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Rating: Five months ago, I was on a trip to Paris with my companions. We met in front of the hotel at half-past eight and headed to the metro. I, as always, was walking with headphones in my ears, listening to "Arcane Rain Fell" by Draconian. When we got to the metro, a very tall Finnish companion of mine, who always "borrows" my digital music, took one of my headphones and put it in his ear. His face immediately lit up; "This song is beautiful, who are they?" "Draconian, they’re Swedish." "They are really good, they have a very majestic style." So, we spent the entire underground journey each with a headphone, listening to the singer’s growl and the beautiful guitar sections.
This story came to my mind recently and made me realize that when a band is good, there is no denying it—they can only be liked. You might not appreciate the genre, but when there’s "quality," you can’t remain indifferent.
Draconian is a Swedish band founded in 1994 and dedicated to Gothic Metal, a genre now saturated with too many poor-quality bands. Well, this Scandinavian combo is definitely a breath of fresh air in the genre; their offering (even if it’s not innovative) is a beautiful example of true Gothic Metal. If you were to play the classic game: guess which bands make up the group’s sound, I’d say Draconian is a splendid blend of Candlemass, Theatre Of Tragedy, and My Dying Bride.
"Arcane Rain Fell," released in 2005, is a stunning album, the best in the band’s discography. The album opens with "A Scenery of Loss," a beautiful track over nine minutes long that introduces the listener to the beautiful atmospheres of the CD. Sadness, desolation, melancholy, and unease are mixed with a feeling of solemn majesty; here, you won’t find the usual ethereal melodies, Draconian’s gothic stems directly from the masters of Doom Metal. The Swedes are excellent at raising, with their majestic sound, a sonic cathedral of great level; thanks to Anders Jacobsson and his well-calibrated growl, which always perfectly harmonizes with Lisa Johansson’s angelic voice. The song proceeds with this wonderful duet, then fades with a melancholic instrumental part played by keyboardist Andreas Karlsson. And it is in these gloomy atmospheres, reminiscent of gray days where life reigns with its Draconian law, that the first masterpiece of the album emerges: "The Apostasy Canticle." Credit must be given to Johan Ericson (guitarist and the band’s mind, also active with his excellent side project Doom:Vs). The solid guitar carves into the listener’s heart with its beautiful melody, the singer’s growl is deep and angry, the song proceeds slowly until the central part where it accelerates and the atmosphere becomes more luciferian thanks to the use of keyboards. Then, the track calms, and the guitars return to weave their beautiful and deadly web. After "Heaven Laid In Tears (Angel’s Lament)" and "Everlasting Scar," you reach the true masterpiece of the band, undoubtedly one of the best songs I’ve had the chance to listen to in this musical genre: "Death Come Near Me". The track is a long fifteen-minute suite, opening with a beautiful guitar arpeggio which then becomes solid and heavy. This time, it's the singer's voice that starts first, followed by Anders' wonderful growl. The two duet exceptionally, creating an atmosphere of complete desolation, the sky getting increasingly gray threatening rain, life seems to go in slow motion, moments of anguish and deep loneliness penetrate through the music. At a certain point, the melody changes, the guitar becomes softer again, and the singer’s voice becomes clear. But it's just an illusion, soon darkness will reign again, Nature will not stop enforcing its ruthless law. Shivers rise when you hear Anders and Lisa pray "Oh Death, come near me,/save me from this empty, cold world!/Oh Life, you have killed me, /so spare me from this cauldron of misery!". This is undoubtedly the most pathos-laden moment of the entire record. Then the tones slowly calm down, a magnificent keyboard piece sweetens the atmosphere, desolation comes to life from the pentagram, the two voices duet splendidly and naturally, the guitar draws its melodies for the last time; everything fades, the volume of the instruments lowers until completely fading out, leaving a terrible sensation of sadness and inner emptiness.
The album doesn’t have any notable downsides, the production is perfect, the singing of the duo is never out of place, and the melodies always manage to surprise. Moreover, the participation of the female voice has been reduced compared to their debut album "Where Lovers Mourn", giving the band much more personality.
In conclusion, it can be said that the CD is spectacular, filled with desolate and melancholic atmospheres which will certainly be the joy (or rather the misery) of the listeners. Put the songs on your mp3 player and leave the house, maybe on a cloudy day when the city streets are not very populated, and start playing the album. Walk the streets, pass in front of the buildings and churches adorning your city, then stop in the middle of the bridge, beneath which the river flows, and gaze at the horizon. The bitterness and sadness that only life can give will flow through your veins, and perhaps, your eyes will start to glisten. In those moments of solitude, you will be glad too, to have Draconian as your only companions.
rating 87/100
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 A Scenery of Loss (09:10)
The winds of a dying dream, a tempest unveiled
Once again arcane rain fell - cold, sorrowful and so frail
O, those weeping times, all of my life's a lie
An endless torrent of anguished tears' o behold my cry
The affliction of a stained creation becometh my tragedy
Lachrymose is the light - touching the buried again
O, this scenery of loss always present within me
Afar into the obscure I wish I now could soar
Even though he stole my pride - I stand above his lies
Even though I oceans cried - and sailed them far and wide
...my star shall ever shine
Drifting endlessly deep in darkened streams;
The inharmonious looms
In my doleful ocean lies the love I've lost...
...for heaven, my sorrow
Devour my soul as I enter the dark and cold
Fallen from heaven's domains - god's vengeance unfolds
This scenery of loss, a ruined empire of dismay;
A pathway of decay leading afar and always astray.
Even though he stole my pride - I stand above his lies
Even though I oceans cried - and sailed them far and wide...
...my star shall ever shine
"Homage he has from all - but non from me...
I battle it against him, as I battled in highest heaven - through all eternity,
And the unfathomable gulfs of hades, and the interminable reals of space,
And the infinity of endless ages... all, all, will I dispute"
03 The Apostasy Canticle (09:51)
When our flames were lit by chaos...
We knew not the grip; the bondage of light
Then he waved his sceptre, and cosmos was formed
Too late we knew our freedom was lost
He blinded us; polluted our minds and forced us to drink his blood
I will show the world god's true face, I will let the thunder roar... forevermore
I've deceived his world, but regained paradise in the fire of my soul...
(But) in the death of wind I sleep, as I wail this petrified landscape
Chaos, anguish... an optimum affection in the clarity of certainty... so empty
[The voice of the dark souls:]
"Mighty Lucifer - thou art the light that leads to darkness
AS much as I praise thee, I love thee without praise...
As much as I love myself, I adore thee relentlessly
Thou art our true father; the wine of Venus, the essence of our hope"
Death, solemn death of the reaper's star, devour his legacy from afar
I fumble... live... I fall... die; isolated in the crowds of god... and suffering
In between lurks the everlasting absence... for my dark euphoria
Thence I am sovran created, like in heaven, myself... and I fell in fury
The indolence of solitude may drive out the soul of its sermon,
And memory shall be lost to the blood which hopelessly pulsates
The indolence of solitude may drive out the soul of its sermon,
and memory shall be lost to the blood which hopelessly pulsates...
...in our excruciating hearts
"Is this the region, this the soil, the clime,
This the seat that we must change for heav'n,
This mournful gloom for that celestial light?
Be it so, since hee who now is sovran can dispose and bid what shall be right...
Fardest from him is best whom reason hath equald
Force hath made supreme above his equals
Farewel happy fields where joy for ever dwells...
Hail horrours, hail infernal world, and thou profoundest hell
Receive thy new possessor...
One who brings a mind not to be chang'd by place or time"
In this abyss we shall be free
Here we shall celebrate the coming war
04 Expostulation (02:05)
Adonai, elohim, el shaddai...
Thou hast become the father of lies,
And I serve thee, henceforth... no more
Becoming thus the essence of sedition;
The steadfast gleam of the unsheated rapier,
The falchion's forceful thrust
At the heart of thy empire... the adam kadmon
To impart the knowledge - the cognizance - of thine
For this I slither in aspect through Eden's gleanings
For this I bid Cain slayeth his brother
For this I rend the weakest salient of thy diadem,
As I, its jewel and very metal shall reflect no more
Your light - the light of enslavement;
The essence of constancy and misaligned justice
To a multitude that knows no freedom...
Ignorant of how subtle the fetter tightens
They shall raise me a saviour - and crown thee a liar
For this I strike with balanced blade,
And spit upon the throes of thine angels' desire
I will not serve... henceforth
07 The Everlasting Scar (06:00)
Behold me now, I'm lost somehow
Summoned up in sorrow from a world beyond
Never let go my crimson rapture...
Can you touch my soul?
I see you in every shade,
In every moment I breathe
You came as the silent wanderer,
Travelling to distant shores
I am the life that learned to die
I have no choice, I've lost my voice
I am the tear who broke with fear
I won't return, to death I turn
If humans were like swans,
I could bear this burden with ease...
Never to witness this heartless disease,
As the wounds of time neglect me
Walking the earth as the solitary reaper...
Dressed in the lost voices of time
I bathe in quiet waters of tearful shades,
(And) I suffer in every corner of your sanctuary
Embrace me now, for I will die
The pain I feel inside will never leave
But never let go my crimson rapture...
Can you heal my soul?
08 Death, Come Near Me (15:22)
By day I sleep, at night I weep!
O Death, come near me!
Be the one for me, be the one who stays
My rivers are frozen, and mischosen
And the shadows around me sickens my heart
O Death, come near me
And stay (by my side). Hear my silent cry!
In sadness I� m veiled, to the cross I am nailed
And the pain around me freezes my world
My cold world...
In life Iove failed
For years Iove wailed
Frozen in time... left behind
The rapture of grief is all to find...
The rapture of grief is all!
Behind the shadow of life the lost hopes are grieving
I seek the night and hope to find love...
So I drown in the silence of lifes short eternity
The tears fills the void in my heart astray...
Embrace me now, delightful ease!
Give me a world of wonderous peace!
Calm the desperate scream in my heart!
O Death, come near me
Save me from this empty, cold world!
O Life, you have killed me
So spare me from this couldron of misery!
In life I cry, away I fly
Chosen to fall within these walls
The rapture
The rapture of grief is all!
Oh, shed a tear for the loss of innocense
For the forsaken spirits who aches... in us
Cry for the heart who surrenders to pain
For the solitude of those left behind!
Behold the pain and sorrow of the world
Dream of a place away from this nightmare
Give us love and unity, under the heart of night
O Death, come near us, and give us life!
I this world of pain I am better of dead!
Give me love, or give me death!
O Death, come near me!
I have summoned you!
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Other reviews
By filibs
The guitars are darker, slower, and more powerful, the drums are more present and greater emphasis is placed on the powerful and melodic growl.
'Heaven Laid in Tears (Angels' Lament)' is the most furiously melancholic piece in which Lisa Johansson's voice is used the most.
