PARADISE LOST's NICK HOLMES Doesn't Party On The Road Anymore: 'The Only Thing That Matters Is The Show'

In a new interview with the Slowhands Rock Talk Show, vocalist Nick Holmes of British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST was asked how he takes care of his singing voice now compared to, for example, 30 years ago. Nick responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm taking way more care now, 'cause, obviously, I'm not there to party. When I was a young lad, I was kind of there for that as well. Now there is none of that. I mean, I can't remember the last time I went to a pub, especially on tour. There's none of that. We might have a few drinks after the show, but it's a very quiet affair.

"I tend to talk quietly," Holmes explained. "I never shout, I never try and get upset. I try and get as much sleep as I possibly can. And just very, very boring stuff, I guess. But if you've got a lot of shows in a row or if you've got a lot of red-eye flights, which we often have in the summertime, you just got to kind of behave the best you can to make sure, 'cause the only thing that matters is the show, and that's gotta be the best you can make it. And that's what it's all about."

Nick added: "I don't know anybody my age or even within 10 years of my age that kind of does any of this kind of craziness. There's not many. I mean, even young bands, they tend to be very, very sensible. You don't really see it much, particularly at festivals. Backstage in the '90s, it was just crazy, with the amount of drinking and shenanigans, but it's just a very, very sober affair at most festivals these days, regardless of how old anybody is."

After the interviewer noted that bands nowadays are in the mindset that they want to put on the best performance possible, Holmes concurred. "Oh, totally," he said. "But I also think that the video camera has completely quieted it down, because no one wants to get filmed doing anything stupid. So that's a massive thing as well, for sure."

Less than three months ago, PARADISE LOST guitarist Gregor Mackintosh revealed that he was going through some "health issues" which resulted in him losing a significant amount of weight. However, he assured fans that he was "getting good care" and that he was feeling "fine". He added: "None of this affects my ability to play."

PARADISE LOST is continuing to tour in support of its 17th album, "Ascension", which came out last September via Nuclear Blast Records. The band's first LP in five years, following 2020's critically acclaimed "Obsidian", was produced by Mackintosh and mixed/mastered by Lawrence Mackrory.

Formed in Halifax in 1988, PARADISE LOST quickly became noted as the pioneers of gothic metal through early groundbreaking albums like 1991's aptly titled "Gothic", a mixture of heaviness intertwined with shadowy melody and atmosphere.

Never a group to remain creatively static, across PARADISE LOST's career the bandmembers explored a myriad of avenues of dark music, from sludgy doom-death roots, to conquering the metal mainstream with the enormous, lush sounds of 1995's "Draconian Times", to more experimental, electronic leanings, leaving an influence on a trail of artists as varied as CRADLE OF FILTH, HIM, GATECREEPER and CHELSEA WOLFE.

Photo credit: Ville Juurikkala