Album
Icon
Icon is the fourth studio album by Paradise Lost, the British gothic metal band, released in September 1993. It followed Gothic (1991) and Shades of God (1992), and it was the last record to feature Matthew Archer on drums. Two years later the band would return with Draconian Times.
The album sits where gothic metal and doom metal meet, and it has earned a lasting reputation. In February 2018 Decibel Magazine inducted it into its Hall of Fame, the second Paradise Lost record to be honoured there after Gothic. The magazine described it as influential in the development of the gothic metal subgenre. For anyone tracing how that sound took shape, Icon is a key stop in the band's early story.
Icon: tracklist, credits and charts
13 tracks · 50:32Tracklist
- 1Embers FireGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes4:44
- 2RemembranceGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes3:26
- 3Forging SympathyGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes4:43
- 4Joys of the EmptinessGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes3:29
- 5Dying FreedomGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes3:44
- 6WidowGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes3:05
- 7Colossal RainsGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes4:36
- 8Weeping WordsGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes3:51
- 9PoisonGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes3:00
- 10True BeliefGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes4:30
- 11Shallow SeasonsGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes4:56
- 12ChristendomGregor Mackintosh and Nick Holmes4:31
- 13Deus MisereaturGregor Mackintosh1:57
- Produced by
- Simon Efemey
- Recorded at
- Jacobs Studios, Jacobs Studios (Surrey, England) and Townhouse Studios (London)
- Recorded
- June–July 1993
- Mixed by
- Pete Coleman, Simon Efemey
- Engineered by
- Simon Efemey
- Labels
- Metal Blade Records, Music for Nations
- Length
- 50:32
Line-up
- Aaron Aedy · acoustic guitar, guitar
- Matthew Archer · drums (drum set), percussion
- Steve Edmondson · bass guitar
- Andrew Holdsworth · keyboard · guest
- Gregor Mackintosh · guitar
- Nick Holmes · lead vocals
- Denise Bernard · vocals · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| German Albums · 1993 | 31 |
| Dutch Albums · 1993 | 80 |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
59.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
25k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
7.3k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 23 September
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More from Paradise Lost
Full discography →
Lost Paradise
1990
Gothic
1991
Shades of God
1992
Seals the Sense
1994
Gothic EP
1994
Draconian Times
1995
One Second
1997
Host
1999
Believe in Nothing
2001
Symbol of Life
2002
Paradise Lost
2005
In Requiem
2007
The Anatomy of Melancholy
2008
Drown in Darkness – The Early Demos
2009
Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us
2009
Tragic Idol
2012
Tragic Illusion 25
2013
The Plague Within
2015
Medusa
2017
Obsidian
2020
Icon 30
2023
Ascension
2025
The best of 1993
All of 1993 →
In Utero
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Radiohead · 1993
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The Smashing Pumpkins · 1993
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Aerosmith · 1993
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The label →
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1993-09-23 vs 1993-10-21 (musicbrainz), 1993-09-28 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 21 October 1993 | ignored lone early release dated 1993-09-23 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 23 September 1993 | |
| Wikidata | 28 September 1993 | |
| US release | 1993 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 23 September 1993 | earliest UK or European date |
9 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | US | Metal Blade Records | 039841402124 | other |
| 1993 | GB | Music for Nations | 5016583115203 | other |
| 23 September 1993 | GB | Music for Nations | 5016583115227 | original |
| 21 October 1993 | JP | Music for Nations | 4988013482531 | other |
| 2006 | XE | Music for Nations | 828768291528 | other |
| 17 January 2007 | RU | Sony BMG Music Entertainment | 886970687027 | other |
| 22 October 2007 | PL | Metal Mind Productions | other | |
| 28 January 2008 | PL | Metal Mind Productions | 5907785030794 | other |
| 28 August 2012 | US | The End Records | 654436022923 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1407x1404, upscaled to 1500 (x1.07)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1407×1404 | upscaled: minor: best source 1407x1404, upscaled to 1500 (x1.07) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |