Paradise Lost

Tragic Illusion 25 (25th Anniversary Edition)

$18.99
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  • Reissue
  • Includes cover of Spear Of Destiny track
  • Includes cover of Everything But The Girl track

Paradise Lost emerged from the UK death metal underground in the late 1980s and evolved into one of gothic metal's defining architects. Tragic Illusion 25 is a compilation marking the 25th anniversary of their landmark 1997 album One Second, assembling rarities, live recordings, and alternate versions that document the band's trajectory through their most commercially visible period. The selection spans the sophisticated gothic-metal sound that positioned them between the heavier end of alternative rock and doom metal's emotional depth.

The compilation balances familiar material with substantial variations. Standouts like "Loneliness Remains" and "Never Take Me Alive" showcase the band's gift for melancholic melodicism and crushing riffs in tandem, while "Ending Through Changes" captures their ability to sustain atmosphere across extended arrangements. The Lost In Prague Orchestra versions of "Last Regret" and "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" recontextualize their catalog through orchestral arrangements, adding textural dimension. Two covers round out the retrospective: a rendition of Spear of Destiny's material and a take on Everything But The Girl, both revealing influences that shaped Paradise Lost's approach to combining accessibility with compositional weight.

This 2022 reissue on cassette preserves the compilation's breadth in a format that captures the warm saturation suited to the album's layered production. The package includes detailed liner notes and artwork restoring visual context to material originally scattered across singles, compilations, and special editions. For collectors of 1990s gothic metal, this is the most comprehensive gathering of this era's alternate takes and session material in a single format.


Title: Tragic Illusion 25
Artist: Paradise Lost
Label: Back On Black
Style: Rock, Gothic Metal, Goth Rock, Doom Metal
Product Type: Cassette, Compilation, Reissue
Country: UK
Release Year: 2022
Barcode: 803341571235

Tracklist:

A1. Loneliness Remains (4:57)
A2. Never Take Me Alive (4:48)
A3. Ending Through Changes (4:09)
A4. The Last Fallen Saviour (3:41)
A5. Last Regret (Lost In Prague Orchestra Mix) (4:20)
A6. Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us (Lost In Prague Orchestra Mix) (4:17)
B7. Cardinal Zero (4:28)
B8. Back On Disaster (4:13)
B9. Sons Of Perdition (4:13)
B10. Godless (2:17)
B11. Missing (4:32)
B12. Silent in Heart (3:25)
B13. Gothic 2013 (5:13)
B14. Our Saviour 2013 (5:28)

Factory sealed vinyl records are shipped exactly as received from distributors and are not opened prior to shipment. Because of this, seam splits or minor jacket wear may occasionally occur during transit.