One of the few Metal bands that has visited Greece at almost every tour is Paradise Lost. I have seen them 5-6 times, let alone the few times I haven't. And this Saturday for once more the Athenian audience has the opportunity to see them live. Although Paradise Lost have played also yesterday, the cozy club Gagarin 205 is satisfactory full.

The show begun at 9:30 with Nightfall, of which the fame has traveled long time ago outside the Greek borders and are already well known to the Greek audience. In the beginning, judging by its reactions, the audience was a bit "tight". Maybe was a bit responsible for this is the set list, but after a couple of songs the audience liven up when it listened to "I am Jesus", then followed the Aenaon (from Lesbian Show). From that point the enthusiasm climaxed. Efthimis was talkative with the audience and many times responded to their calls, while the rest of the band was cheerful enough and played vigorously. The show continued with the Poor Us, Master Faster Sweet Disaster, Sin, I 've Never Dreamed The Life We Share, Diva (that was dedicated to the whores and the club was shaken). Efthimis announced that he didn't expect to be so many whores out there. The show ended with 3 more dynamites: Semana Tragica, My Red, Red Moon and finally Lesbian Show, which is the beloved song of the audience and that was obvious by the plenty of the crowd surfing. Despite the complains that some have for the musical direction change of the band generally speaking Nightfall in their almost 60 minute show presented a very good live performance, leaving us a nice sense.

Then an inevitable break followed in order we to calm down and the road crew to set the equipment. Paradise Lost appeared soon at the stage blaring enthusiasm to the crowd.

Although most of the late tracks of Paradise Lost are not exciting enough as the older stuff, yet the athenian audience at least in the front seemed to enjoy it by crowd surfing and headbanging. Nick Holm was in a good mood tonight. Steve Edmondson and the "egghead" Aaron Aedy, who was headbanging unremittingly, were the placed on the left of the stage giving the rhythm of the sonic attack. While Gregor Mackintosh (who was dressed a bit Gothic) launched "poisonous" reefs, and the slightly overweight Lee Morris "stroke" joyfully the drum set.

The set list was based merely on the "Symbol of Life" album (what more reasonable?). Luckily they played only one song from "Believe In Nothing" (Mouth) and one from the repulsive "potato release" "Host" (So Much Is Lost). Of course some of the old stuff could not be lacking. Among the songs they played are the following: Isolate, So Much Is Lost, Mystify, No Celebration, I See Your Face, Pray Nightfall, Symbol Of Life, True Belief, Mouth, As I Die, Perfect Mask, Mercy, Say Just Words. After a sort break Paradise Lost returned for an encore featuring: Erase, Small Town Boy, One Second and afterwards for a second one playing the mid 90ties hits: Embers Fire and Eternal, where the Club totally was earth shaken, indicating how thirsty is the athenian audience to listen to older stuff apart from the "healthy" comeback of Symbol Of Life.

Briefly Paradise Lost at their 90 minute show yielded satisfactory, but there is no comparison to the their heyday's period. A general complain is why they play for so little while firstly they have released so many remarkable songs and secondly other older and more worn-off bands play for more than 2 hours. However Paradise Lost even in the 90-ties played for 70-80 minutes. Many fans can't understand this economy of powers. At least apart from the qualitative there should be also and a quantitative respect to the average fan, which generally speaking can afford with difficulty the concert ticket of the 30 Euros.

PS: Many Thanx to Tina Pappa from Astra Music.