Many things have changes since March 2011, when Paradise Lost played another full classic record in Greece – back then it was “Draconian Times”, also a fan favorite. What evidently has not changed is the love Greeks have for the band, which led to a couple of sold out shows, even though their most recent show here wasn’t that long ago. At Fuzz Live Music Club people barely fit inside the venue, to experience, even though the occasion was a rather unnecessary re-recording, the “Icon” album in its entirety.
Opening act On Thorns I Lay not only fit the British band but also the pouring Sunday rain in Athens. This is a group that has the experience, also on an international level, to warm up such crowds, offering plenty of cool moments and a double dose of melancholic lead guitar ‘cherries’ on top of a death/doom cake.
At 21:45 Paradise Lost came on stage led by the intimidating Mr. Mackintosh and his black flying V guitar. “Icon” was performed without much frills, with the introverted stage presence and laconic ‘britishness’ that we’ve come to expect (and accept), the only break being due to a snare change caused by… continuous violent beating.
“Embers Fire”, “Remembrance” and the pounding “Widow” were met with the warmest receptions from the audience during the 1st half of the set. “Colossal Rains” we didn’t quite get to hear due to sound problems, and then “True Belief” got, predictably and deservingly so, the biggest sing along of the night. “Christendom” also deserves to be mentioned; it was the song I was looking to hear the most from the ones essentially making their debut on this tour, and it didn’t disappoint.
For the short encore, I imagine that if we were to ask 100 people what they would have liked to hear, we would have gotten 100 different answers, but I consider it logical, after such a crowd-pleasing main course, to have some stuff from their recent body of work, as well as “Pity the Sadness”, which is welcome in Athens anytime. As is the case with Paradise Lost.
Romanos Terzis
photos: Afroditi Zaggana
