Icon | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 28 September 1993 | |||
Recorded | June–July 1993 | |||
Studio | Jacobs Studios (Surrey, England) and Townhouse Studios (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:32 | |||
Label | Music for Nations | |||
Producer | Simon Efemey | |||
Paradise Lost chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Metal Storm | (9.8/10) [2] |
Rock Hard | (10/10) [3] |
Icon is the fourth studio album by British heavy metal band Paradise Lost, released on 28 September 1993 through Music for Nations. It is the band's final album to feature Matthew Archer on drums.
In February 2018, Icon was inducted into the Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame, becoming the second Paradise Lost album to be featured in the Decibel Hall of Fame (alongside Gothic ), with the magazine naming it influential to the development of the gothic metal subgenre. [4]
Icon marked a departure from the death-doom sound of their early work.[ citation needed ] In 2008, speaking to Kerrang! about the album's music, Nick Holmes recalled:
"We were pretty much the first band to coin the phrase 'gothic metal' so I don't have a problem with that label. We've actually done gothier albums than Icon, but if people want to say that it sums up something that's fine with me. At the time there was also black metal, thrash metal and everyone wanted to describe what type of something was so we went 'Okay, we've got The Sisters of Mercy elements in our music, let's call it goth metal'. We were getting better as musicians as well and I was hopefully getting better as a vocalist. When that happens you want to fine-tune what you're doing. It's also about not wanting to get stuck or pigeonholed into one particular musical place. We've kept the whole gothic thing going right throughout our career, but we did want to do something a little different. With the vocals, a lot of it was kind of shouting in key as opposed to just shouting, it's okay singing like Beelzebub, but your voice can get into trouble if you have a big tour." [5]
[ excessive quote ]
All songs written by Nick Holmes and Gregor Mackintosh.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Embers Fire" | 4:44 |
2. | "Remembrance" | 3:26 |
3. | "Forging Sympathy" | 4:44 |
4. | "Joys of the Emptiness" | 3:29 |
5. | "Dying Freedom" | 3:44 |
6. | "Widow" | 3:04 |
7. | "Colossal Rains" | 4:36 |
8. | "Weeping Words" | 3:51 |
9. | "Poison" | 3:00 |
10. | "True Belief" | 4:30 |
11. | "Shallow Seasons" | 4:55 |
12. | "Christendom" | 4:31 |
13. | "Deus Misereatur" (instrumental) | 1:58 |
Total length: | 50:32 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "Sweetness" | 5:34 |
15. | "Your Hand in Mine" | 6:40 |
Total length: | 62:46 |
Chart (1993) | Peak position |
---|---|
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [6] | 80 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [7] | 31 |
Icon 30 | ||||
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Studio album of re-recorded songs by | ||||
Released | 1 December 2023 | |||
Recorded | 2023 | |||
Studio | Arda Recorders (vocals and drums) Black Planet Studios (guitars and bass) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:38 | |||
Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
Producer | Jaime Gomez Arellano | |||
Paradise Lost chronology | ||||
|
Icon 30, a full re-recording of Icon, was released on 1 December 2023 on double vinyl with brand-new artwork, produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano. Vocals and drums were recorded in Arda Recorders in Porto, Portugal, while guitars and bass were recorded in Black Planet Studios, owned by guitarist Gregor Mackintosh. Vocalist Nick Holmes explained, "Our specific record deal around the time we signed for the Icon album meant we would never actually own the rights to our music or artwork, so going forward, to reissue the album ourselves for the 30th anniversary, it was necessary to re-record and completely re-do the album cover." The band will tour the UK in support of the album with My Dying Bride as special guests. [8]
All songs written by Nick Holmes and Gregor Mackintosh.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Embers Fire" | 4:52 |
2. | "Remembrance" | 3:28 |
3. | "Forging Sympathy" | 4:41 |
4. | "Joys of the Emptiness" | 3:29 |
5. | "Dying Freedom" | 3:43 |
6. | "Widow" | 3:07 |
7. | "Colossal Rains" | 4:31 |
8. | "Weeping Words" | 3:51 |
9. | "Poison" | 3:04 |
10. | "True Belief" | 4:32 |
11. | "Shallow Seasons" | 4:54 |
12. | "Christendom" | 4:33 |
13. | "Deus Misereatur" (instrumental) | 1:53 |
Total length: | 50:38 |
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [9] | 33 |
Into the Pandemonium is the third studio album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released on 1 June 1987 through Noise Records in Europe, and through Combat Records in the US. The album marks the return of bassist and backing vocalist Martin Eric Ain, who had previously appeared on 1984's Morbid Tales, but not on the band's previous album.
The Principle of Evil Made Flesh is the debut studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 24 February 1994 through Cacophonous Records, following three demos released between 1991 and 1993. The album's sound is significantly more raw than on subsequent releases, and frontman Dani Filth's vocals differ from his later style and technique. The album is a then-unusual hybrid of gothic metal and black metal. This would be the only album featuring guitarist Paul Ryan and keyboardist Benjamin Ryan; guitarist Paul Allender also left the band at this point, but returned five years later for Midian.
Paradise Lost are an English death metal band. Formed in Halifax, West Yorkshire, in 1988, they are considered to be among the pioneers of the death-doom genre, and regarded as the main influence for the later gothic metal movement. As of 2005, Paradise Lost have sold over two million albums worldwide.
Nicholas John Arthur Holmes is an English singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the gothic metal/doom metal band Paradise Lost and Swedish death metal band Bloodbath.
Gothic is the second studio album by British heavy metal band Paradise Lost, released on 19 March 1991 through Peaceville Records. The album is retrospectively considered style-defining and name-giving for the genre of gothic metal.
Gregor Mackintosh is a British guitar player. He is the lead guitarist in the metal band Paradise Lost, which he founded in 1988 together with singer Nick Holmes, rhythm guitarist Aaron Aedy, and bassist Steve Edmondson. He is the main composer of one of the pioneer bands and founding fathers of the gothic metal genre, considered to be influential to many other artists.
Anthony Edward Aaron Aedy is an English guitarist who is best known as the rhythm guitarist of the gothic metal/doom metal band Paradise Lost. He founded the band in 1988 alongside Stephen Edmondson, Gregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes. Outside from playing the rhythm guitar, sometimes he plays acoustic guitar on some albums such as Shades of God and Draconian Times.
Let Us Prey is the fourth studio album by English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard. It was released through Rise Above Records in 2002 and was the last album to feature Electric Wizard's original line-up. After its release, Tim Bagshaw and Mark Greening went on to form Ramesses.
Lost Paradise is the debut album by British heavy metal band Paradise Lost. Released in February 1990 by Peaceville Records, it features the band's early death-doom style. The album was re-issued in 2003 and included three bonus tracks.
Believe in Nothing is the eighth studio album by British metal band Paradise Lost, released on 26 February 2001.
Shades of God is the third studio album by British metal band Paradise Lost, released on 14 July 1992 through Music for Nations. It retains the heavy instrumentation and growled vocals characteristic of the band's previous death-doom efforts, and also shows the beginning of the band's transition to a more melodic, gothic metal sound heard on the follow-up album Icon.
Symbol of Life is the ninth studio album by British metal band Paradise Lost. It marks a departure by the band from their synth-based approach and returning to a much heavier sound, although not abandoning the keyboards altogether. This album was the final release featuring drummer Lee Morris.
One Second is the sixth studio album released by British metal band Paradise Lost. The album marks the group's transition from a gothic metal act to a more electronic direction. It is the bestselling record of their career and enabled the band to sign with the German branch of major label EMI. One Second is Paradise Lost's first album recorded in digital format.
Host is the seventh studio album by British gothic metal band Paradise Lost, released on 24 May 1999 through EMI Group Limited.
In Requiem is the eleventh studio album by British band Paradise Lost, released on 21 May 2007 through Century Media Records. It was produced by Rhys Fulber. Greek artist Seth Siro Anton from the metal band Septicflesh created the album's artwork.
Drown in Darkness – The Early Demos is a compilation album by British death metal band Paradise Lost, consisting of demos released in 1988 and 1989. Tracks one through three are taken from the band's 1988 demo "Paradise Lost"; tracks four through six are taken from the band's 1989 demo "Frozen Illusion"; tracks seven through twelve are taken from the band's other 1989 demo "Plains of Desolation". There was a seven minute, twelve second trailer of this demo, where most of the band members behind the demos were interviewed concerning the demos and the time surrounding the recording and releasing of the demos.
The Anatomy of Melancholy is a live album by the British gothic metal band Paradise Lost. It was recorded on 12 April 2007 at the Koko (London). The album was released on double DVD and double CD. There is also a deluxe 4-disc edition containing both aforementioned releases. The artwork was provided by Greek artist Seth Siro Anton.
Medusa is the fifteenth studio album by British gothic metal band Paradise Lost, released on 1 September 2017 through Nuclear Blast Records.
Weeping Choir is the seventh studio album by the American grindcore band Full of Hell. The album was released on May 17, 2019 and serves as the band's debut release through Relapse Records. Weeping Choir was engineered by Kurt Ballou of Converge, who previously produced Full of Hell's 2017 studio album Trumpeting Ecstasy.
Obsidian is the sixteenth studio album by British gothic metal band Paradise Lost, released on 15 May 2020 through Nuclear Blast Records.