Host (Paradise Lost album)

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Host
Studio album by
Paradise Lost
Released24 May 1999[1]
RecordedSeptember 1998 – February 1999
Genre
Length53:00
LabelEMI
ProducerSteve Lyon
Paradise Lost chronology
One Second
(1997) 		Host
(1999) 		Believe in Nothing
(2001)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Cutting Edge [nl][3]
Laut.de[4]
Q[5]
Rock Hard8.5/10[6]

Host is the seventh studio album by British gothic metal band Paradise Lost.

Background and content[edit]

Following One Second, Host saw the band moving further away from their previous metal sound to something more akin to a melancholic style of synth-pop incorporating downtempo, leftfield, and trance electronic styles. Songs were constructed primarily of programmed drums and synthesizer melodies, with simple, rock-style guitar added for choruses. Vocalist Nick Holmes resolved to simple melodies with his clean singing style, often doubled and harmonized; the resultant material resembled crossover acts like Psykosonik[citation needed] and electronic band Depeche Mode.

Release and promotion[edit]

The singles "So Much Is Lost" and "Permanent Solution" both have music videos released; in an interview, Holmes and Mackintosh explained that the videos were higher budget compared to other videos they made.[7]

Due to an injury, Gregor Mackintosh often played keyboards instead of guitar while touring the album with his guitar technician Milton "Milly" Evans playing his guitar parts.[8]

Reaction and legacy[edit]

While the album was critically well received, opinion about it continues to be split. Holmes commented on this album in 2007, stating:

"From Host through to Believe in Nothing, we didn't really kind of know where we were going. We were really in a dilemma."[9]

Aedy said Host is the "darkest" Paradise Lost album, but noted the band was not happy with the production.[10] The album was remastered and re-released in 2018.[11]

The album eventually served as the inspiration of Holmes' and Mackintosh's side-project Host; in the press release about the formation, Mackintosh noted that "We always stood by Host as an album".[12]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."So Much Is Lost"4:16
2."Nothing Sacred"4:02
3."In All Honesty"4:02
4."Harbour"4:23
5."Ordinary Days"3:29
6."It's Too Late"4:44
7."Permanent Solution"3:17
8."Behind the Grey"3:13
9."Wreck"4:41
10."Made the Same"3:34
11."Deep"4:00
12."Year of Summer"4:16
13."Host"5:12
Total length:53:00
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."So Much Is Lost (Lost in Space Mix)"6:22
15."Languish" (instrumental)4:08
16."So Much Is Lost (String Version)"4:18

Personnel[edit]

Paradise Lost[edit]

  • Nick Holmes – lead vocals and lyrics
  • Gregor Mackintosh – lead guitar (tracks 1–11, 13–16), keyboards, programming, string arrangements (1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 13), and all music
  • Aaron Aedy – rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Year of Summer"
  • Steve Edmondson – bass
  • Lee Morris – drums, backing vocals

Additional personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] 33
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 7
French Albums (SNEP)[15] 67
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 4
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[17] 38
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 19
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 61

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Paradise Lost – Host on the band's official website". Archived from the original on 13 October 2000. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  2. ^ Antti J. Ravelin. "Host – Paradise Lost : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Cutting Edge | Paradise Lost, 'Host'". www.cuttingedge.be.
  4. ^ "Für die einen ist es Synthiepop, für andere Wave". laut.de (in German).
  5. ^ Malins, Steve. "Review: Paradise Lost – Host". Q (July 1999). EMAP Metro Ltd: 122.
  6. ^ "PARADISE LOST - Host". ROCK HARD Heavy-Metal-Magazin.
  7. ^ Nuclear Blast Records (8 March 2018). "PARADISE LOST - Host: Nick & Greg on the official Host music videos (OFFICIAL TRAILER)". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021.
  8. ^ Uhlenbruch, J. "Niggels" (26 November 2009). "Paradise Lost - Bielefeld 2009". www.reflectionsofdarkness.com.
  9. ^ Justin Donnelly (27 September 2007). "PARADISE LOST Frontman: 'Believe In Nothing' Represented A Really Dark Time In My Life". Blabbermouth. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  10. ^ Gothic Rock Official (7 October 2017). "Aaron Aedy | Paradise Lost ➤ the One Second and Host days". YouTube.com.
  11. ^ "PARADISE LOST - "Host - Remastered" in March!". Nuclear Blast. 19 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Host Announce Debut Album Via Nuclear Blast". MetalSucks. 22 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Paradise Lost – Host" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  14. ^ "Paradise Lost: Host" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  15. ^ "Lescharts.com – Paradise Lost – Host". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  16. ^ "Officialcharts.de – Paradise Lost – Host". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  17. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Paradise Lost – Host". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  18. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Paradise Lost – Host". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
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