Draconian (Official Thread)

Ar-Pharazon

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I was a little surprised there wasn't a Draconian thread here. They're 5 albums into a career of doom and going strong. Add to that five pre-2003 demos as they solidified their sound.

It's doom with a little something else thrown in, in the form of a second, female vocalist in addition to a really strong growler. Not to mention great musicianship.


Current Members:

Johan Ericson – backing vocals, lead guitar (1994–present)
Anders Jacobsson – vocals (1995–present)
Jerry Torstensson – drums, percussion (2000–present)
Daniel Arvidsson – rhythm guitar (2005–present)
Fredrik Johansson – bass (2006–present)
Heike Langhans - female vocals (2012–present)

Former Members:

Lisa Johansson – female vocals (2001–2011)
Andy Hindenäs – guitar (1994–2000)
Jesper Stolpe – bass (1994–2002, 2004–2006)
Susanne Arvidsson – female vocals, keyboards (1995–1997)
Magnus Bergström – guitar (1995–2005)
Thomas Jäger – bass (2002–2004)
Andreas Karlsson – keyboards, programming (1997–2008)

The most important former member is Lisa Johansson, who was the female vocalist on all five albums to date.
She departed in late 2011 for "personal reasons". They have a replacement, and maybe there's some live examples or her work, I'll keep a lookout for any.


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Where Lovers Mourn (2003)

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Arcane Rain Fell (2005)

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The Burning Halo (2006)

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Turning Season Within (2008)

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A Rose for the Apocalypse (2011)

Demo albums

Shades of a Lost Moon (1995)
In Glorious Victory (1997)
The Closed Eyes of Paradise (1999)
Frozen Features (2000)
Dark Oceans We Cry (2002)


This was my first real foray into doom metal. I been into symphonic metal for several years though I have listened to some Moonspell more recently and Fear Factory & Zombie (both White and Rob) for a number of years.

Draconian does evolve over the course of these 5 albums. The early couple albums occasionally remind me of Black Sabbath, mostly in the riffs.

I'll post some samples from each album. There's not a lot of official videos (maybe only one), but maybe there are some good live vids out there.
 
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Riff Raff

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Great thread. I just added the official website because an official thread requires that. :)
Love what I have heard of this band so far actually.
 

Ar-Pharazon

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Where Lovers Mourn (2003)

Draconian's first full release. Fairly straightforward doom metal (I think), only with the addition of strong female vocals.

Unlike symphonic metal, the music stays heavy, but is really well done. Starts off with a nearly 13 minute epic.


1- "The Cry of Silence" – 12:44
2- "Silent Winter" – 4:57
3- "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal" – 4:09
4- "The Solitude" (Susanne Arvidsson) – 7:54
5- "Reversio ad Secessum" – 7:39
6- "The Amaranth" – 5:20
7- "Akherousia" – 2:32
8- "It Grieves My Heart" – 7:30




 
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Ar-Pharazon

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Great thread. I just added the official website because an official thread requires that. :)
Love what I have heard of this band so far actually.

Thanks for the linky!

Yeah, I never thought I'd get so into a dark, doomy sound like this, but sometimes I can't stop playing their music.

I might go a week of driving to & from work with nothing but this band playing. I love .mp3's (though I ripped those .mp3's from brand new CD's, I could never live without the physical media).
 

LOU/REALM

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Great band !! Good to see them get their own thread...I have still to purchase one of their albums....on the look out :grinthumb
 

Ar-Pharazon

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Arcane Rain Fell (2005)

The second release. Not straying too far away from the formula of first album yet. A great whole album, like the first. I have a few favorites here that I tend to repeat, but still find the whole album very listenable (which is rare for me).

Whereas the first album started with a long track, this one ends off with a 15 minute epic.


1- "A Scenery of Loss" – 9:10
2- "Daylight Misery" – 5:30
3- "The Apostasy Canticle" – 9:51
4- "Expostulation" – 2:05
5- "Heaven Laid in Tears (Angels' Lament)" – 6:54
6- "The Abhorrent Rays" – 5:32
7- "The Everlasting Scar" – 6:00
8- "Death, Come Near Me" – 15:22




and I thought everybody loved ray

 

Ar-Pharazon

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The Burning Halo (2006)

Draconian's third release. There's some different stuff going on here, as they have three original songs (1-3), three re-recorded demos (4-6) and two covers (7-8).

Track 8, a cover of a Pentagram song, reminds me a little bit of White Zombie, the way it's done here. It's a little wildness from Draconian, and really well done.


1- "She Dies" – 7:28
2- "Through Infectious Waters (A Sickness Elegy)" – 8:04
3- "The Dying" – 9:48
4- "Serenade of Sorrow" – 5:00
5- "The Morningstar" – 8:01
6- "The Gothic Embrace" – 8:34
7- "On Sunday They Will Kill the World" [Ekseption Cover]– 4:12
8- "Forever My Queen" [Pentagram Cover] – 2:49





Original demo version of The Gothic Embrace


Original Pentagram version
 

Ar-Pharazon

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Turning Season Within (2008)

Draconian's fourth release. "The album's main theme is failed relationships between two lovers - All Lyrics By Anders Jacobsson; adapted from poetry by Theres Bjork".

I'm not sure I ever hear a theme on an album that's supposed to have one. Kamelot's Epica & The Black Halo were loosely based on Goethe's Faust. I heard the names and themes a little bit on those.

But strong theme or not, this is another great album. These guys are really comfortable with what they're doing by this point.


1- "Seasons Apart" – 6:32
2- "When I Wake" – 5:50
3- "Earthbound" – 8:11
4- "Not Breathing" – 5:39
5- "The Failure Epiphany" – 6:21
6- "Morphine Cloud" – 7:33
7- "Bloodflower" – 5:32
8- "The Empty Stare" – 5:47
9- "September Ashes" – 1:10





 

Ar-Pharazon

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A Rose for the Apocalypse (2011)

And now, Draconian's fifth, and at the moment latest, release.

Yet another strong album. I hope the formula doesn't change with the new female singer, Heike Langhans has done more goth metal in her career with Lor3l3i & Inferium.


1- "The Drowning Age" - 7:18
2- "The Last Hour of Ancient Sunlight" - 5:26
3- "End of the Rope" - 6:34
4- "Elysian Night" - 7:52
5- "Deadlight" - 6:32
6- "Dead World Assembly" - 5:52
7- "A Phantom Dissonance" - 5:39
8- "The Quiet Storm" - 6:37
9- "The Death of Hours" - 7:48
10- "Wall of Sighs" (Limited digipak bonus track) - 5:14


Finally, an official video & thanks to youtube's suggestion column, the first time I heard these guys



 

METALPRIEST

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Good cinematic epic stuff!! Love all the tracks posted...Solitude, Gothic Embrace...all good stuff.

:grinthumb
 

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