Well, PARADISE LOST is one of the pillars of the so-called Doom Death Metal and Gothic Metal styles. Yes, this time I have to speak in a straight way, because "Symphony For The Lost" will demand many words of my part, so have patience with this old guy here.

It's a live album, recorded at Ancient Roman Theatre of Philippopolis in Plovdi, made in a Double CD package, with a difference: the first CD was recorded with an orchestra and classic choirs (to be exact, the Orchestra of State Opera Plovdiv and Rodna Pesen Choir), and the second CD is a performance of the band alone. Of course the elements of their introspective Doom Metal insight are all there, the band is really in a great shape on their live act (except for some mistakes committed by Nick on vocals, but what is a show without some mistakes? Nobody's a machine) but there's a great failure - why in the blazes there's nothing from their greatest commercial success, the legendary "Draconian Times", on the orchestral part?

Even with 2011's live DVD "Draconian Times MMXI", it's really a bazooka shot in the balls! And to be honest, they have some songs that really deserved to be played on an orchestral form, and aren't presented here. OK, I know that we have limitations, but the list of song of the CD could be better than we have here.

Sorry to say: besides the results on the disc one are good, as we can hear on songs as "Tragic Idol" (that is wonderful in this neoclassical form), the wonderful "Your Own Reality" (very good tender moments, where the orchestral parts are very good, but with a fine work on guitars), and on "Gothic" (one of the best songs, with the elements from their Doom Death Metal days. But why in the blazes the guttural vocals are so absent? OK, they are aggressive, but those strong harsh tunes from before are wonderful) they could be far better than we can hear. And one more thing: the orchestral parts could be done in a bolder way, but that's not the case.

On the second CD, of the band alone, again we feel the absence of some of their best songs, as they gave greater importance to the more Gothic Rock/Metal times. Obviously, songs as "The Enemy" (with a wonderful guest appearance of a female voice, along with fine guitars), "Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us" (what great work on bass and drums), the wonderful and harsh "As I Die", and obviously, "The Last Time". But as you can hear for yourself, they gave great importance for their more Gothic Rock times

The sound quality is perfect, what we are used to hear from them. But why such efforts for an album that left aside some of the band's greatest songs out of it? And as well, why songs from "The Plague Within" and "Tragic Idol", their latest albums are absent from the second disk?

Let me speak clearly: the greatest mistake from the band or from the producer, or both, was the wrong choice for the songs. It seems that they chose those one who could be accepted for a broader public, but forgot that PARADISE LOST has a solid and long career, and fans that don't deserve such thing done with them.

Well, for those who are fanatics for PARADISE LOST's work, the satisfaction is certain. But "Draconian Times MMXI" is a better choice, if you want to see truly what they can do on a live show.