Search - Paradise Lost :: Believe in Nothing

Paradise Regained

Andy Gill | Dorset, England | 05/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For the last few years, there has been a division in PL's fanbase. On the one hand there are the old-schoolers, fans of PL's early gothic death-metal vibe; on the other, fans of PL's newer, more contemporary sound. I was one of the former; I loved everything up to 1995's Draconian Times album, and then One Second came along and, despite having its moments, it was a heartbreaking disappointment. After Host, I lost touch with the band, which was unfortunate considering I have their logo tattooed on my arm. But then, after hearing good things about their latest album, Symbol Of Life, I bought Believe In Nothing, and was more than pleasantly surprised.The guitars are back! Maybe it's not as heavy as it used to be, but in terms of tunes and song structures, it far surpasses what PL used to create. In many ways similar to the stomping Once Solemn and B-side Fear, the album takes gothic rock to the next level, fusing pounding riffs with Nick Holmes' newly-discovered vocal dexterity, and throwing in the odd few samples to boot. Never short of musical hooks in the past, PL's material on this album sticks in the head like none before. The opening pairing of I Am Nothing and Mouth actually works better than the immortal juxtaposition of Embers Fire and Remembrance on the Icon album, something that I thought would never be possible. Once you reach the end of track two, you cannot pull away - the album [draws] you in and refuses to let go.In short, Believe In Nothing is awesome. Not as heavy as Symbol Of Life, but altogether tighter and more consistent, this is the album that signals Paradise Lost's return to grace. They have successfully managed to bridge the gap between their old-school roots and their new-school developments to make what I believe is the best Paradise Lost album. After hearing One Second, I believed that the world's greatest band had died; now I know that like the phoenix rising from the ashes, they have been born again and have grown into something great. Whether you're into the old-school or new-school band, I guarantee you'll be into this."

Short, catchy and well written songs.

Rick van der Ham | 09/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Paradise Lost, one of the founders of English Doom Metal, deliver a modern heavy rocking album. Although the band sounds heavier than their previous record Host, they do not return to the more heavy sounds on early records. The songs are short, catchy and well written. If you are searching for songs with lengthy instrumental parts, then do not buy this album. The songs are vocal orientated. Fortunately vocalist Nick Holmes impresses me very much on Believe In Nothing. Although the songs are extremely catchy, they have a depressive atmosphere. So do not expect happy catchy songs. The only real negative aspect of the album is that the album could have been better if some songs were longer and more challenging to listen to. On most of the songs the pace does not really change and adding some instrumental parts could have made the album better."

Dark masterpiece.

Warren D. | South England. | 11/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Believe in Nothing" was generally not recieved well by Paradise Lost fans. I have to say on first listen I was stunned!
This album saw the return of heavy guitars in a big way, and was in my opinion Paradise Lost's return to metal.
This album brings influences from "Draconian Times", "One Second" and "Host" together, and sounds brilliant. The musicianship is superb, and the bass on this album is extremely heavy.
Nick's vocals continue their trend of improving with every album, here a lot of singing is performed, and sometimes one can notice an edging back into Draconian-style yelling, and of course, the ever-present feeling of hopelessness and great cynicism. Greg's leads show up here and there, with their ever slow and despairing aura. Aaron's rhythmn riffs are very professional. Steve's bass as already mentioned continues to severely increase in volume with each successive album, here it reaches almost the point of explosion! Very nice. Lee's drumming is brilliant with some nice bass pedal drives and great precision.
"Believe in Nothing" posseses several standout songs, for me more than average on a Paradise Lost album. "Divided" is beautifully melodied, orchestrated and executed. This is one of the albums best songs. "Illumination" is a nice slow tune with atmospheric guitar work and great vocals. "World Pretending", the albums closer, is very dark and extremely heavy. Nick's singing here really is professional, the mood here really dives into new lows. For me, however, the best song is "Never Again". This is the album's darkest song, with a great deal of eerie guitar work going on in the background, along with a nice lengthy string-section bridge.
I do not have a favourite Paradise Lost album as such, but I consider "Believe in Nothing" to be the most underrated of them all, the most looked-passed, so to speak. This is a shame because for me it is one of Paradise Lost's most effective albums, and I think that people will be able to appreciate this better having heard the new Paradise Lost album "Symbol of Life".
"Believe in Nothing" is brilliant, I'd recommend this to anyonewho feels the need to sit down for a second and reflect on life, or just to enjoy the midnight hour!
Genius."