PARADISE LOST Come from Swe- Den, So It’S Nice to Come Back Paradise Lost Is Probably the Here
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in Stockholm for two months. - Not really, Greg laughs. But good are bad is not really im- I know my way around pretty it was interesting; we got to portant. However, they are most- Still searching for Eden well and it feels good to be back. see some things we probably ly it’s good and Greg is proud to Where in Stockholm did you wouldn’t have seen unless we have some Swedish friends as live? had done it. well. - Eh, there was a record label Whether these memories are - I have lots of memories called MNW and a studio bene- from Sweden, maybe not from Text: Caj Källmalm ath, and there were apartments the last time but I remember Photo: Caj Källmalm in between and we lived in those Sundsvall ten years ago & Century Media apartments. where I saw a play- From: 2007.10.03 Well, for those who want ground made of to travel there and pho- ice. Like slides and tograph it, this answer everything and that doesn’t really help since was pretty ama- the label is dead since zing. I have lots a couple of years of memories from ago. But one might this place. I have Miserable at least ask if the lots of friends place was nice and lots of bands northerners and all that? I’ve played with PARADISE LOST come from Swe- den, so it’s nice to come back Paradise Lost is probably the here. most Swedish sounding non- Swedish band in the World. These British gentlemen play a very dark, heavy gothic music and is now about to release a live DVD. We had a little chat with the band when they stopped for a single Swedish show in Stockholm. The guitarist Greg Mackintosh gets killed and crime… and that A lection of Sweden is a very tall man, dressed enti- our albums are so dark? What strikes the accustomed me- rely in black and most noticea- - No, no, no, no, no… Greg says tal listener is that very few British ble is probably his corded beard, laughing. I think how we group bands have some or any relation which follows a very black, curly in the north of England possibly to the sound of Paradise Lost. hair towards the shoulders. With have an influence on it. But TV? I They sound more like Norwe- a very dark and respect giving don’t think so. It’s a very northern gian or even more like Swedish voice he tells me that this is the English trademark… I mean the bands in the fashion of Opeth, way he is and always has been. southern English call us the mi- Deathstars or whatever. So how - Yes, it’s what I’ve always been serable northernes. Because eve- does it feel for Greg to be back into. I mean, I’ve never been any ryone seem miserable up here, where he belongs? different. From the age of 14 or but they actually have more of a - It feels good, I know Stock- something, I’ve been exactly the cynical look on life. Kind of a bit holm very well anyway. We re- same. So… more ironic than, you know. It’s corded an album here back in Greg is painting his Is it because of all the English not totally serious. 1998, our second album. Nick, self portrait. Check it TV-shows? You know, people our vocalist and myself, we lived out 4 spreads away Hallowed PDF-Magazine 176 Paradise Lost på Internet: 177 Hallowed PDF-Magazine Nummer 2.02 (orering) www.paradiselost.co.uk/ Nummer 2.02 (orering) The ideal way of life how come this Britt likes it up in ten people want to watch a film, things. But some of the mid-west But one thing is really good, ac- bably will appreciate us as well, Yes, because the band is coming the Swedish coldness? only five can because they can’t states… it’s completely different. cording to Greg. I don’t think our fans are that dif- back after a couple of weeks on - Well, I’m used to it. I’m from fit In the lounge area, you know. It’s completely alien. English - You can get into a diner at th- ferent. But we’ll see. I think it’s a European tour. A tour which northern England so it’s similar But just having a few guys on a people have more in common ree in the morning and get anyth- going to be a good tour because Greg means only is getting better weather to here. tour bus, same faces every day with Swedish people or German ing you want, so in that perspec- we played with Nightwish before and better. Greg tells me he lives in a small so, it’s not a job that everyone can people than they have with some tive it’s nice, you know. But it and they are nice guys so I think - Yeah, we started up in south- village in the north east of Eng- do I think, you know. You have of the states in America. Even if depends. It hard work however. we should get along well. ern Europe, like Portugal and land, far away from everything. to kind of be able to laugh about they speak the same language It can be hard. southern Spain and things and - Yeah. I got a little farmhouse everything So it’s a strange life, they’re millions of miles apart as Nightwish as a tour partner, for Merry old England then worked our way up. Going in a village with about 15 people Greg sighs. people. me the two bands doesn’t really In their home country England, through France and Belgium and and one pub. And it’s brilliant. So how is it to play there? match musically, but Greg assu- Paradise Lost have a decent fan- Germany. I mean, we got in from Because if you do this for a living, The promised land - The fans varies. It depends on res that the musical similarities base and often get about 1000 the bottom to the top. I prefer it if you want to you can party eve- After this tour, Paradise Lost is where you go. East coast is real- aren’t that important. spectators at their shows. Earlier up here because I don’t like hot ry night so when I go home it’s going to America to tour with ly nice. West coast is really nice. - Eh, oh musically it’s not my this year (2007), Paradise Lost weather so, it was just to nice to just have quiet, you Nightwish for a couple of weeks. A Some place in the middle it’s thing. But as people they are very recorded a show in London that hot for me at the start know. It’s good for the country which contains as many strange. So you know, it just de- nice and that’s more important to is about to be released as a DVD of the tour but now it’s concentration. differences as the entire Europe, pends on where you go. It’s like me. If you’re going to tour with within the next couple of months just nice. But overall And I guess it’s quite gathered in only one country. Al- Europe, only all in one country. someone, it’s better to get along (March to be exact). the tour has gone re- different from the big most like a Queen album is for You know, it depends on where as friends. The music really isn’t - It was going to be released at ally well. cities you often play in? the entire music genre. you go. Some places are good, important at all! But I think the the end of this year (2007), but A note to the statement - Yeah, yeah. And living - Well I would say around New some places are bad. Nightwish fans in America pro- we’re actually still shooting foo- is that it’s now early October on a tour bus! Which is not the york, Philadelphia and some and the tour has been going since nicest way to live, Greg laughs. of those eastern states it’s very the shift from August to Septem- People often say “it must be nice similar to England. You know, Paradise Lost ber. Since this means double tem- to live on the tour bus” but you the people are very similar. Very perature drop, one might wonder know, it’s slightly cramped. If same kind of sense of humor and Hallowed PDF-Magazine 178 179 Hallowed PDF-Magazine Nummer 2.02 (orering) Nummer 2.02 (orering) bad points. On a festival it’s good to play in front of so many people and you might hook up with friends and all that, but you don’t get proper sound checks, you don’t have that cross con- tact with you audience whereas club shows you get proper sound checks and good interaction with your audience but obviously on a smaller scale. So, you know, they both have god and bad points. And the recent tour has been on club shows, something the band has used and made a really powerful set-list. - It’s pretty energetic shows for us. We’ve picked the songs from each album that we thing have the most power, even if they are very slow songs. So it’s gonna be a very groovy set, and quite po- werful set, and quite energetic, so..