RoD header

Translate

paradiselost 07Bingo Club, Kiev, Ukraine
7th February 2020
Paradise Lost & Evolucija

As part of the Russian leg of the tour to promote recent album ‘Medusa’, UK Goth-Metal pioneers PARADISE LOST stopped off on a chilly night in Ukraine’s capital city Kiev to play the Bingo Club to an enthusiastic crowd. An eagerly anticipated show like this barely needs a support act to get things going, but one was provided anyway…


Evolucija

…pity. Swiss-Serbian metallers EVOLUCIJA were not entirely up to the task. They certainly looked the part, although singer Ilana Marinjes-von Arx failed to really engage with the audience. But most noticeable was the weak, and at times off-key vocals, sometimes swamped out of existence, sometimes way too prominent. What you don’t want when announcing the next song, is an audience heckle of “Hope it’s the last one”. But that’s what they got. And it was only song number four. Oh dear. Mercifully, this was just a thirty minute set, and after a thirty minute changeover, the largely forgiving crowd were focussed and ready for the main act.

  • evolucija_01
  • evolucija_02
  • evolucija_03
  • evolucija_04
  • evolucija_05
  • evolucija_06
  • evolucija_07
  • evolucija_08
  • evolucija_09
  • evolucija_10


Paradise Lost

Arriving on stage to fan favourite ’Enchantment‘, from 1995’s ‘Draconian Times‘, the venue was by now completely packed, and even the VIP was full. Looking energetic and most definitely happy to be here, PARADISE LOST wasted no time in introducing new material - blistering new song, ‘From The Gallows’, shows no softening of the band’s sound over the years, and later in the set the title track from ‘Medusa’ was also well received and shows a return to the taut drama that have made the band such an enduring phenomenon. But it’s the classics most people here are keen to be a part of, and PARADISE LOST have a well-balanced setlist that never allows for any dip in the quality control, and aims to satisfy the whole audience - whether the die-hard fan with every album, or the more casual observer who knows The Big Songs.

paradiselost 20

So out of the hat comes the sublime ‘Forever Failure’, sounding as fresh and vibrant as the day it was written. ‘As I Die’, the song that arguably influenced everyone from ANATHEMA to CRADLE OF FILTH, is introduced by reminding us this was a song the band first played together as teenagers - now there’s a scary thought - and ‘Gothic’, the song that made it ok to be a Goth who likes Metal, back in the day. Guitarist Aaron Aedy certainly was out to prove age is no barrier to energy, as he bounced about the stage like someone who‘s strings have just been cut, and indeed ‘Erased’ was introduced by singer Nick Holmes as a rave song, with strict instructions for everyone to enjoy themselves. Nice!

paradiselost 09

A three song encore was perfect to draw to a close a show that was dynamic, well-structured and professionally performed, although a few sound nibbles on closing track ’Say Just Words‘ meant somewhat shrill guitars drowned out the vocals at times. But no matter. This was a hugely enjoyable show by a band who work tirelessly to stay relevant and interesting - hard to say if the enormous queue to retrieve coats and bags was due to venue inefficiency or just that people didn’t want to leave and break the bubble. I like to think it was the latter.

Setlist
01. Enchantment
02. From The Gallows
03. Tragic Idol
04. Isolate
05. Blood And Chaos
06. Forever Failure
07. Requiem
08. Medusa
09. Erased
10. As I Die
11. Beneath Broken Earth
12. Embers Fire
13. Gothic
14. The Enemy
---
15. No Hope In Sight
16. Faith Divides Us
17. Say Just Words

Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Lights: 8
Total: 8 / 10

  • paradiselost_01
  • paradiselost_02
  • paradiselost_03
  • paradiselost_04
  • paradiselost_05
  • paradiselost_06
  • paradiselost_07
  • paradiselost_08
  • paradiselost_09
  • paradiselost_10
  • paradiselost_11
  • paradiselost_12
  • paradiselost_13
  • paradiselost_14
  • paradiselost_15
  • paradiselost_16
  • paradiselost_17
  • paradiselost_18
  • paradiselost_19
  • paradiselost_20

All Pictures by Victoria Alexeeva

See also (all categories):

Comments powered by CComment