Shades of God
| Shades of God | ||||
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| Paradise Lost studio album | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Music for Nations | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
9 (LP: 8) |
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running time |
52:52 (CD) |
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| occupation |
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Studio (s) |
Longhome Studios, Northants , England |
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Shades of God ( English for, the shadow of God ') is the third studio album of the English band Paradise Lost .
On the album, Nick Holmes' voice begins to change from monotonous shouting to melodic singing on some tracks. The band had an underground hit with the single As I Die .
Music genre
Shades of God marks the further separation of the band from the death metal roots to the more melodic areas of doom and gothic metal . For example, Mortals Watch the Day and especially Your Hand in Mine have integrated rough but melodic vocals for the first time. There are also more calm passages than on the previous Gothic . Nonetheless, Nick Holmes' voice is largely designed as a shouting, which has been compared to a "mixture of Peter Steele in Carnivore times and Cathedral Lee Dorrian ". Most of the melodies carried by Gregor Mackintosh's lead guitars, which are often superimposed in two parts , have been described as catchier than on Gothic . As on the previous record, guest singer Sarah Marrion took part again, and Robert John Godfrey can be heard as guest keyboardist.
The record was produced by Simon Efemey , who was not previously active in metal, but worked for The Wonder Stuff . It was deliberately chosen by the band because they didn't want to achieve a “typical” Death Metal sound. The contact came about because Efemey had already worked for another band of the Paradise Lost manager Nick Peel. Efemey's production is described as "black and tough". The guitars are harder than on Gothic , the drum sound more powerful. The band was very happy with the production.
“Our debut 'Lost Paradise' was a typical Death Metal album, while on 'Gothic' we were already trying to get away from this whole DM thing. With 'Shades of God' we finally succeeded. Sure there are still some people who see us as a Death or Doom band, but with the new album we have proven that we are a heavy metal band that can deal with the various influences. "
Archer names The Sisters of Mercy as influences , but also Black Sabbath .
History of origin
After the respectable success of the Gothic album, both Earache and Roadrunner were interested in signing Paradise Lost. Eventually the band chose Music for Nations , where they signed for three albums. For the first time the band was able to make a living from the music and the promotion was more extensive than before. The record was recorded from March to April 1992 in about five weeks in the Longhome Studios in Northants . The official release date was June 1, 1992.
This was followed by appearances in Great Britain , the Netherlands and Germany , including at the Dynamo Open Air and the Rock Hard Festival in Jena . The following tour activities were marked by several incidents: For example, the band bus in Norrköping in Sweden was damaged by Satanists during the concert . In the Czech Republic there was a near-accident with a light beam falling just past Gregor Mackintosh . Nevertheless, the tour was overall successful.
Texts
Nick Holmes describes the lyrics on Shades of God as "very personal in nature", he often tries to empathize with other people and to describe their reactions to certain events. Often times there would be several topics in one song, or the chorus and verse would deal with different things. Each listener should interpret the words in their own way, which Holmes wants to encourage with this way of working.
reception
The German rock hard rated Shades of God positively, the record was given nine points more than Gothic by Götz Kühnemund , who certified some of the songs as being “catchy tunes” . The album also took third place in the monthly editorial charts and was able to leave Iron Maiden's Fear of the Dark behind. In retrospect, some critics are more cautious and see, as on metal.de with six out of ten points, the record as “almost mainstream” compared to its predecessor. On the website www.bloodchamber.de, the reviewer said that with Shades of God , Paradise Lost was “at the height of its time” and that “created a genre classic that is not just the stirrup holder of the commercially successful successor Icon .” This Eduardo Rivadavia sees it differently on www.allmusic.com: He calls Shades of God a "transitional album ", As I Die is the appropriate farewell to the band's Death Doom past. Nevertheless, four out of five possible stars are awarded by him.
Track list
- Mortals Watch the Day - 5:12 am
- Crying for Eternity - 7:06
- Embraced - 4:29
- Daylight Torn - 7:53
- Pity the Sadness - 5:01
- No Forgiveness - 7:36
- Your Hand In Mine - 7:07
- The Word Made Flesh - 4:39
- As I Die - 3:46 (CD bonus track)
As I Die
The most famous track, As I Die , was not originally intended for the album because the band did not think it was of high quality. The song is not included on the LP version, it was only added to the CD album as a bonus track.
“Never in our life would we have expected this song to become so popular. The funny thing is that it was originally our weakest track and not planned for the 'Shades of God' album, which is why we only released it as a CD bonus track. Only afterwards did we become aware of its qualities. "
At As I Die was how to Pity the Sadness turned a video clip that often on MTV's Headbangers Ball was played. According to their own statement, the band was approached by fans about the song As I Die , which was missing on the LP , and therefore decided to release the EP of the same name that followed in autumn 1992 . Mackintosh notes:
"For us it is quite astonishing that almost everyone seems to know this piece and that it is even played quite often on MTV."
The EP also contains the previously unreleased songs Rape of Virtue and Death Walks Behind You , originally by Atomic Rooster , as well as a live version of Eternal from the album Gothic , which was recorded on July 2, 1992 in Amsterdam .
Artwork
The design and the cover picture, like that of the As-I-Die- EP, come from the well-known artist Dave McKean . With its modern features it was untypical of Death Metal. The ornate logo of the previous records had also disappeared.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ rockhard.de: Band biography, accessed 2010, no longer available
- ↑ a b c www.metal.de: Review Shades of God
- ↑ a b allmusic.com: Review Shades of God by Eduardo Rivadavia
- ↑ a b www.rockhard.de: Review Shades of God by Götz Kühnemund
- ↑ a b c d e Buffo: Paradise Lost - Just Metal! , in: Rock Hard, No. 63, July / August 1992, p. 26.
- ↑ a b c www.bloodchamber.de: Review Shades of God
- ^ Frank Albrecht: Kaffee, Geigen und Doofsäcke , in: Rock Hard, No. 71, April 1993, p. 20.
- ↑ a b c Visions : Fade to Gray - Interview with Paradise Lost , Issue 20, 9/93, p. 6, September 1993
- ↑ Holger Stratmann: Jesus Christ Superstars make pugs bob , in: Rock Hard, No. 76, September 1993, p. 14.