PARADISE LOST, Lacuna Coil, Katatonia, @Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton 30/10/13

Out of all the fantastic value for money bills that are criss-crossing the UK at the moment – and we are blessed right now, with the likes of Volbeat and Iced Earth, Tracer and The Answer welded together – this evening might have seen the best there is on offer this autumn.

Paradise Lost are in the building to celebrate their 25 years as a band, and they have bought along some mates for the evening. Lacuna Coil are phenomenal support act, but when you add Katatonia to the mix as openers – and by the way all bands are playing over an hour each, this really is quite spectacular.

The Swedes are on this tour with an anniversary of their own to mark. It is ten years since they released their “Viva Emptiness” record, which  as far as they see it, is as good a reason as any to play it all the way through. It is an excellent album and one which deserves hearing, however, if we are being honest we would rather see a proper show than an album one. That said, it is a treat to watch a couple of songs that have never been played live before and the likes of “Sleeper” which comes near the end is prime doom of the highest order and “Ghost of the Sun” ends things in a swirl of anger. 

Lacuna Coil are often dismissed as Cristina Scabbia and some other people. That does them a tremendous disservice. Big enough to headline this venue in their own right last year, they are a formidable live act. They are also back up to full strength. Last year’s tour saw them missing a rhythm section, tonight sees them all present and correct.

Their set is heavy on tracks from the “Dark Adrenaline” record from last year, including the opening one-two of “I Don’t Believe In Tomorrow” and “Kill The Light” both rock harder than you think, but perhaps where Coil excel is on the massive chorus which sees them in full stadium bothering mode “Heaven’s A Lie” is huge sounding and “Spellbound” ends things in epic fashion. 

So…25 years, then? 25 years. How it happened that Paradise Lost became veterans, who knows. Whilst RTM cannot claim that we were there since the start, we will claim PL worship since 1994 when Raw Magazine put a sampler of “Draconian Times” on the front cover, so tonight is as special for the fans as it is for the band. 

And my, what a setlist they have put together to celebrate this fact. It begins with “Mortals Watch The Day” from the “Shades of God” record – the track hasn’t been played live, apparently, for nearly 20 years. We are not in Greatest Hits territory, it seems.  So it continues, with “So Much Is Lost” from the drastically underrated and undervalued “Host” album and the death metal stylings of “Gothic.” 

There are some recent songs too – “Faith Divides Us, Death Unites”  and “Tragic Idol” for example – but this is an hour and half that really takes all your expectations, toys with them and surpasses them, and any set that includes “Say Just Words” must be one of the highlights of the musical year.

Notoriously miserable frontman Nick Holmes jokes (no really!) near the end, saying “imagine if you didn’t know us and turned up tonight, there’s been pop, rock, death metal, doom, you would wonder what was going on!” 

He’s spot on, but that is the charm of Paradise Lost, you never know what they are going to, except whatever they damn well please. What a joy it was to celebrate their 25 years of music with them here tonight. 

LACUNA COIL @Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton 23/10/12

n many ways RTM can thank Megadeth for the fact we are here tonight. The first time we came across Lacuna Coil was when co-vocalist Cristina Scabbia turned up on the remake of “Tout Le Monde” a few years back.

Scabbia is very much the public face – both literally and metaphorically – of the Italian’s. As such, in common with many people we had assumed it was some sort of Nightwish/Epica type deal, all symphonic power metal, when actually their sound owes far more to the doom end of the market and with this years “Dark Adrenaline” album marking a near-career highlight, a first time view of the band live was eagerly anticipated.

The set is promised to be a mammoth, career-spanning two hour affair, but the band are short of two regular members. Bassist Marco Zelati and drummer Criz Mozatti are missing this tour due to injury and paternity leave respectively, which is a shame, but soon forgotten when “I Don’t Believe In Tomorrow” kicks us off, with twin singers Scabbia and Andrea Ferro wearing matching what look to be Army uniforms and masks.

The driving rhythm of “I Wont Tell You” soon follows and by the time “Senzafine” comes along on a wave of Paradise Lost type grooves and “To The End” has created mass headbanging the momentum is really building. 

The trouble is what happens next. After a five minute break and a costume change, the band are back – on stools – for an acoustic portion, and lets be brutal about this, for all Scabbia’s protestations that this is their favourite portion of the show, the songs don’t really lend themselves to the stripped back format.

There is then another break before the band are back for part three, and this plugged in section of pretty straight ahead metal is much, much better. “Swamped” gets things jumping, while “Fragile” is awash with Eastern rhythms and the anthemic “To The Darkness” sees the band cut lose.

“My Spirit” closes things and the band take their bows after what has been a fine show. It could have been a great one, but the mid set lull and stop-start nature rather put paid to that.

Quibbles and personal preferences notwithstanding, Lacuna Coil are a band with much to offer, and one that should be cherished as being far more important than just a vehicle for Cristina Scabbia’s considerable talents. Megadeth may have led us here, but Lacuna Coil were worth it.