Founding fathers of what is called the Gothic Metal sound, Paradise Lost are perhaps one of the most underappreciated bands in all of Metal music. Originally a Doom Metal with Death Metal elements early on, by the early ‘90s they were already morphing into what some call the gothic sound. Never standing still, the band showed signs of even more experimentation by the time of 1997’s One Second album. Then, they completely shocked listeners in 1999 with Host.
Host, an album that sticks out like a sore thumb in Paradise Lost’s discography is more akin to Depeche Mode or Duran Duran than anything the band had done prior or thereafter. However, Host does have its audience, and for those who have paid attention know it is really quite a good record. Very electronic, the guitars are present, but tucked underneath, and a mood is set, making Host a really bold moment in time for Paradise Lost.
Since that period Paradise Lost has ebbed and flowed in and out of styles, but never really revisited the Host era again. Then to the surprise of many, in the Fall of 2022 something completely separate from Paradise Lost emerged. Was it another Vallenfyre album? No. Was it another Bloodbath album? No. So, what was it? It was Paradise Lost’s Nick Holmes (vocals) and Gregor Mackintosh (guitars/keyboards) teaming up for a new project called HOST.
HOST, clearly inspired by the Paradise Lost album of the same title, is a project which finds Holmes and Mackintosh exploring their interest in Dark Pop and New Wave music. It is a project which essentially picks up where the Host album left off, but expands on it a bit more.
This in mind, HOST put out the debut record IX back on February 24, 2023, with the expanded deluxe edition on April 28th through Nuclear Blast Records. An album consisting of twelve tracks – nine original, one cover, and two remixes – there are a lot of cool moments in between it all. There are elements of Darkwave, New Wave, Pop, and Rock throughout it all. With that, the atmosphere is relatively even, and Holmes’ vocals are similar to that of which he offered on Paradise Lost records such as, yes, Host, but also 2002’s Symbol of Life, or even their 2005 self-titled release.
A slow burn of sorts, key moments would have to be “Wretched Soul,” the single “Tomorrow’s Sky” and the more Rock “Hiding From Tomorrow.” Then on the more electronic end of matters, “My Only Escape” “Years of Suspicion” “Instinct” really stick out proudly. Truly all engaging listens, it would be unfair to exclude the unpredictable cover of A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran.” Quite different from the original, there is a uniqueness to HOST’s approach and it is something Mike Score would appreciate too.
When it is all said and done it is really cool to see Holmes and Mackintosh explore these sides of their musical being once again. Hopefully this is more than a one and done project, because it would be interesting to see where they go from here. Until then, Cryptic Rock gives IX 4 out of 5 stars.
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