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Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Monday, December 4, 2006
Draconian - The Burning Halo
This review was originally published at: www.nocturnalhorde.com
Kindly supplied by: Nocturnal Horde webzine
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These Swedish merchants of doom are back again, this time with the follow up to 2005's "Arcane Rain Fell". This time around things are a little different since we are not presented with a slab of new material but rather a disc which contains three brand new tracks, three older songs from 1999's ''The Closed Eyes Of Paradise'' EP, as well as two covers. Do these tracks hold up when compared to the albums predecessor? Indeed they do, each track weaves its story around ornate piano pieces, sluggish doom riffs, and the melancholic drone of the clean guitar passages.
'She Dies' is a track that alone gives you a glimpse deep within the soul of Draconian. Vocalist Anders Jacobsson can manipulate his voice into the deepest throaty growl that will shake your speakers, as well as provide clean spoken word passages that ooze with melancholic sadness. Lisa Johansson's vocals flutter like a butterfly above and around Jacobsson's otherworldly growl, she has a beautiful voice that fits the music and atmosphere of the album well. 'Through Infectious Waters(A Sickness Elegy)' shows the band utilizing their sound to epic proportions as well as going through many diverse pace shifts that leave the listener wondering where the band will venture next. The track starts with a venom tongued snarling dialogue which then alternates with Anders' earth shaking growl all the while the guitars are churning and spurt out intricate lead breaks and then go back to a rhythmic staccato riff that is sometimes interlaced with the delicate notes of a piano. The drums keep a steady pace marching along as each instrument blends and compliments the others. 'Morningstar' may be the most intense track on "The Burning Halo", towards the mid point the drums speed up and come crashing down, a great addition to the dynamics.
The highlight of the album for me though is the cover of Pentagram's 'Forever My Queen'. They keep the up-tempo steadiness of the original and infuse it with Draconian's instrument tones and vocal styling. The track charges along with the combination of harsh and clean vocals that spew from Jacobsson's mouth like a sickness. "The Burning Halo" is a very well done album that shows the band on top of their game and building up momentum towards what they will strike next. One can only wonder what the next full length album of original material from the Swedes will sound like, if what we have here is a hint to what the band has in store we are in for a splendid time!
'She Dies' is a track that alone gives you a glimpse deep within the soul of Draconian. Vocalist Anders Jacobsson can manipulate his voice into the deepest throaty growl that will shake your speakers, as well as provide clean spoken word passages that ooze with melancholic sadness. Lisa Johansson's vocals flutter like a butterfly above and around Jacobsson's otherworldly growl, she has a beautiful voice that fits the music and atmosphere of the album well. 'Through Infectious Waters(A Sickness Elegy)' shows the band utilizing their sound to epic proportions as well as going through many diverse pace shifts that leave the listener wondering where the band will venture next. The track starts with a venom tongued snarling dialogue which then alternates with Anders' earth shaking growl all the while the guitars are churning and spurt out intricate lead breaks and then go back to a rhythmic staccato riff that is sometimes interlaced with the delicate notes of a piano. The drums keep a steady pace marching along as each instrument blends and compliments the others. 'Morningstar' may be the most intense track on "The Burning Halo", towards the mid point the drums speed up and come crashing down, a great addition to the dynamics.
The highlight of the album for me though is the cover of Pentagram's 'Forever My Queen'. They keep the up-tempo steadiness of the original and infuse it with Draconian's instrument tones and vocal styling. The track charges along with the combination of harsh and clean vocals that spew from Jacobsson's mouth like a sickness. "The Burning Halo" is a very well done album that shows the band on top of their game and building up momentum towards what they will strike next. One can only wonder what the next full length album of original material from the Swedes will sound like, if what we have here is a hint to what the band has in store we are in for a splendid time!
Rating: 9/10
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