THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO...PARADISE LOST Icon 30 (Paradise Lost)

A great album is a great album, and there’s no denying that ‘Icon’ is indeed a great album. Originally released in September 1993, Paradise Lost’s fourth LP elevated them from cult status to become one of then label Music For Nations’ priority acts. And although as a band they’ve never stood still – never released the same album twice – ‘Icon’ was pretty much a career defining moment in that it developed some of the hallmarks that would be apparent on the records yet to come. To celebrate its thirtieth birthday, instead of putting it back out with a couple of bonus demos or whatever, the album has been completely re-recorded by the current line-up which, to be fair, is basically exactly the same crew who delivered the original LP, with the exception of the drummer: this time around its Guido Zima Montanarini rather than Matt Archer lining up alongside Nick Holmes, Greg Mackintosh, Aaron Aedy and Steve Edmonson.

Paradise_lost_2023

To be fair, there’s not a great deal of difference between ‘Icon 30’ and its illustrious ancestor. This isn’t a Monster Magnet style re-imagining of the material, merely a re-recording with the benefit of thirty further years of personal development and experience – which of course can be a blessing and a curse, given that the original thirteen tracks were written and blessed with a dash of youthful naivety. Songs like ‘Dying Freedom’ and ‘Joys Of The Emptiness’ have lost none of their grandeur, and the Big Three heavy hitters ‘Embers Fire’, ‘Widow’ and ‘True Belief’ are still as powerful and, well, iconic as they were when they were first unveiled nearly half-a-lifetime ago.

Paradise_lost_1993_by_paul_harries

Paradise Lost 1993 by Paul Harries

The running order remains the same – hey, why mess with perfection – but the artwork has been revised for this revamp, and there are a few tweaks to be found. ‘Embers Fire’ certainly moves at a faster pace, modern technology has given the audio a cleaner sound and Holmes’ voice sounds stronger and more stentorian. But, whatever, the songs remain the same, as they say...

Video clips:
‘Embers Fire’ [‘Icon 30’ version] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsFE7fOzzaY

‘Embers Fire’ [original version] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yoy1UNRABQ8

‘Widow’ [‘Icon 30’ version] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs2PuJTsMMI

‘Widow’ [original version] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvObVI8gpyY

‘True Belief’ [original version] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhrkMnS8Jnw