One Second

Music For Nations, 1997

You can almost hear the deep breath Paradise Lost took before unveiling the follow-up to Draconian Times. Rather than continuing along the course they’d charted with that album, they opted to overhaul their sound from the ground up.

The result was Depeche Mode reimagined as a metal band. Keyboards and electronics were given increased prominence and any remnants of their original sound was junked. It worked brilliantly, and One Second and Say Just Words stand among the band’s finest songs.

A bold left-turn, even if it was one that would ultimately lead them down a blind alley.