Excellent album. It grab my attention from the first to the last song, also Embers Fire is surely the best PL song

Just lusten this, now I know for shore my fav PL album I like this melody guitar rifs, death/doom sound + his way of clean vox, you can understand more what he sings ,

I love this album!

It seems to be a transition album for Paradise Lost - I mean the transition from their early death/doom sound to their gothic metal style they incorporated on Draconian Times which is evidently present on this record too.
It's a pretty good album but , despite listening to it lots and lots of times, the only songs that left a trace in my memory are Embers Fire and the brilliant True Belief.

One of the best of all time.
A true diamond for 90s.

I didn't found anything about Death metal on this album,more like heavy rock and Doom/Gothic metal. Still great disc! My fav song,Embrese fire. Maybe the best Paradise Lost song ever.

Written by NorthernDickhead on 23.07.2013 at 23:05

I didn't found anything about Death metal on this album,more like heavy rock and Doom/Gothic metal. Still great disc! My fav song,Embrese fire. Maybe the best Paradise Lost song ever.

The only Paradise Lost album I'd categorize as death metal, is their debut... and even that is more of a hybrid of sorts, than a "straight" death metal album. Everything from "Shades Of God" onwards I wouldn't really class as death metal.

"Icon" is a classic album, as all of PL's first 5 albums are.

Wow, like Draconian Times this album is also so overrated it's ridiculous. First 3 albums blow this one (and Draconian Times) away easily.

Written by Erik M. on 14.10.2013 at 19:12

Wow, like Draconian Times this album is also so overrated it's ridiculous. First 3 albums blow this one (and Draconian Times) away easily.

Nah. Draconian Times and this one own the hugely overrated Gothic, they are also just as good as Shades of God.
Only their debut is superior to everything else.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 14.10.2013 at 22:13

Nah. Draconian Times and this one own the hugely overrated Gothic, they are also just as good as Shades of God.
Only their debut is superior to everything else.

Well, tastes simply differ a lot it seems. For me Shades of God is easily the peak of PL's career (even though I haven't heard a lot of their albums).

The underrated albums are: Lost Paradise and Shades of God.
The overrated albums are: Gothic (slightly), Draconian Times and Icon (both immensely).

At least that how I think of the albums. None of them is bad of course. Gothic and Lost Paradise are equally good for me, while I slightly prefer Gothic (it's more mature than the in my opinion immature LP). After those come Draconian Times and Icon, the two way lighter and almost poppy albums (compared to the first 3 that is).

Slightly? You are tripping man.... Gothic is hugely overrated everywhere I look. At least as much as the albums you claim to be overrated. You clearly missed all those people praising that album to high heavens and giving it more credit than it really deserves history-wise.

It's like... I love Blackwater Park but I at least admit it's an overrated album where the fandom gets a bit insane.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 14.10.2013 at 23:17

Slightly? You are tripping man.... Gothic is hugely overrated everywhere I look. At least as much as the albums you claim to be overrated. You clearly missed all those people praising that album to high heavens and giving it more credit than it really deserves history-wise.

It's like... I love Blackwater Park but I at least admit it's an overrated album where the fandom gets a bit insane.

Besides Gothic Shades Of God is also highly praised, way too much imo, and Icon is generally looked down upon so that one is underrated and not Shades Of God.

Lost Paradise is their most underrated one. Then Icon, Darconian Times gets the praise it deserves. Shades Of God is slightly overrated and Gothic immensely overrated,

Written by X-Ray Rod on 14.10.2013 at 23:17

giving it more credit than it really deserves history-wise.

history-wise it deserves a lot of credit because it was an immensely important album. Musically it doesn't deserve all the praise and credit. You can compare it in that way to Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 14.10.2013 at 23:24
history-wise it deserves a lot of credit because it was an immensely important album. Musically it doesn't deserve all the praise and credit. You can compare it in that way to Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer

Hmmmm... I see.
I remember I listened to this album when I was 14-15 and today I still think soemthing bothers me. I don't know if it was a part of the production, the vocals, the keys, or just the overall songwriting.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 14.10.2013 at 23:33

I don't know if it was a part of the production, the vocals, the keys, or just the overall songwriting.

for me it's the combination of all. Somehow it just doesn't add up too well. I would call the music on Gothic a lot more immature than on Lost Paradise

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 14.10.2013 at 23:40
I would call the music on Gothic a lot more immature than on Lost Paradise

Agreed, everything was in the right place on the debut.

I'm not familiar with this band, this is just good, I think.

Also, I don't know if only this album, but the vocalist sounds a lot like James Hetfield (at least to me).

Considering this one of their best and admitting the quality of this album, I never liked it. Except "Embers Fire" and " Weeping Words", the rest is terrible for my taste. I like doom/gothic and I like their previous releases, but I will never enjoy this...

It does not sound as James ... wtf

Written by Bad English on 26.07.2015 at 20:04

It does not sound as James ... wtf

It DOES sound as if James hetfield is singing here.

It doesn't , just tried . not to me
maybe give me specific songs? 1,2,3 don't

Nick sounds quite a bit like James on ALL the songs of Icon and also Draconian Times, btw.

Draconian it was a while, but seems its right I remember Richard mentioned it on SB... damn where is he, ms needs him , I hope he still is metalhead

Best PL album for me. It features all the band's best songs: True belief, ember's fire, joys of emptiness. Remembrance stands out, too. That said unfortunately I can also find several tracks here I find rather boring (dying freedom, colossal rains, poison, shallow season, Christendom). A hair cut by 2-3 songs might have helped here. 8.7 over all.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 14.10.2013 at 22:13

Nah. Draconian Times and this one own the hugely overrated Gothic, they are also just as good as Shades of God.

I actually don't find Gothic to be overrated, I find it, Icon, and Draconian Times equal in terms of how good they are, but they are each sort of different.

Written by Guest on 04.12.2017 at 17:49
I actually don't find Gothic to be overrated, I find it, Icon, and Draconian Times equal in terms of how good they are, but they are each sort of different.

It has less to do with quality and more to do with the fact that many see Gothic as a second coming of christ when in fact the sophomore albums of the other two members of the Peaceville triology are much, much better. It does not bring that much to the table compared to what PL did before AND after.

Have been in a Paradise Lost mood lately so I finally picked up this album. Can't believe I never listened to this one before! Awesome album overall. I love how "raw" the album is compared to later albums and you can really hear the improvements Nick Holmes made in his vocals between this in and Draconian Times. I can definitely hear the Hetfield influence at the beginning of Embers Fire specifically. Still, the vocals being a bit different from their newer works gives this album a really unique and interesting sound. My only real gripe is there are a few filler tracks on the album leading up to their famous "True Belief". I've found myself skipping past "Poison" multiple times. The incredible songwriting and lyrics of the highlights on this album far outweigh the bad though!

Highlights: True Belief, Embers Fire, Forging Sympathy, Shallow Seasons

Written by WorpeX on 09.05.2020 at 00:47

The incredible songwriting and lyrics of the highlights on this album far outweigh the bad though!

That is the point here, indeed.

This one I just don't get. It's not as memorable as Draconic Times and I feel it is just plain too simple... There are almost no riffs, the leads are gorgeous of course, and the lyrics are interesting, but I found it kinda barren. Still a good album, but I was a little disappointed after reading all the debate that "this was the best PL"

There is not much wrong with this album, no songs I dislike, although there are no outstanding songs either, Embers Fire, Rememberance, True Belief and Joy's Of The Emptiness being the highlights.

There is great Emotion in the vocals, and meaningful lyrics, it's right up there with Draconian Times, but the opening 3 songs on DT slightly outweigh this album overall IMO.