10 Bands Who Weren’t Afraid To Change Their Sound

Like Anathema, Paradise Lost were pioneers of the '90s gothic-doom metal sound in the UK, and the two were regarded as one of the Peaceville Records three classic purveyors of the sound, along with My Dying Bride. In their early days, Paradise Lost were clearly influenced by the death metal scene, and their first albums Lost Paradise (1990), Gothic (1991) and Shades Of God (1992) were slow and heavy, with a significant use of growled vocals from singer Nick Holmes.

But on their fourth record, Icon (1993), they began a departure away from the sound as Holmes started to find his singing voice, with the music taking on more of a traditional metal sound. Draconian Times (1995) rubber stamped Paradise Lost's change and brought success for the band with songs that had more of a mainstream appeal - all while Holmes’ vocal style drew comparisons with James Hetfield of Metallica.

Unhappy resting on their laurels, Paradise Lost experimented further, adding electronica and an '80s goth influence into their next album, One Second (1997), before enhancing the change and moving further away from their metal sound on follow up Host (1999). Their career in the 2000s has seen a further nine albums from Paradise Lost, with the band once again returning to their metal roots, and bringing back the fanbase who had chosen not to follow them down their experimental path of the late-'90s.