Live Show: Paradise Lost, On Thorns I Lay
Location: Fuzz Club, Athens, Greece
Date: December 10th, 2023
Live Correspondent: Kostas Boudoukos
Photos: Evelina Gerakiti
Videos: Alexandros Soultatos
Again and again and again…and again! No matter how many times PARADISE LOST visit Greece, their fans will always be there! Especially for a special occasion like the 30-year anniversary for the release of the iconic album “Icon”. Not only for Nick Holmes and the rest of the band, but also for Doom Metal in general. And that’s the reason for this enormous queue I witnessed when I arrived at Fuzz Club around 20:15n under rainy weather.
ON THORNS I LAY: The Athenians ON THORNS I LAY was a perfect fit for the night. The Doom/Death veterans presented on stage their new-self titled release, an album with six amazing songs! Definitely one of the best of 2023. From the beginning at 20:30 and for almost 45 minutes they gave an extraordinary performance on stage, full of doom and mysticism.
We were really lucky to witness their show but ON THORNS I LAY were also lucky to be able to present their new album in front of a packed venue and, most important, in front of an audience that was fully receptive for that kind of music. Their singer Petros Miliadis was frugal with words but also full of emotion.
I must congratulate the sound and light engineers that leveled up the whole performance. The band included three new songs in its setlist, “Fallen From Grace”, Thorns On Fire” and “Newborn Skies”. Ι was kind of disappointed I did not have the chance to listen live my favorite “Crestfallen” so… hopefully next time!
Setlist
- Fallen From Grace
- Newborn Skies
- Misos
- The Song Of The Sirens
- Olethros Part I
- Erevos
- Thorns Of Fire
PARADISE LOST: After the necessary break, at around 22:45 the lights dimmed down, darkness fell heavily on us and the rainy weather turned Athens to London. PARADISE LOST got on stage with «Deus Misereatur”, the outro from “Icon”. It was already common knowledge that the show will be all about this album. The full album was performed on stage along with two extra songs.
The first song was “Ember Fire”, one of their best songs only to follow other iconic songs like “Remembrance”, “Colossan Rains”, “Weeping Words” and my favorite “True Belief” that was accompanied by a very loud sing-along by the crowd. The touching “Christendom” (with small sound problems) closed the main part of the set.
During the traditional encore we listened to “Sweetness”, the ravaging “Pity The Sadness” from “Shades Of God”, the dark and mysterious “No Hope In Sight” and one of their new classics “Ghosts” from “Obsidian” album. Their performance was really good. Holmes was in a good shape, his jokes on the other hand … not so much! Of course the never-ending grumbling about the duration of their show was once more there.
Setlist
- Embers Fire
- Remembrance
- Forging Sympathy
- Joys Of The Emptiness
- Dying Freedom
- Widow
- Colossal Rains
- Weeping Words
- Poison
- True Belief
- Shallow Seasons
- Christendom
- Sweetness
- Pity The Sadness
- No Hope In Sight
- Ghosts
No matter what, PARADISE LOST have managed to create a strong bond with the Greek metalheads and every time they come to Greece, their fans are always there screaming and headbanging. Especially honoring an album like “Icon”. The band members are in a great shape, they have overcome the problems of the past and they are performing on their full potential. Maybe they should have scheduled one more show…another great band had set the example after all, a few months ago!!!
Design & Editing: Alexandros Soultatos
Related Links: PARADISE LOST – Official Page
ON THORNS I LAY – Official Page
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