Strike up a conversation with a few fans of gothic-metal, and one name is destined to pop up sooner or later: Paradise Lost. This band has evolved tremendously throughout their career, and they have also acted as an enormous influence to bands like Lacuna Coil. In fact, this influence was so obvious at times that during Lacuna Coil's early years, many people dubbed them 'Lacunadise Lost'.

The 2001 release Believe In Nothing is Paradise Lost's eighth studio album, and it continues in the vein of their most melodic sounds. Many Paradise Lost fans have remained angry that the band hasn't truly returned to their much heavier roots, but in the process of making their sound more accessible, Paradise Lost gained an entirely new legion of admirers -- such is the case with most bands.

Much like its title suggests, Believe In Nothing has a very bleak, depressing sound. On the contrary, the atmospheric nature of the music on this album can be beautiful, soothing and inspiring. Vocalist Nick Holmes is one of the most excellent and certainly one of the most influential gothic-metal frontmen I can think of. I love the way his low, despondent tone sinks right into the sea of melancholic, heavy guitars.

"I Am Nothing" introduces listeners to the brooding environment right away. Holmes' plaintive vocals hover over eerie synths and free-flowing guitars to create the perfect chill-out song. Smoothly sailing in next, the trippy, Depeche Mode-esque "Mouth" is one of my absolute favorites. This song demonstrates what a HUGE vocal influence Holmes was on Lacuna Coil's male vocalist, the endearingly raspy Andrea Ferro -- the similarities are remarkable. The captivating fan-favorite "Fader" features one of Holmes' most confident sounding performances, mixed flawlessly amidst swirly, ethereal music.

Only occasionally does Believe In Nothing falter. "Something Real," despite its intriguingly slow tempo, is a little too repetitive and Holmes sounds a bit too emotionless in the chorus. However, the talented vocalist quickly redeems himself with "Divided," a soft, mysterious song in which he sounds especially chilling.

"Never Again" reminds me of newer Katatonia material for some reason; perhaps its the silky, contemplative tone Holmes uses here. Although I never really thought of Holmes resembling Jonas Renkse vocally, this song shows that he occasionally does in the very slightest of ways.

The gorgeously layered guitar melodies of "Control" are sure to soothe even the most hardened of hearts, but there's still this amazing mystique to the song. Once again, that unusual contrast of 'relaxing' and 'unsettlingly depressing' in Paradise Lost's sound stuns me -- even if people can't personally get into the band's sound, it's all too easy to take note of the way they have this natural ability to evoke a variety of emotions in listeners.

Believe In Nothing ends with its most depressing song, the hard-hitting "World Pretending". Saturated with a genuine sense of sadness that can be felt from the first lyric he sings, Holmes really shows what he's capable of here, his rich vocals reaching heights many Paradise Lost fans may not even have known he was capable of reaching. The minimal accompaniment is highly effective, as it gives the spotlight solely to Holmes. Indeed, this song is the perfect way to end Believe In Nothing.

Those who tend to stick with the more ambient and less aggressive types of metal would be best off looking into Believe In Nothing. This is a great example of "mellow" Paradise Lost, and although the 'skip' button may occasionally come in handy, Believe In Nothing is a strong album overall. It's definitely not something you'll want to look into if you need cheering up, as it generally sticks with a slow, dark and dreary sound. Holmes is really easy to get into as a vocalist, and his lyrics are simple enough for anyone to relate to when they're down. I'm sure that fans of soft, gothic music will find Believe In Nothing to be very beneficial to their music collection.

Perfect for rainy days.

Good Music to Play While: 'Searching for your own lost paradise' deep within your blackened soul, or something similarly cliched.






Recommended: Yes