Draconian

Turning Season Within

Written by: PP on 28/04/2008 04:40:34

Gothic doom metal. Just say those three words in your mind again: Gothic doom metal. Not exactly something that\'ll get you up and excited, especially considering the hundreds (if not thousands) of bands fitting underneath the gothic metal umbrella in Europe, who all sound more or less the same. Lucky then that Draconian is here to break that misconception with their majestic and utterly beautiful new album \"Turning Season Within\".

Considering it\'s a doom album, you\'d expect bone-crushingly heavy songs delivered at funeral-speeds. Considering it\'s also a gothic album you\'d also expect a fragile female voice singing delicately above sub-standard instrumental work. These preconceptions simply don\'t work on Draconian. Sure, the music is crushingly heavy, but it isn\'t as slow as most doom metal tends to be, which ultimately is its saving grace. Sure, there is a female vocalist, but she has a powerful voice that encompasses the entire soundscape, which is a particularly impressive feat considering she is constantly batted by a Åkerfeldt-esque monstrous growl in contrast. There are even moments during which both vocal styles are layered on top of each other, and yet Lisa Johansson seem to leave the growl underneath her vocals.

The instrumental landscape can only be described as monumental and majestic, or preferably both at the same time. Considering the band hails from Sweden, a sizable amount of melody can be found in the mammoth-sized soundscapes, which, at least if you are using good headphones, surround you completely, echoing 360 around you, leaving the listener thinking he\'s just been thrown into a massive blackened cave or something where he is just about to stand and receive his judgment. And it\'s not looking good by the sounds of it.

Somehow, by utilizing just two guitars, drums, bass and two vocal styles, the band has managed to craft a symphonic sound without the use of any orchestra instruments, let alone synths or keyboards. That in itself is impressive enough, but you really have to hear how absolutely colossal Draconian sounds on record. Imagine Opeth\'s dominance during a grand finalé of \"Deliverance\" in a live environment, and you\'re there. It really is that mighty. Not for the light-hearted ones.

Download: Seasons Apart, Earthbound
For the fans of: Opeth, Dark Tranquillity, Katatonia, Nahemah
Listen: Myspace
Buy: iTunes

Release date 29.02.2008
Napalm Records

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