Gothic

PEacEvillE, 1991

Most of Paradise Lost were still in their teens when they released their debut album,

Lost Paradise – and it showed. A callow hybrid of death and doom metal saddled with a Budgens-level production, it was a triumph of exuberance over expectation. This follow-up showed what the band could be capable of.

As the title suggested, Gothic was richer and darker (the opening title track featured operatic female vocals and orchestral sections cribbed straight from the Celtic Frost playbook), while the crepuscular Eternal and Silent are shrouded in threatening gloom.