Paradise Lost – Draconian Times MMXI – Limited Silver Double Vinyl Record

Description

Paradise Lost – Draconian Times MMXI – Limited Silver Double Vinyl Record

Draconian Times MMXI captures Paradise Lost revisiting one of gothic metal's defining albums with the authority of musicians who had continued to evolve long after its release. Recorded at the HMV Forum in London during the band's 2011 anniversary tour, the concert presents 1995's Draconian Times from beginning to end. Singer Nick Holmes, guitarists Greg Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, bassist Stephen Edmondson and drummer Adrian Erlandsson preserve the album's recognizable structures while giving them the heavier physical presence of a later live lineup. It is a celebration, but not a cautious museum piece.

“Enchantment” remains an imposing entrance, building from its measured opening into the combination of melody and weight that defines the record. “Hallowed Land” and “The Last Time” demonstrate how effectively Paradise Lost could place memorable choruses inside dark, forceful arrangements, while “Forever Failure” slows the pace and deepens the atmosphere. Holmes' mature vocal brings additional grain to the material, and Mackintosh's lead lines remain essential emotional voices rather than ornamental solos. The audience response is audible without overwhelming the mix, reinforcing the communal significance these songs acquired in the years after their original release.

The middle sequence shows the breadth within Draconian Times. “Once Solemn” is compact and urgent, “Shadowkings” carries a more stately momentum, and “Elusive Cure” balances hard-edged rhythm with a strong melodic center. “Yearn for Change” and “Shades of God” allow the band to stretch the mood, while “Hands of Reason” returns to a tighter attack. Keyboards and backing vocals from Milly Evans add depth to the live arrangements. The performance makes clear why the album became a bridge between doom metal's gravity, gothic atmosphere and the direct songcraft that brought Paradise Lost to a wider audience.

“I See Your Face” and “Jaded” complete the original album sequence without disturbing its carefully descending emotional arc. The concert then moves forward in the band's history with “Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us” and “Rise of Denial,” both drawn from the 2009 album Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us. Their inclusion is more than an encore appendix. The later songs show how the dramatic pacing, melodic guitar language and tension between intimacy and mass remained active elements of Paradise Lost's work, even as production and vocal approaches changed across the intervening years.

This Sevan Mater edition presents the complete fourteen-song performance on two silver vinyl records. It is limited to 500 copies and housed in a deluxe triple-gatefold package, a configuration that gives the live document an appropriately substantial physical form. The invoice abbreviated the title incorrectly as “Draconian Tomes MMXL”; the barcode and catalog information identify the release precisely as Draconian Times MMXI. For listeners who regard the 1995 studio album as a cornerstone, this set offers the full work with the scale and energy of the anniversary stage. It also stands on its own as an unusually focused Paradise Lost concert recording.

Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic

Track Listing

Enchantment
Hallowed Land
The Last Time
Forever Failure
Once Solemn
Shadowkings
Elusive Cure
Yearn for Change
Shades of God
Hands of Reason
I See Your Face
Jaded
Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us
Rise of Denial