"Turning Season Within"
[Napalm Records]
Having already reviewed a solo project stemming from Draconian, i already know that these Gothic Doomsters with their new relase "Turning Season Within" are set to wow me. Beautiful female vocals, soft melodies but an underlying hardness and determination are all present in the opening track "Seasons Apart" which once further established features furious blackened male vocals and gives the band a wonderful contrast in styles. Draconian have all the grooves in the right place, the haunting melodies keep on coming and were only one track in.
I love a band that flows well and has an all round dark quality to them but doesn't take that quality too far. Draconian perform with spirit and passion and "When I Wake" epitomises this perfectly. I love the interchange between the clean and the harsh vocals, the intamcy of the soft melodies and the abrasivness of the harder riff-age. "Earthbound" picks up the intensity and heaviness as the dual kick drumming kicks into full effect whilst "Not Breathing" slows the pace right down and ups the creativity and diversity levels ten fold.
Draconian are a multi-talented band with a sound that keeps you guessing throughout. It's impossible to get bored and lose interest as they keep things so fresh and as "The Failure Epiphany" winds it's almost folky way through it's musical journey you cannot help but be totally impressed as the album pulls you in and submerges yo into it's world. "Morphine Cloud" has a really doom like feel to it with it's mournful melody, slow and deep and laden with the utmost groove and tearful dirges. Jus the opposite though, "Bloodflower" is reletively chipper compared to it's predecessor and has some nice intricate qualities before hitting into what is one of the heaviest songs on the album.
Into the final stages "Turning Season Within" delves with their After Forever like sounds and in comes "The Empty Stare" with it's harsh vocals and hard hitting sound. To end with though is the beautifully composed "Semptember Ashes". The finale track is a tug on the heart strings of all who listen, a message of sorrow and sombre guidance before slowly petering out.
4 Out Of 5
www.myspace.com/draconianmusic
www.draconian.se
