Gothic metal band Paradise Lost to perform in Israel for 9th time

English gothic metal band Paradise Lost, considered a forefather of doom metal – with a slow tempo, thick sound and lyrics filled with despair and dread – will return to Israel for a ninth time, playing Tel Aviv’s Barby Club on April 19.

The band is currently on tour, promoting their latest album, “Obsidian.”

The album was written entirely by lead singer Nick Holmes and guitarist Greg Mackintosh, and described as more of a mix of vocal styles than their usual sound, said Holmes.

“I like to do the growling stuff but sometimes it’s nice to do the clean stuff too,” said Holmes.

He finds that many people are uplifted by the somewhat depressing sound and lyrics of Paradise Lost.

“We’ve always found, if it is miserable music to the average person, to us we actually do find it uplifting,” he said. “One man’s meat is another man’s poison, I guess. If my mother found it depressing, the next person might find it uplifting. It’s each to their own. I tend to find happy music depressing.”

Nine performances in Israel is something of a record for most international bands, although Paradise Lost has always had a following in Israel and has cherished the connection.

“Nine times, in the context of how long we’ve been going, is not that much really,” said Holmes. “Every time we’re asked to do it, we say, ‘Yeah of course.’ We’ve got a lot of good memories and we’ve got lots of friends over there we’ve met over the years. It’s always good to play there.”

The band, made up of Holmes on vocals, Mackintosh on lead guitar, Aaron Aedy on rhythm guitar and Stephen Edmondson on bass, has been together for more than three decades, since the four first met in school.

Tickets for Paradise Lost are available from Raven Metal.