![]() Sure, One Second was marginally metal, but the mood and somber atmosphere remained, even if acquired a good beat that you could dance to. Elsewhere, “Mercy”‘s infectious hooks and memorable chorus lingers with you long after the song’s duration expires. Breakout single “Say Just Words” still goes down well in a live setting, containing one of the band’s most infectious choruses penned to date. ![]() The opening title track, with its now-iconic piano melody, could have easily sat within Draconian Time’s tracklist with no problem. Give a listen to the album’s first four songs, however, and tell me with a straight face that they’re not some of the most enduring songs they’ve written. Sure, Nick Holmes’ singing voice wasn’t particularly strong at the time, and Gregor Mackintosh’s mournful leads were replaced by synths and programmed melodies. One Second contained some of the band’s strongest material at the time, and remains one of the best gems in their nearly 30-year tenure. Many a metalhead shrieked at the thought that the very men who crafted classics like “Embers Fire” and “Hallowed Land” could do such an about face, turning away from a style many loved and cherished. Also gone were the colorful paintings that adorned their albums, and in their place was the face of an elderly woman, aged and weathered by time and hardship, further accentuating the concept of how things could change in just one second. Sure, haircuts and image upheavals were a big deal back in the 90s, as more and more bands felt the crushing weight of metal being pushed aside for instant gratifcation. Part 90 s Metal Weirdness, part Indefensible Position, but definitely a worthy Yer Metal is Olde induction, this is Paradise Lost’s crimson-headed, Doc Marten-booted stepchild, 1997’s One Second. In other words, they were ready to explore new horizons, and fans be damned if they have a problem with a band wanting to go more of a dancy Gothic route than, well, Gothic. Seeing their star on the rise, Paradise Lost did what any self-respecting metal band would do: they got haircuts, abandoned the doom metal they were most known for and loved, and jumped on the Depeche Mode wagon. ![]() Going from the atonal death/doom of their humble beginnings to their more streamlined sound, the West Yorkshire quintet were on the cusp of breaking big after the impact of 1993’s Icon and 1995’s powerful Yer Metal is Olde-inductee, Draconian Times. Once upon a time, England’s doom/death saints Paradise Lost were poised to become their country’s (and even their continent’s) answer to the mighty Metallica.
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