑ Thomas Vogel: Interview with the former Gothic Metal band Paradise Lost, Sonic Seducer, summer edition 1995, p. 30