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No Celebration: The Official Story of Paradise Lost
No Celebration: The Official Story of Paradise Lost chronicles the British doom metal progenitors’ groundbreaking three decades-plus career with in-depth interviews, first-hand accounts, and never-before-seen photos. Author David E. Gehlke takes readers into the depths of one of metal’s most enduring bands. Including a foreword from Bolt Thrower/Memoriam frontman Karl Willetts, this hardcover edition is over 300 pages and strictly limited to 1,000 copies worldwide.
- GenresNonfiction
310 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 18, 2020
This book is probably for PL fans only, because it contains nothing sensationalistic – typical rock stars and their accompanying behavior, sex, drugs, scandals and money. Paradise Lost was always about music, friendship, humour and unpretentiousness (and also sadness, darkness and misery). Members of Paradise Lost are great human beings and so is their story, told here in a very detailed, informed and accessible manner, just as a band of this stature deserves.
I agree with the author’s evaluation of PL albums, Believe in Nothing is probably their weakest album, but Host is just fine, containing some of the PL gems, like “So Much Is lost”, “In All Honesty” or “Behind the Grey”. Also, I agree that PL is probably the band with strongest B-sides (for example “Sweetness”, “Fear of Silence” or “Ending Through Changes”). I don’t like the impression that the author’s treatment of particular songs from their more recent albums becomes somehow less detailed and that not much emphasis is placed overall on Nick’s excellent lyrics. Mackintosh is undeniably a musical genius and so is Holmes when it comes down to lyrical department.
My favourite part of the book demonstrating Nick’s loveable personality:
Erlandsson had bumped into the members of Paradise Lost infrequently over the years, recalling the 1999 Kerrang! awards when in the throes of inebriation, he ran up to Holmes and shouted, “Where is your god now?” (a lyric from “Our Savior”) and started to head-bang. Holmes was not amused and told Erlandsson to “fuck off”.
Satisfying ending of this book made me smile and will likely do the same for other fans of this amazing band as well.
I agree with the author’s evaluation of PL albums, Believe in Nothing is probably their weakest album, but Host is just fine, containing some of the PL gems, like “So Much Is lost”, “In All Honesty” or “Behind the Grey”. Also, I agree that PL is probably the band with strongest B-sides (for example “Sweetness”, “Fear of Silence” or “Ending Through Changes”). I don’t like the impression that the author’s treatment of particular songs from their more recent albums becomes somehow less detailed and that not much emphasis is placed overall on Nick’s excellent lyrics. Mackintosh is undeniably a musical genius and so is Holmes when it comes down to lyrical department.
My favourite part of the book demonstrating Nick’s loveable personality:
Erlandsson had bumped into the members of Paradise Lost infrequently over the years, recalling the 1999 Kerrang! awards when in the throes of inebriation, he ran up to Holmes and shouted, “Where is your god now?” (a lyric from “Our Savior”) and started to head-bang. Holmes was not amused and told Erlandsson to “fuck off”.
Satisfying ending of this book made me smile and will likely do the same for other fans of this amazing band as well.
December 21, 2019
This is a truly wonderful book. Along with an introduction covering the band’s formation and demo years, a chapter is devoted to each of the band’s fifteen studio albums.
Author David Gehlke’s prose is very readable, engrossing, and informative. He covers A LOT in what seems to be a relatively short word count. He definitely hit upon a magic formula in regard to the book’s simple yet disciplined structure, with tons of archival photos, full access to all band members and associates, and makes it all look effortless. I’ve been brainstorming a similar book on My Dying Bride for close to ten years; but Mr. Gehlke was commissioned to write the book, researched it, conducted interviews, wrote it, and edited it in just over a single year and it’s utterly perfect.
As a fan, he maintains a welcome focus on the songs themselves and provides the context around the tours and - of course - the various stylistic shifts through Paradise Lost’s 30+ year career. The original death/doom band’s metamorphosis into progenitors of “gothic metal” to an unexpected Depeche Mode/“Vision Thing”-era Sisters of Mercy hybrid that openly rejected their metal past marked for a fascinating albeit controversial career. Gehlke provides excellent insight on this entire transition, with all the highs and humbling lows.
As a devoted fan of both goth and metal, I enjoyed “One Second,” “Host,” and “Believe in Nothing” and weathered the proverbial storm throughout this era of their career. I also remember how exciting it was as each album from “Symbol of Life” onward gradually reintegrated heavier elements until they caught everyone by surprise with “The Plague Within” and “Medusa,” in which the best elements of PL’s entire career - including death growls - are combined to create a refreshing and invigorating style of dark atmospheric metal. The band is at their most sophisticated and mature these days and Gehlke chronicles the band’s entire journey masterfully.
If you’re a fan of Paradise Lost, you NEED this book. You’re going to want to cue up each album in the background as you read. Even though I already count Paradise Lost among my all-time favorite bands, after reading this book I have an even deeper respect for the band’s tenacity and their willingness to experiment. The book also sent me back to revisit some of the deeper cuts I hadn’t listened to as closely since the albums were first released. As a result I have at least a half dozen new favorite Paradise Lost songs. (“Sweetness,” “Ash & Debris,” “Solitary One” — oh my god, you guys!).
Highly recommended!
Author David Gehlke’s prose is very readable, engrossing, and informative. He covers A LOT in what seems to be a relatively short word count. He definitely hit upon a magic formula in regard to the book’s simple yet disciplined structure, with tons of archival photos, full access to all band members and associates, and makes it all look effortless. I’ve been brainstorming a similar book on My Dying Bride for close to ten years; but Mr. Gehlke was commissioned to write the book, researched it, conducted interviews, wrote it, and edited it in just over a single year and it’s utterly perfect.
As a fan, he maintains a welcome focus on the songs themselves and provides the context around the tours and - of course - the various stylistic shifts through Paradise Lost’s 30+ year career. The original death/doom band’s metamorphosis into progenitors of “gothic metal” to an unexpected Depeche Mode/“Vision Thing”-era Sisters of Mercy hybrid that openly rejected their metal past marked for a fascinating albeit controversial career. Gehlke provides excellent insight on this entire transition, with all the highs and humbling lows.
As a devoted fan of both goth and metal, I enjoyed “One Second,” “Host,” and “Believe in Nothing” and weathered the proverbial storm throughout this era of their career. I also remember how exciting it was as each album from “Symbol of Life” onward gradually reintegrated heavier elements until they caught everyone by surprise with “The Plague Within” and “Medusa,” in which the best elements of PL’s entire career - including death growls - are combined to create a refreshing and invigorating style of dark atmospheric metal. The band is at their most sophisticated and mature these days and Gehlke chronicles the band’s entire journey masterfully.
If you’re a fan of Paradise Lost, you NEED this book. You’re going to want to cue up each album in the background as you read. Even though I already count Paradise Lost among my all-time favorite bands, after reading this book I have an even deeper respect for the band’s tenacity and their willingness to experiment. The book also sent me back to revisit some of the deeper cuts I hadn’t listened to as closely since the albums were first released. As a result I have at least a half dozen new favorite Paradise Lost songs. (“Sweetness,” “Ash & Debris,” “Solitary One” — oh my god, you guys!).
Highly recommended!
April 3, 2020
I remember the exact place that I was when I first heard Paradise Lost. It was 1997 in a record store and they were playing "One Second." I was immediately hooked.
This book was an absolute pleasure for me to read. The majority of the chapters in the book deal with a specific album. I decided to take the time to listen to each album after I had read the chapter about it. I'm glad that I did that. It added to my experience and it also gave me a new appreciation for certain songs on each album.
There's a lot of good stories in here. I liked reading comments from other bands that I like that I've always known Paradise Lost had greatly influenced.
I was also very amused when I was reading about a show that the band played in Poughkeepsie, NY in 2007. I was at that show, and yes it was a torrential downpour outside. In fact, the roof was leaking onto the stage during their set!
If you're a fan of Paradise Lost, you really should take the time to read this book. David Gehlke did a great job with it. I'm very glad that I read it.
This book was an absolute pleasure for me to read. The majority of the chapters in the book deal with a specific album. I decided to take the time to listen to each album after I had read the chapter about it. I'm glad that I did that. It added to my experience and it also gave me a new appreciation for certain songs on each album.
There's a lot of good stories in here. I liked reading comments from other bands that I like that I've always known Paradise Lost had greatly influenced.
I was also very amused when I was reading about a show that the band played in Poughkeepsie, NY in 2007. I was at that show, and yes it was a torrential downpour outside. In fact, the roof was leaking onto the stage during their set!
If you're a fan of Paradise Lost, you really should take the time to read this book. David Gehlke did a great job with it. I'm very glad that I read it.
January 14, 2020
This was fantastically written and a great comprehensive look into the band. There are no controversies with Paradise Lost, no criminal trials or hardcore drug use, nothing sensational for the non-fan to be "wowed" by, so in that case this is purely for the fan to know everything there is to know about a band that has otherwise been pretty private in their careers. A career that went from being incredibly influential to being labeled as a sell-out, then to the obligatory "return to form" status and in Paradise Lost's respect, they did it all without any pressure to do the aforementioned eras. It was all instinctive and done just because they wanted to do it. Especially in their Host era when they signed onto a large label who were actually expecting a metal album and were surprised when that wasn't what they got. The opposite usually true, the label does their best to manipulate a band into doing what will bring them more sales, but that wasn't the case with Paradise Lost. In fact, they did what would be considered in this age as "career suicide" and purely by their own hands.
In reading this book, you see a group of guys who grew up through their music. People change, people get influenced by weird things throughout their lives, they contradict themselves, they do things they thought they'd never do, and then come full circle. This is all a part of just being human and Paradise Lost is one of those lucky groups of guys who were able to do it through an art form that they all loved. From where they started to where they are now is all an example of expression from growth. It's very rare to see in the metal landscape.
Highly recommended for fans of Paradise Lost. Even if you've only gotten into them from the In Requiem era to now, or had written them off after One Second, you'll be surprised at how much you will learn about them and everything that their career has been.
In reading this book, you see a group of guys who grew up through their music. People change, people get influenced by weird things throughout their lives, they contradict themselves, they do things they thought they'd never do, and then come full circle. This is all a part of just being human and Paradise Lost is one of those lucky groups of guys who were able to do it through an art form that they all loved. From where they started to where they are now is all an example of expression from growth. It's very rare to see in the metal landscape.
Highly recommended for fans of Paradise Lost. Even if you've only gotten into them from the In Requiem era to now, or had written them off after One Second, you'll be surprised at how much you will learn about them and everything that their career has been.
October 27, 2021
Bardzo lubię Paradise Lost - słucham zespołu od lat, kilka razy byłem na ich koncertach, na których zawsze wypadali znakomicie (jak tylko się pojawią w okolicy, ponownie się wybiorę), więc tym chętniej sięgnąłem po tę pozycję.
Jest to biografia, ale dla mnie to bardziej artykuł rozciągnięty na kilkaset stron. Każdy rozdział opowiada o kolejnym albumie - zazwyczaj jest to opis procesu nagrywania płyty oraz omówienie trasy towarzyszącej jej wydaniu oraz wydarzeń w stylu zmiana managementu czy osoby na stanowisku perkusisty.
Trochę można było się tego spodziewać, ci goście to typowi ponuracy z północy Anglii, którzy najlepiej czują się we własnym towarzystwie. Zero kontrowersji czy skandali. Oczywiście nikt mi nie powie, że przez tyle lat nie działy się w ramach tras koncertowych jakieś szalone rzeczy, ale jeśli szukasz smakowitych historyjek, które będziesz mógł opowiadać przy piwie ze znajomymi - to nie ta książka.
Na szczęście wiele się dzieje w temacie samej muzyki, szczególnie ciekawe są opowieści o klimacie w zespole i ich sytuacji na rynku w latach, gdy porzucili stylistykę metalową - w tym powody tych zmian, zawirowania z wytwórniami, jak się wtedy zespół dogadywał itd. To chyba najciekawszy fragment tej biografii.
Krzepiące jest to, że choć są na scenie tyle lat i, poza wieloma kierunkami w muzyce, jakimi przez ten czas podążali, jest to wciąż po prostu grupa kumpli, którzy nagrywają płyty i grają koncerty, i dobrze się przy tym bawią, choć to też ich praca na pełen etat. I o tym właśnie opowiada ta książka.
Pozycja jest bardzo ładnie wydana, napisana przystępnym i prostym językiem. Nie do końca jestem przekonany co do tłumaczenia, choćby samego tytułu (Bez celebracji? Czy tłumacz w ogóle zna znaczenie tego słowa? Raczej "żadnego świętowania", szczególnie że tytuł jest zaczerpnięty z fragmentu tekstu, który brzmi:
"On this new years day
Without hesitation
There's no celebration from me".)
Ale nie ma się czego czepiać - to solidna lektura dla każdego fana PL, których w Polsce przecież nie brakuje. Inni mogą sobie darować.
Dodatkowa gwiazdka za to, że to Paradise Lost - bo ich lubię i mogę :]
Jest to biografia, ale dla mnie to bardziej artykuł rozciągnięty na kilkaset stron. Każdy rozdział opowiada o kolejnym albumie - zazwyczaj jest to opis procesu nagrywania płyty oraz omówienie trasy towarzyszącej jej wydaniu oraz wydarzeń w stylu zmiana managementu czy osoby na stanowisku perkusisty.
Trochę można było się tego spodziewać, ci goście to typowi ponuracy z północy Anglii, którzy najlepiej czują się we własnym towarzystwie. Zero kontrowersji czy skandali. Oczywiście nikt mi nie powie, że przez tyle lat nie działy się w ramach tras koncertowych jakieś szalone rzeczy, ale jeśli szukasz smakowitych historyjek, które będziesz mógł opowiadać przy piwie ze znajomymi - to nie ta książka.
Na szczęście wiele się dzieje w temacie samej muzyki, szczególnie ciekawe są opowieści o klimacie w zespole i ich sytuacji na rynku w latach, gdy porzucili stylistykę metalową - w tym powody tych zmian, zawirowania z wytwórniami, jak się wtedy zespół dogadywał itd. To chyba najciekawszy fragment tej biografii.
Krzepiące jest to, że choć są na scenie tyle lat i, poza wieloma kierunkami w muzyce, jakimi przez ten czas podążali, jest to wciąż po prostu grupa kumpli, którzy nagrywają płyty i grają koncerty, i dobrze się przy tym bawią, choć to też ich praca na pełen etat. I o tym właśnie opowiada ta książka.
Pozycja jest bardzo ładnie wydana, napisana przystępnym i prostym językiem. Nie do końca jestem przekonany co do tłumaczenia, choćby samego tytułu (Bez celebracji? Czy tłumacz w ogóle zna znaczenie tego słowa? Raczej "żadnego świętowania", szczególnie że tytuł jest zaczerpnięty z fragmentu tekstu, który brzmi:
"On this new years day
Without hesitation
There's no celebration from me".)
Ale nie ma się czego czepiać - to solidna lektura dla każdego fana PL, których w Polsce przecież nie brakuje. Inni mogą sobie darować.
Dodatkowa gwiazdka za to, że to Paradise Lost - bo ich lubię i mogę :]
July 12, 2022
Knyga, parašyta grupės "Paradise Lost" 30-mečiui, o atnaujintas bei papildytas leidimas pasirodė šiemet. "Paradise Lost" istorija vėlgi nėra itin spalvinga ar nusėta skandalais, tačiau vis tiek įdomu skaityti apie muzikantų kūrybinius įkvėpimus ir t.t. Galima dėl detalių prisikabinti, tačiau apskritai - labai gražiai ir tvarkingai išleistas leidinys.
July 3, 2020
Informative of the first years of the band, the book slowly dives into the "one chapter for one album" dilemma. But hey, this is a book about a doom band, turning into a Depeche Mode clone, transforming itself to a rock band, reinventing themselves by going back to their roots and still play heavy as f*** riff coctails.
Good read if you are into them, still a good read if you are a fan of dark metal.
Good read if you are into them, still a good read if you are a fan of dark metal.
June 25, 2021
What sets this book apart from the other metal and rock books out there, is the sharp focus on the music itself. As a musician myself, I really appreciated the insightful and knowledgeable commentary on each album, its sound, the compositions, the message. In fact, after each chapter I listened to that album with the new perspective, and then moved to the next. I cannot recommend it enough for every Paradise Lost or Metal fan.
April 25, 2021
Fantastic book about the story of one of the best Metal bands coming out of the U.K. or the World for that matter! It starts with how they all met and formed the band, and each chapter is about each album, and the recording of the albums, touring, dealing with various record companies and some private life. Recommended not just for fans of the band or fans of metal.
April 27, 2023
Down to Earth biography of the creative process behind the genius creative flow of Paradise Lost. Don't expect a lot of behind the scenes stories of buffoonery but instead reader gets a great insight of the creation of all the albums and what was going on with the band, the labels and the tours at the given times.
October 21, 2025
Actually extremely informative and very competently written. I read this in preparation for seeing the band last Friday and with the added context it added a bit of a personal angle to the experience.
Would recommend only if you're a fan, otherwise go do something else with your time.
Would recommend only if you're a fan, otherwise go do something else with your time.
October 22, 2020
A complement to every album insight story, and how a bunch of humble men could be artists and members of one of the greatest British metal bands!
August 31, 2021
Druga biografia którą dałem radę dokończyć. Bardzo fajnie napisana - ciężko się oderwać. Sporo ciekawostek o zespole pozwalających lepiej poznać ludzi którzy od wielu lat tworzą świetną muzykę.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews