RESURRECTIONS
Unearthing the latest metal reissues
LONG BEFORE MISERY was fashionable,
PARADISE LOST were writing songs that wrenched at the heartstrings and brought depth and colour to the gloom. The entirety of the Halifax heroes’ early efforts are compiled on The Lost And The Painless (Peaceville) [9], a seven-disc (and one cassette) compendium of a pivotal moment in the evolution of heavy music. From their early demos and debut album, Lost Paradise, to the seminal Gothic and two full live shows, this classy box set is both the UK death/doom motherlode and a deeply swanky artefact to fresh shed tears over.
Let’s face it, KISS never really had the attention span for the album format, but 1976’s Destroyer [8] came closest to being a bona fide full-length classic. With typical finesse, Gene Simmons’ all-conquering goon squad are celebrating their best-loved album’s 45th anniversary with a comically opulent seriously-fuckingdeluxe version that boasts four audio discs, a Blu-ray with an ear-shafting 5.1 surround mix, a 68-page book and enough related ephemera to choke a hippo. One for the diehards, obviously, but the album itself remains a belter and its artwork is boss-level iconic. Beth is still fucking rubbish, mind you.
HAMMERFALL have given their underrated third album an anniversary upgrade. The remixed Renegade 2.0 (Nuclear Blast) [8] fills the room with much more depth and colour than the original, but there was nothing much wrong with gleaming anthems like Templars Of Steel and The Way Of The Warrior in the first place. An unsung gem, now with added oomph.
Finally, US veterans ALL THAT REMAINS have every right to celebrate their third album, The Fall Of Ideals (Craft) [8], with a 21st-century swank-up and vinyl debut. One of the few albums from metalcore’s mid-00s peak that had the songs to back up the (Adam Dutkiewicz-produced) sound, it still hits the spot; with giant, sugary hooks, thuggish riffs and ignorant breakdowns by the van-load.
DOM LAWSON