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... And hopefully everyone will enjoy it.
An album In may 2007 Paradise Lost relea- sed their latest album, called ‘In Requiem’. Gregs spontaneous tage. While we’ve been on tour in - Yeah… that’s the footage from base, every time we play and eve- reaction on the album is… Europe and when we’re going on it, the filmed footage. But it’s ac- ry where we play it’s like a thou- - That it sounds quite raw and tour with Nightwish we’re shoo- tually the album mix of it, which sand people there. We still have it sounds… it’s way less commer- ting a lot of backstage stuff and they’ve put on it. But I would a decent amount of fans there. cial than anything we’ve done sound checks and when we’re have preferred if they had The British metal media doesn’t the last ten years I would say. traveling around, just to make it used the live. Because really exist any more though, The changes they’ve done? more interesting. the live sound is great, that’s the only problem. Like We’ll, they’ve turned to a pop And the material also contains it’s awesome! I’m loo- the Kerrang magazine is no producer. the show, of course. king forward until the longer a metal magazine, it Swedish bands port” European bands? - Between the album previous- - It was a full show and it will live DVD comes out, ear- covers like EMO and that’s it, But the fact that they don’t have - No, occasionally we’ve had a ly and this one (In Requiem), I be released on a DVD next year ly next year, because you can so it’s not that many places whe- many fellow countrymen that British band to support us or plays would say the song writing is (2008). Probably a live album, hear how powerful some of this re you get the media out there for can relate to the music of Paradi- with Cathedral. But it doesn’t re- less formulated and more guitar maybe a live DVD will be in- stuff can sound you know. your music. The fans however, se Lost might be a problem when ally matter, we don’t really think driven. And… the production is cluded in the release. It’s only Sounds great and the fact that are still very much there. There’s they’re abut to go touring in the of country boundaries because it not chopped up in platoons or the London show that was ac- the filmed show was in London still a decent metal scene in Eng- land of the Queen. just depends on how the people anything so it got more of a hu- tually… eh, that was the full 48 is perhaps not a surprise since it’s land and we get received okay. - It depends… I think the last are in the bands, you know. man feeling to it, I think. It was track mix, you know. Fully great the home country of the band, but But like you said we’re very dif- time we played… eh… hmm… I Yeah, we remember what you mixed by Mike Fraser and we sound and you know, like multi- metal in England is in a low-flow ferent from some of the others but think we took Deathstars on tour said about the touring. Conside- really have admired his work for ple camera angels and you know, and since very few other British that has always been the same. last time we played there. A Swe- ring this live gigs, a frequently a long time so that made it quite really great! bands sound like Paradise Lost When we first started playing in dish band. We play with all kinds asked question is whether club special, to go to Bryan Adams Greg actually promise a lot it might be that they are affected England we played slow and eve- of bands! Over the years we’ve shows or festivals is the shit. Greg studio in Vancouver and get this with the live material. In October even more? ryone else played fast and people played with Crowbar, Within might start working as a philo- guy to mix the album, that was they put one song from the show - Yeah I know, Greg tells me would be shouting “play faster” Temptation, The 69 Eyes… sopher, that’s at least my thought pretty special. online, but only the video. The when I bring up the subject. Eh, but we said no, “we’re going to So it’s not that much British when I hear Gregs answer. And in the end, the songs work audio we just have to wait for… we kind of have like a core fan play even slower now”. bands you play with, you “im- - Ah, they both have good and perfectly live.
Hallowed PDF-Magazine 180 Paradise Lost på myspace: Paradise Lost Paradise Lost (och en del annat) på youtube: 181 Hallowed PDF-Magazine Nummer 2.02 (orering) www.myspace.com/paradiselostuk www.youtube.com/user/CenturyMediaEurope Nummer 2.02 (orering) what a singles job is, I guess. picked it? So I’d say that every band in the And an enemy means that - I just like very miserable, grim world sell ten times less than there is a diversity of opinions things. And that was about how they used to, you know, because between two or more people. In miserable we could get, so. We of that everyone downloads. The a large scale, this might be consi- had lots of fun shooting it, but biggest selling album a couple of dered as a war, which is exactly watching the video… it’s just a years ago was Linkin Park and what the video for the single is bit blackish, it’s never going to they sold 4 million in the world. about. Was this the plan from the get shown anywhere. But I mean, And ten years earlier it was Ma- beginning? youtube is taking over from donna who sold 40 million so this - Well, we found the director, or where MTV left of, you know. If just shows. Comparative it sold actually the director found us. He anyone wants to see a movie the- very well contacted us so we checked out se days, they only go to youtube. Well, nothing last forever and his work and liked what he had And I think the video have like, I the music industry is not an ex- done. And he wanted to shoot the don’t know, 10-20 000 hits or so- ception, they have to renew their video in a place called youter (the mething – so it’s done it’s job! methods too. So how do we com- spelling may be incorrect) by the pare sales? Charts may be a good Black Sea. In Ukraine. A beautiful A best seller way, but Greg doesn’t like it. place… we let him send us the tre- And not only 10-20 000 views - Some places the charts were atments and then we said which on youtube, the charts reveal a better, some places worse. I don’t one we liked best. And then we chocking third position as a top take that much noise about the went with it, he kept sending us in the chart lists. Where? No, not charts, because it depends on edits and we just picked the final Sweden, actually – Greece! what else comes out that week, edit. So, I mean, the director had - Oh yes, Greece. Well, yeah for you know. It doesn’t really give a all the creative inputs and we just a metal album it sold pretty well. good indication of how well you had the final decision. And… we been along for quite did it, just how many people that So the war theme with the song some time and we’ve seen how bought the album that particular was not planned so whats the the sales have changed over the week, you know. reason to why Greg and the guys years because of downloading. Yeah, and that only compared - Yeah, I think they do more so feel exactly the same about our An Enemy than anything we’ve ever done last album and as I did when we The album has generated one because, I mean, the production. recorded it, you know. It’s not single, and it was a good song, The album sounds almost like a different and the same goes for that’s what Greg say at least. rehearsal and it’s meant to be like every album we’ve recorded. I - Well, the record company that. It’s meant to sound exactly wouldn’t change anything, be- picked it. We don’t really like to the way it does in the rehearsal cause it’s all about just being pick singles, we like to like write room so yeah, they work perfec- there at a certain time and an album that we think is a tly live. Probably better than a lot it’s easy to look back good, strong album and eve- of our old material. at it in retrospect and ry song is good enough to So the fans make like extra change things, but then be a single. And then let the noise during the new songs? it wouldn’t be the same. label decide because they - Yeah, it seems to be that way. You know, it wouldn’t understand like “commerci- We played… when we play the have the same feel. al” things and we’re not in it for first song from the album live, How come they can feel so good that – we don’t understand that. it seems like everyone in the au- about their albums? The secret is We just know what we like but dience know every word, which that they all are perfectionists. what we like might not be what Paradise Lost is good. I hope it’s the same to- - Well, we all are always very everyone else like, I don’t know. night, you know. critical about our material so we But I think it’s a good choice for Greg is very proud over the all make sure that we write the a first single. It’s more of an up- album and wouldn’t change a best that we possibly can. So it’s tempo than the rest of the album thing. That’s universal for their actually the same as all the oth- and people tend to like that for entire discography. ers. The only difference with this a single and it has a catchy hook - Yeah, I mean, usually I don’t one is the production… with the guitar-line/female vo- regret anything about our re- Yeah, yeah… Vancouver and cal line that comes in at the start. cords because it’s about how you Bryan Adams, we’ve heard the It’s one of those tunes that you felt in a certain place and time. I story. find yourself humming, which is
Hallowed PDF-Magazine 182 Paradise Losts skivbolag: 183 Hallowed PDF-Magazine Nummer 2.02 (orering) www2.centurymedia.com/index.aspx Nummer 2.02 (orering) Gregs Self portrait
to other albums. But isn’t there week you can be number hund- after I’ve booked it in. And now anything good about it? red, you know. it’s over. So, thank you Greg for - Not really. Well it’s good for And coverage they’ve got here your time! Anything you want to press, because if you say you got in Hallowed from their third say before we go? a top ten selling album – you get place in Greece charts… or not! I - No… Cheers Swedes! I say Do you want to win Gregs signed self portrait? more coverage. So from that per- only saw it when I was searching thanks to IKEA and Volvo and Draw your favorite Paradise Lost-cover and e-mail it to spective it’s good, but the next for information about the band the rest of it. Caj Källmalm [email protected] before the 1st april. Subject it ”P. Lost”
Hallowed PDF-Magazine 184 För dig som vill köpa Paradise Lost-prylar i Europa: För dig som vill köpa Paradise Lost-prylar i USA: 185 Hallowed PDF-Magazine Nummer 2.02 (orering) www.heavymetalonline.co.uk/acatalog/index.html www.blastwaves.com/73.Paradise_Lost.store Nummer 2.02 (orering)