In an extensive new interview with Music Radar, Paradise Lost guitarist and co-founder, Greg Mackintosh, looks back on the band's discography.

In the following excerpt, Greg talks about the band's 2009 album, Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us...

Music Radar: I'm going to use the term 'heavily majestic' to describe this album. How do you feel about it now?

Greg Mackintosh: "I think it's one of the most atmospheric records we did. It's got huge swathing melodies coming in and out, here and there. The song 'Last Regret' is a good example of that, and the title track too. I dusted off my string arrangement hat for that one, tried to do things a little more… pompous is the wrong word but it's walking that line.

"I hate symphonic metal, I detest symphonic metal, but in dribs and drabs if it's done right, it can sound amazing. And some some bands have done that and a lot of bands have failed at it. And that was my attempt at walking that line. Trying not to walk into cheese territory, but getting the storybook pictures in your mind type of thing.

"That album in particular, the way the album flows, it's definitely trying to paint a picture like the way you would tell a story. 'As Horizons End', the start of that song, I'm thinking of a storm coming from the distance over the ocean towards you. And that comes closer and closer and starts rumbling and then it ebbs away, and then something else comes in. It's all about that light and shade. You can be as heavy as you want but if everything is heavy surrounding it, it's not heavy at all. Nothing's heavy. So that the album particular taught me a lot about dynamics."

Read the complete interview at Music Radar.

(Photo - Paradise Lost)