PARADISE LOST Drummer Forced To Miss Spanish Gig, Temporary Replacement Announced

British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST have issued the following update:

"Due to a longstanding commitment made prior to him joining PARADISE LOST, Adrian [Erlandsson, drums] will be unable to perform with the band at the Alternavigo Festival in Vigo, Spain on August 7. So for one night only, former member Jeff Singer will occupy the PARADISE LOST drum stool. Jeff's return for this show not only allows everyone to honor their prior commitments but gives Jeff a chance to say 'goodbye' to the loyal PARADISE LOST fans in style. This will be the band's final summer show before they kick-off their European tour on October 30 at King Tut's in Glasgow."

PARADISE LOST is streaming a new song, "As Horizons End", on its MySpace page. The track comes off the band's new album, "Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us", due on September 28, 2009 in Europe and October 6, 2009 in the U.S. via Century Media Records.

Commented vocalist Nick Holmes: "This song is about someone who's on a downward spiral. Working too hard and trying to claw back some positive spirit by participating in all the so-called joyous occasions in life, socializing and networking but to no avail, the long days have crushed the soul till only disappointment and cynicism remains. This song was inspired by the thousands of disheveled-looking middle-aged businessmen I see in airports each year. This track has had a dozen facelifts since its inception and in true fashion, it was never intended to be the first track. Once it was mixed though it was hard to imagine any other song opening the album."

Added guitarist Greg Mackintosh: "The whole point to this song was to capture a feeling of foreboding. Like when a thunderstorm is approaching. All the chord progressions are supposed to give an ominous sense of dread. The mid section lulls you into thinking that you're safe only to discover there is much bigger storm on the horizon."

"Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us" was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren. The highly anticipated follow-up to 2007's "In Requiem" features around 10 tracks, including "First Light", "Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us", "Frailty" and "My Last Regret".

Holmes recently stated about the album's title, "The thoughts behind the title 'Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us' are very much self-explanatory. There is so much division in the world caused by obstructing religious belief. We are all made of the same flesh and bone. What makes one religion better than the other, and would any true god allow his creation to destroy itself? The vast number of different so-called faiths around the globe just helps to strengthen my complete denial of any god and force the belief that religion is nothing more than a man-made, cash-induced fabrication to exploit a human being's natural fear of death."

Regarding the band's decision to work with Bogren this time around, Holmes previously stated, "We are very happy with [producer] Rhys Fulber's work on the last album ['In Requiem'], but after working on three albums together, we decided it was time to go for a different approach. After hearing the work he did with our 'Anatomy Of Melancholy' live DVD, we decided that Jens Bogren was the man for the job."

He continued, "Our approach this time has leaned even more towards the heavier side of things, even more so than the last. It is vital not to lose touch with our musical trip over the last 20 years. Our music may have had different facelifts, but it has always been 'dark' and the new album will be no exception. Musically and lyrically.

"Writing a new album is always exciting; we never get bored of writing music, and for me, it is the best part of being in a band. Each album is like a challenge to better ourselves, or at the very least, do something that's different to everyone else. We strive to make the ultimate modern gothic metal album, and for me that has nothing to do with the common trend of 'romance' and 'roses.' It should be music to be murdered by."