Its has been said before that the phrase “Masterpiece” is in the eye of the beholder (or perhaps the ear of the listener in this case) but with regards to Paradise Lost, this was their finest hour. Not to say that they peaked early, but this was their best/biggest contribution to Metal/music, period.
In Gothic we see a band that (to this day) believes that they created “Gothic” Metal, when in fact there is nothing “Gothic” about “Gothic”. This album is considered one of the best (if not the best) examples of Doom/Death Metal. Paradise Lost is perhaps the best example of a band that is always trying to find themselves.
The album starts out with the title track ‘Gothic’ and from there takes the listener on a dark and epic voyage through a slow and heavy landscape. The music (despite terrible recording) is amazing. The guitars are thick and heavy, the melodies and chord/scale patterns they use were/are unique and have never been imitated. This is the album where they developed their trademarked melancholy sound. The leads and solos are never masturbatory and always tasteful in regards each song. The overall sound of the album is consistent.
The bass and the drums are always on par as well. The bass really follows the guitars too closely for a band that claims to have gone full on “experimental” with this album. The drums in particular are inventive. In the style of Doom/Death, the drummer cannot rely on speed, and must therefore compensate with talent and creativity. These two in tandem with the guitars makes this one intense album.
The vocals are excellent as well. This was album where we hear Nick at his best with regards to the raw style of production that they had. Had this album received the production of ‘Shades of God’ or ‘Icon’ they would have been even more pronounced. The lyrics were more philosophical here than on later releases seemingly steeped in an anti-religious fervor.
The album was re-released by Peaceville on the bands 20-year anniversary and it contains a bonus DVD of an archaic live show from around the time this album was released. The quality is fairly poor but the set list is great making this a worthy re-purchase for those who already have it. It also contains liner notes from lead guitarist Greg Mackintosh about the making of the album and the bands state of mind at the time. This was a very cool improvement over the original. The only other improvements that could’ve been made to this album would be to add more songs and to step up the production. That is the only flaw of this recording, that and that the band assume that this is ‘Gothic Metal’ in its infancy. This is Doom/Death at its finest, without a trace of anything ‘Gothic’ and a must have for any serious Metalhead! This gets a 9/10 for!
Review Written By Grimdoom
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Really influential album for many different kinds of metal!
Of course Icon and Draconian Times are still the best works of the band but this is the most influential one, along with shades of god!