Trouble are one of those bands that may have been denied mainstream success, but as soon as they kick in tonight following a gloomy sample from Jesus Christ Superstar’s “The Crucifixion,” you get why they are cult favourites of doom metal connoisseurs.
Fronted these days by Kyle Thomas of Exhorder—who rocks something of a Halford look with his bald head and long beard (and of course was a big influence on Phil Anselmo, which you can certainly hear tonight)—Trouble hit all the right notes. Their doom is warm and deserty like the best stoner rock. It contains just the right amount of heavy metal wailing, it’s slightly psychedelic, and it’s chock full of bouncy pomp rock grooves.
Yes, Trouble are a fun doom band, and with their old-timey rock ’n’ roll vibes, there’s something for everyone to love here, starting with moustachioed guitarist Bruce Franklin’s eye-catching blonde mop top and bandanna. It’s not just the vibes that are old-timey: the band originally formed all the way back in 1978, and there is just something authentic and appealing about their classic sound.
Paradise Lost come from the other side of the doom metal spectrum: North England gloom. The first thought I have when their martial industrial intro with red and black projections starts up is: is this a Eurovision band? “Enchantment,” from their 1995 album Draconian Times, is a good set opener—nice and mid-paced—and as the 4/5 bald quintet proceed into their set, mixing old and new material, the following conundrum is set up: Paradise Lost are a band that found their fanbase and peaked commercially 25 years ago, but they’ve continued evolving and perfecting their craft since then.
This makes for a great variety of material, but also an uneven live show experience. You want to give your fans the old songs they know and love, but your soul seems more invested in the new, more complex and accomplished material.
Personally, I never cared much for early ’90s Paradise Lost—too much of a British goth take on Metallica. When they took their turn into Depeche Mode territory with their 1997 album One Second, then they became more interesting to me (I love Depeche Mode), though their subsequent forays into more commercial and electronic territory encountered pushback from their diehard metal fans.
Getting back on the metal track in the early 2000s, Paradise Lost have spent the last two decades refining what they do best, gradually rediscovering their love for extreme metal—doom and death specifically. Their 2015 album The Plague Within in particular stands out as an example of their exceptional talent bringing together the heaviness of extreme metal with a flair for intricate and meaningful songwriting and arrangement.
Let’s also not forget the artistry of Gregor Mackintosh (sporting a very Québécois topknot tonight!) spilling over into such side-projects as Vallenfyre, Strigoi, and Host—well worth checking out.
The highest peak tonight for me is “The Devil Embraced,” from 2020 album Obsidian, with its amazing crescendo from melodic and atmospheric to something dark and crushingly heavy, featuring some incredible drumming from Guido Montanarini—a masterpiece of craftsmanship and brutal elegance. It’s then immediately followed by “The Last Time”—a rocking, fists-in-the-air number closer in vibe to Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life.”
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean that in a bad way—both songs are great. It’s awesome that Paradise Lost have covered all this different ground over the course of their career, but for a live show it feels like a grab bag of different things, the pendulum between old and new material swinging back and forth.
Of “As I Die,” Nick Holmes jokes that it was entered as the British entry in the Eurovision contest in 1994 but “it didn’t do very well” (and I have to check online that this actually is a joke). “Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us” has a weird vocal effect which doesn’t quite work, but “No Hope in Sight” (of which Holmes drolly says, “another song with a negative song title”) is brilliant, recalling the much-missed Type O Negative with its mid-paced lurch and delicate ascent to something more transcendental.
Tonight’s set ends with “Just Say Words,” a fist-pumping disco metal number closer in spirit to Sisters of Mercy’s “This Corrosion,” Tiamat’s “Brighter Than the Sun,” or even KMFDM’s “Juke Joint Jezebel.” Again, it’s a great song, but the constant yo-yo between deep and poppy material means that Paradise Lost don’t really get much of a chance to reach those heavier places tonight. And I totally accept that another fan could have a completely opposite experience of the concert.
Fairmount Theatre is a great venue with excellent sound—you can get up close and personal, which is awesome—though you get the impression that Paradise Lost could benefit from a bigger stage for their often epic music to resonate from.
The three-song encore features a metallic cover of Bronski Beat’s disco number “Smalltown Boy,” followed by the atmospheric “Ghosts.” And as we all file out, I appreciate that on a Tuesday night they are done by 9:45 p.m.—being old and ready for bed as I am.
Review – Daniel Lukes
Photos – Alex Distaulo
