Description

The formation revolving around top-notch vocalists Anders Jacobsson and Lisa Johansson once again delivers first-class songs that continue to prove Draconian's supremacy within the darkly genre. Just know that "A Rose for the Apocalypse" is dark, brooding, and full of despair while also being hauntingly beautiful and atmospheric. For those familiar with Draconian, think of ‘A Rose for the Apocalypse’ as a more melodic continuation of what was started with 2008's ‘Turning Seasons Within’. This may disappoint some fans who preferred the style of the first two albums ‘Where Lovers Mourn’ and ‘Arcane Rain Fell’, but any true fan can appreciate the evolution of Draconian. In any case, ‘A Rose for the Apocalypse’ has its heavy moments as one might hope for and in fact, the opener ‘The Drowning Age’ kick starts the whole album with a nice, heavy guitar riff and drum pattern, along with vocalist Anders dark growls. As soon as I heard it, I was hooked and knew that this was going to be a fantastic listening experience. From ‘The Drowning Age’, the album transitions into the first single ‘The Last Hour of Ancient Sunlight’. This track is, to me, the quintessential Draconian sound. It basically could have come straight off of ‘Turning Seasons Within’ and so it makes sense that it was chosen to be the album single with a professional music video. The album as a whole is a high quality venture within the genre of melodic doom and one that I wish would never end. Vocalists Anders Jacobsson and Lisa Johansson are fantastic – they both are extremely talented in what they do (dark, growly vocals for Anders, clean singing for Lisa). What I enjoy most aside from their raw talent is that neither one overpowers the other. Both have about the same amount of vocal time and they complement each other with the contrast of their voices. This focus on vocals isn't to discount the instrumental aspect of the album by any means though. The composition is very well done as one would expect of Draconian. If you enjoy melodic doom music, then you'll likely love Draconian. You can't really go wrong taking a chance by buying the album, so I encourage you to do so! ‘A Rose for the Apocalypse’ was recorded at the renowned Fascination Street Studios (Katatonia, Opeth, Paradise Lost) under the guidance of Jens Bogren. Draconian delivers a hypnotic soundtrack of apocalyptic proportions. Never before has the End of Days sounded so magnificent! Track listing: 1. The Drowning Age 2. The Last Hour of Ancient Sunlight 3. End of the Rope 4. Elysian Night 5. Deadlight 6. Dead World Assembly 7. A Phantom Dissonance 8. The Quiet Storm 9. The Death of Hours