Paradise Lost is an English rock band formed in Halifax, West Yorkshire, in 1988, known as a foundational act in the development of gothic metal and death-doom. Their early work combined slow, heavy riffing and growled vocals characteristic of death-doom, while later releases incorporated cleaner singing, melodic structures, synthesizers and gothic atmosphere, helping to shape the gothic metal sound. Across a multi-decade career they have shifted stylistically at times toward more melodic, atmospheric and even electronic influences before returning to heavier metal-oriented approaches, maintaining themes of melancholy, introspection and dark romanticism in their music.