Review : Draconian - A Rose for the Apokalypse :: New Music Review :: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock

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Draconian: A Rose for the Apokalypse

Gothic/Doom/Death Metal

3.5/5.0

Napalm Records
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by Craig Hartranft, 06.13.2011

You can't fault Sweden's Draconian for consistency. Their fifth album, A Rose for the Apokalypse, steady on their metal path: blurring the lines of gothic, doom, and death metal once more. As much heavy and dark as it is melodic and symphonic A Rose for the Apokalypse swells with dense and melancholy arrangements. This is neither for the ever cheerful or the one prone depression.

The fundamental elements remain: the relatively slow, moderately paced, arrangements of doom, the growling male vocals from death metal, and symphonic layers and sweet female vocals of gothic metal. For the vocal arrangements, the clean and death vocals split the lead duties. Generally, it's a rather predictable formula. But that's not to say that Draconian is not very good at their craft. They are. While the sum A Rose for the Apokalypse wears thin with its repetitiveness, there are parts that intrigue. Elysian Night, Dead World Assembly, and the nearly up tempo (gasp) End of the Rope. (But don't be dismayed the doomish movement returns from middle to end.)

With A Rose for the Apokalypse Draconian has entered their most proficient and mature period even if there is a certain lavish redundancy to their gothic doom death blend of metal.

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