[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paradise_lost_2016.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Obligatory photo of the band.]]
Paradise Lost are a five-piece [[HeavyMetal metal]] band formed in 1988 in Halifax, England. Initially a [[DeathMetal death]]/[[DoomMetal doom]] band, Paradise Lost changed their direction with their albums ''Icon'' and ''Draconian Times'', [[TropeMaker pioneering the]] GothicMetal [[TropeMaker subgenre]], vocalist Nick Holmes changing his vocal style from a death growl (used on the band's first three albums) to clean singing. [[TropeNamer The name "gothic metal" is also derived from the band's second album]], ''Gothic'', which featured many of the trademarks that were to become canonised in gothic metal.
Paradise Lost's fifth studio album, ''Draconian Times'' was released in 1995 and is considered to be the band's most critically and commercially successful release, having notably sold over one million copies worldwide.
In 1997, they changed their look and style, and they began to experiment with synthrock and electronica. This direction, started with the album ''One Second'', continued with their next two albums, ''Host'' and ''Believe in Nothing'', the latter having more rock elements. The band appeared to be shedding their metal roots for good until ''Symbol of Life'' was released, signifying Paradise Lost's return to metal, albeit with a different sound to ''Icon''. This return to their roots was codified by their next album, which was self-titled and sounded closer to their "classic" era. They have primarily been a gothic metal band ever since.
Starting from ''The Plague Within'', Paradise Lost's style has shifted to a mix between their early and current eras, combining the death/doom sound of ''Lost Paradise'', ''Gothic'', and ''Shades of God'' with the gothic metal they later innovated.
Since 2013, Nick Holmes has returned to his death metal roots as lead singer for the band Music/{{Bloodbath}}, and is currently their longest serving vocalist yet. Holmes and Greg Mackintosh also have a [[SynthPop synthrock]] side project, Host, which is meant to reexplore the sound they intended for ''Host''. Host put out its first album, ''IX'', in 2023.
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!!Current Lineup:
* Nick Holmes - vocals
* Greg Mackintosh - lead guitar
* Aaron Aedy - rhythm guitar
* Steve Edmondson - bass
* Guido Zima - drums
!!Former members:
* Matthew Archer - drums
* Lee Morris - drums
* Jeff Singer - drums
* Adrian Erlandsson - drums
* Waltteri Väyrynen - drums
!!Discography:
* ''Lost Paradise'' - 1990
* ''Gothic'' - 1991
* ''Shades of God'' - 1992
* ''Icon'' - 1993
* ''Draconian Times'' - 1995
* ''One Second'' - 1997
* ''Host'' - 1999
* ''Believe in Nothing'' - 2001
* ''Symbol of Life'' - 2002
* ''[[SelfTitledAlbum Paradise Lost]]'' - 2005
* ''In Requiem'' - 2007
* ''Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us'' - 2009
* ''Tragic Idol'' - 2012
* ''The Plague Within'' - 2015
* ''Medusa'' - 2017
* ''Obsidian'' - 2020
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!!Tropes that apply to this band:
* DeathMetal: Their early stuff. Reintroduced into their sound on ''The Plague Within''
* DoomMetal: Once again, their early stuff. Also reintroduced on ''The Plague Within''
* GenreShift: In chronological order: death/doom, gothic metal, synthrock, (vaguely) industrial metal, gothic metal, gothic/death/doom.
* GothicMetal: One of the TropeMakers along with Music/MyDyingBride and {{Music/Anathema|Band}}.
* IndustrialMetal: During the synthrock era of their career, anyways.
* LongRunnerLineUp: Paradise Lost's line up is largely stable, consisting of Nick Holmes, Greg Mackintosh, Aaron Aedy, and Stephen Edmondson, with the band only changing drummers. They were a Type 2 with Lee Morris, who was their drummer from 1994-2004.
* ManOfAThousandVoices: Nick has quite the range, having recorded music with deep, guttural death growls, [[Music/{{Metallica}} James Hetfield]]-style snarling barks, a PerishingAltRockVoice, and everything in between.
* NewSoundAlbum: Pretty much every album they've ever done.
** Especially ''Gothic'', which toned down the DeathMetal and began to include Gothic influences (appropriately enough), ''Icon'', which saw them dropping the DeathMetal side entirely, ''One Second'', which inaugurated their synthrock phase, ''Symbol Of Life'', which saw them get noticeably heavier (while keeping the synthrock) and then the self-titled album, which saw them return to their ''Icon''-era sound. ''The Plague Within'' marks a return to the death/doom of their early days mixed with their ''Icon-Draconian Times'' and post-S/T sound.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Gregor Mackintosh being more involved with keyboards on ''Host'' was reportedly due to sustaining an injury that affected his guitar playing.
* RevisitingTheRoots: Starting with ''The Plague Within'', they have returned to their death metal roots with the reincorporation of death/doom into their sound after having moved away from it following ''Shades of God''.
* SelfTitledAlbum: Technically two: their first album was called ''Lost Paradise'', their tenth ''Paradise Lost''. What's more, ''Lost Paradise'' contains a song called "Lost Paradise" and another called "Paradise Lost".
* SopranoAndGravel: One of the bands to use the technique before Music/TheatreOfTragedy made it popular. Their material between ''Icon'' and ''Tragic Idol'' largely dropped it ("Erased" being one of the notable exceptions), for this to come back with ''The Plague Within''.
* TraumaticHaircut: The music video for "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us".
* TropeMakers: One of them for GothicMetal.
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