10 90s Metal Albums That Successfully Transformed Their Band's Sound

8. Paradise Lost - Icon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yoy1UNRABQ8 Halifax's Paradise Lost were one of the 90's most innovative metal acts. They pioneered the gothic metal sound to a large extent and their '93 masterpiece Icon was one that transformed the band's sound in other very interesting ways. For a start, the vocals were clearly a big departure from the low-register growls heard on records like the brilliant Gothic. They instead opted for some more clarity in their vocal range, with frontman Nick Holmes allowing his voice to reach new dynamic territory not found on their previous material. Songs like the goth anthem opener 'Embers Fire' or the dark, somber movements of 'Christendom' reveal a group that curiously strive to explore the more subtle moments of their artistry. Their doom influence was always apparent from the start but on Icon, they don't let that one element dictate their sound in the way that they used to. Tracks like the monolithic exploder 'Colossal Rains' or the spacious mysticism of 'True Belief' reveal a much more vulnerable side to the band - one that ascends into the heavens thanks to some fantastic symphonic infusion on the instrumental sections. They followed the record up with the brilliant Draconian Times but Icon will forever go down as the record that cemented this band's importance in the metal history books. Key Tracks: Embers Fire, Forging Sympathy, Colossal Rains, True Belief