Great Comebacks (Part 2)

In part one I wrote about the return of bands, against the odds, to a position of glory that they had previously slipped from for a number of different reasons - ranging from losing a member or just going off on a creative tangent. 

Part two, if I’m being honest, is more of the same, so if you want something different, move along. There is nothing to see here.

I have no master plan about who I am going to write about. A name will just pop into my head and I will go with it. Therefore, I may have missed someone glaringly obvious, but I’m sure I will get to them in the end. In the meanwhile, you will have to make do with the following, which, I have to admit, is a band I forgot about in part one...

Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost came moping out of deepest, grimmest Yorkshire at the tail-end of the 1980’s and instantly made a name for themselves for their individual brand of Doom influenced Death Metal. Although, they would reinvent themselves many times over the years (their style generally changing a little for each release), it was their metamorphosis in the mid-late 1990’s from Doom Metal heroes into the far more palatable, Sisters Of Mercy/Depeche Mode styled Gothic Rock band, that caused the most consternation and the harshest critical feedback from fans and journalists alike. 

Many people were very quick to shout “Sell out!” at the band, where in fact it could be quite fairly pointed out that the opposite is true. Paradise Lost had built up a strong and loyal following over the years, even if they never quite achieved the commercial potential they deserved, for reasons unknown.

Surely altering your sound so drastically is more likely to alienate your existing fans than it is to earn you new ones? Whichever way you look at it, the facts speak for themselves. Paradise Lost had, for all intents and purposes, scored a bit of an own goal. They no longer appealed to the metal fraternity, and the mainstream had no interest in them.

It should be noted at this point though, that the change in style and image, most noticeable on the “Host” album, coincided with the switch to a major label, so maybe the “sell out” tag is justified after all?  

Some of you may be thinking at this point, that “One Second” was released on Music For Nations, an independent label, which is true, but it all really went wrong for the band with the move to EMI and the almost complete removal of any metal from their sound.

It took many years, before they returned from the wilderness to where they truly belonged, with the Gothic Doom masterwork that is the self-titled “Paradise Lost” released in 2005. It wasn’t an entire return to the style that served them so well back in the early 90’s, but the trademarks that made the band unique were back. Nick was sounding dark and brooding again, Gregor’s guitars had regained their distinctive signature sound and the songs were stylistically more metal again. There were still residual traces of the more electronic style of previous releases, but these definitely took a back seat on the new material.

If they had upset their fans previously, it seemed that all was forgotten as they were welcomed back with open arms (and wallets).