I can’t claim to have been familiar with the institution of British metal that is Paradise Lost back when Icon was originally released. It was 1993. I was beginning my trip down the metal rabbit hole, but only just. Like many people who listened to rock radio, I was listening to Metallica and Countdown to Extinction. I had started to branch out a bit on my own, taking my love of progressive rock and seeing how it fit with a heavier sound. Images and Words by Dream Theater was getting heavy rotation.
It wouldn’t be until many years later, 2009 to be precise, when Paradise Lost appeared on my radar, with their release of Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us. I had been gradually expanding my musical tastes over my years in medical school and through residency. Those were incredibly difficult years. Years that have left scars on me that I carry with me to this day. One of the ways I dealt with the trauma of those years was to embrace the darkness that metal music embodied.
Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us resonated with me. The heavy, dark tone, with a gothic atmosphere and a sound that spoke of some of the uglier aspects of life was what I needed. Hell, there was even a track on that album titled “Living with Scars”. Yeah, I was almost instantly hooked.
One of the most wonderful things I have experienced in life is discovering a new band that already has a healthy catalog. I’m not kidding or being hyperbolic. I love music, and the joy of discovering a new band, and then diving into hours of near music is just sublime. Such was the case with Paradise Lost. There were 11 full albums from the band that preceded that most recent release.
To say I was excited would be an understatement.
As I am wont to do, I also began reading about the band on the internet. I read all about Draconian Times and how it was often considered their landmark record. I listened to and loved that album. But there was another.
Two years earlier, the band had released Icon. The cover was striking but unsettling. But by this time, I was all in on the band. So I listened to it.
And quickly discovered my own, personal favorite Paradise Lost album.
I actually don’t think Paradise Lost has a bad album. They have very, very different albums. A trip through their discography will be one of fascinating discovery, as the music moves from death/doom, to gothic metal, to dark synth pop, back to gothic metal, and ending (currently) at a healthy death/doom and gothic mix. There isn’t a dull moment.
But I still kept coming back to Icon. There is an urgency, a power to the songs that I find still keeps them vibrant to this day. It is an album that stands proud amongst all other peers in the metal world of the early 90s.
And so, with the 30th anniversary upon us of this influential and seminal album, Paradise Lost chose to re-record it.
We have, again, a triumph.
Icon 30 is Icon brought into the modern world. The original always had just a bit of soft edge, in terms of the production. Icon 30 gives this album the edge it always had, but that wasn’t evident. It doesn’t matter that these songs were written and originally recorded 30 years ago. They don’t sound dated in the least.
Rather, particularly with the new recordings, they have all the bite that they were intended to have, and are as relevant to the world of music and metal as they were 30 years ago. Perhaps even more so.
There are no breakdowns to be found. Paradise Lost didn’t need them to punch you in the gut. Nick Holmes’ voice is powerful, gritty, urgent and intoxicating. The guitars shine and drive. The bass and drums are punchy, groovy, and listening to this version of the album just proves what incredibly musicians and writers the band is.
Icon has been, for the last 15 years, my favorite Paradise Lost album. Icon 30 has reconfirmed that love and is a vibrant example of just how timeless metal music can be.