Paradise Lost guitarist Gregor Mackintosh says he prefers a quiet, solitary life at home, because that calm balances out the packed weeks he spends on the road with the band.
“`Speaking to Headbangers Australia, Mackintosh was asked how he relaxes when he’s not touring. As he put it, his daily life would seem boring to many: he lives alone, in a house in the countryside, in the middle of nowhere. He describes himself as almost a hermit and says he loves solitude, something he wouldn’t have imagined saying even five years ago. He enjoys tending the garden and reading books, and admits that sometimes he even enjoys boredom, because it’s something missing from most people’s lives.
He recalled old moments, like a train journey where you just looked out the window and thought. These days, he says, that empty time has almost vanished, since every free second ends up on the phone or the computer. He himself doesn’t need to make any special effort: he’s never been on social media and isn’t interested in it, and he doesn’t particularly like mingling with people either, so he sees no reason to do it even online.
The contrast comes when he hits the road, and then everything moves at a fast pace: airports, moving from country to country, meeting people, concerts. Then he goes home and follows the same quiet routine again. As he says, he’s a creature of habit and is glad to have that calm.
Mackintosh is a founding member of Paradise Lost, a band formed in Halifax, England in 1988 and considered one of the pioneers of gothic metal. The band is on a constant tour for its 17th studio album, «Ascension», released by Nuclear Blast on September 19, 2025. It was the first release of new material since 2020’s «Obsidian», the longest gap between records in their career. Production was handled by Mackintosh himself, while mixing and mastering were done by Lawrence Mackrory.
«Ascension» reached No. 6 on the German chart and No. 5 in Austria, with singles like «Silence Like The Grave», «Serpent On The Cross» and «Tyrants Serenade». Besides Paradise Lost, Mackintosh has fronted death metallers Vallenfyre and plays in Strigoi.
The band has three shows in Australia in October 2026:
- October 18, 2026 – The Triffid, Brisbane
- October 19, 2026 – The Factory, Sydney
- October 20, 2026 – Max Watt’s, Melbourne
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Source: https://blabbermouth.net/news/paradise-losts-gregor-mackintosh-im-a-complete-hermit-i-love-solitude
More on the same side of metal: Rotting Christ – A Dead Poem.
