There is one word that you cannot use to characterise Paradise Lost, and that word is “repetitive”. Their concert at London’s Islington Assembly Hall proves that with Paradise Lost, variation is the spice of life.
Paradise Lost – Messa – High Parasite
Islington Assembly Hall – 17 October 2025
Words: Bogdan Bele
Photography: Robert Sutton
Tonight’s show is an album release one, as the band is in the middle of a tour promoting their latest album. Ascension is Paradise Lost at their finest, as gloomy as the world around us these days warrants. Not that they were ever known for writing joyful songs, but you get my point.
Coming back to repetitiveness, or lack thereof, we are talking about a band whose career goes through quite a few musical styles. And it is so interesting exactly because of it.
In the 37 years they have been around, the Halifax band has played Death and Doom Metal, and then pretty much defined Gothic Metal. They then had an electro, keyboard-laden period, as well as forays into more alternative rock. It all went somewhat full circle with a return to their current heavier sound.
And this brings us to tonight’s Paradise Lost setlist, in what is a sold-out show at the venerable Islington Assembly Hall. The set showcases the band’s ability to tackle various styles while retaining their identity. The audience seem to embrace this, looking like they are enjoying the journey.
Paradise Lost do not in any way ignore the new album, with three tracks from it played tonight. But they also go through almost every period of the rest of the band’s career, with something for everyone.
Speaking of the new album, the band kicked things off with the excellent Serpent On The Cross, vocalist Nick Holmes in fine voice from the start. That remains the case throughout, with their tracks requiring a multitude of vocal styles.
The new track is haunting, heavy, atmospheric, and very powerful. Next comes the riffy Tragic Idol, immediately followed by True Belief, from the not-long-ago-re-recorded classic album Icon. Right after that, it is time for One Second, from their electronic period, and then Draconian Times track Once Solemn, heavy and faster-paced. 
What is very interesting is that these very diverse tracks seem to flow together perfectly. Paradise Lost, “from the North,” as Nick Holmes says at one point, are a very tight musical unit. It’s what you would expect when four out of five of the band members have been together from the beginning.
I am talking about Holmes, guitarists Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, plus bassist Stephen Edmondson. Only drummers have changed several times. There is a Spinal Tap parallel that you cannot help but come across online when it comes to that aspect.
However, Jeff Singer, the man doing a great job behind the kit tonight, returned to the band not long ago, after leaving in 2008.
The band even looks very symmetrical in the sparse decor, with a massive Paradise Lost backdrop behind. On purpose or not, as Mackintosh is left-handed, his guitar’s fretboard and Aedy’s somehow seem to mirror one another.
They continue with the exceptional, full of emotion, Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us, from the album of the same name.
It all then ventures into much heavier territory, especially when it comes to Beneath Broken Earth. This is without doubt the heaviest moment of the night, with the low guitar sounds perfectly joining the harsh vocals. It is a very powerful moment, conveying all the despair and sadness you could conjure.
It is followed by the poppy Nothing Sacred, before which the singer asks if there are fans of the Host album in the room. Obviously, it is a time that is still cherished by many, judging by the reaction.
A Paradise Lost show is not a “jumping around” kind of affair, nor is it a concert featuring band members running around a stage. It is mostly about getting into its atmosphere and actually listening.
With that said, the new album makes a second appearance with Tyrants Serenade, another gloomy yet very catchy track. What is interesting here is that, as on the album, there are two vocal tracks, a clean one and a growling one. Some of it comes from a prerecorded tape. It is unavoidable, with a single singer on stage. However, while keyboard tracks and other effects are also delivered the same way, this looks slightly weird.
We get closer to the end of the regular set, which also includes Mouth, from Believe In Nothing. The album is “the one with the bees on the front, don’t ask me why,” as the frontman puts it. 
It ends with the excellent (and probably best-known) Say Just Words, before they come back for a three-song encore. Ghosts sounds excellent, and so does Silence Like The Grave, another one of Ascension’s singles.
This was as good a retrospective as possible, without really ignoring any periods of Paradise Lost’s career. Was it missing anything? Maybe Darker Thoughts, and their excellent cover of Bronski Beat’s Small Town Boy.
Other than that, an enjoyable evening of doom and gloom was had by all. 
High Parasite: A Gothic Rebirth
If you follow Metal news, you cannot avoid hearing about Aaron Stainthorpe’s exit from My Dying Bride. Well, his new band High Parasite has been an ongoing concern for a while now. 
And it is going in a much more gothic direction than the band that made Stainthorpe famous. High Parasite gets to open tonight’s hostilities.
The man himself, in a white suit and mostly white make-up, plus accessories of the same colour, seems to have a lot of fun fronting the new outfit, right from starting track, Parasite.
They do start playing to a sparsely filled hall, as they get on stage some 15 minutes after the gates have opened. It starts filling up as their short set continues, with masked bass player Thombs in a Choose Goth t-shirt.
Their set features exclusively tracks from their first album, produced by Gregor Mackintosh (tonight’s headliners’ guitarist). It’s a dynamic one, and Forever We Burn is a standout.
Messa: Haunting and Ethereal
Second on the bill tonight are Italy’s Messa. The female-fronted combo are what one would call hard to put into a musical category. You could say that it’s mostly rooted in Doom. However, the progressive and even jazz elements make them very unpredictable. And in a very good way. 
Their set, trippy and with beautiful instrumental work, complemented by the ethereal vocals, is mesmerising for the most part.
They are an outfit that has the ability to truly create an atmosphere, keeping you dreaming throughout their performance. The Dress, especially, features some fantastic guitar playing. It’s jazzy part sounds fantastic, and so does the riffy part of Reveal. 
Messa are a very interesting and very brave band, definitely worth exploring. There are enough of their fans in the room, and they do seem to make quite an impression on a part of the audience.
I have also heard voices doubting their presence on the bill. They are, in fairness, very stylistically different to the rest of the music that is performed tonight.
I would suggest that they most certainly deserve a listen. 
