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

December 2024

After Lapse: Pathways
Illusion Force: Halfana
Powell-Payne: Voilá

November 2024

Sunstorm: Restless Fight
Storace: Crossfire
Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
Lionville: Supernatural
Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
Lonerider: Down In The Dust
Seventh Crystal: Entity
Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
Impellitteri: War Machine
Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

October 2024

Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
DGM: Endless
Daytona: Garder la Flamme
Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
Frost*: Life In The Wires
Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
Fans Of The Dark: Video
Radioactive: Reset
House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

September 2024

Sinner's Blood: Dark Horizons
Serious Black: Rise Of Akhenaton
Eclipse: Megalomanium II
SteelCity: Reverence
Hydra: ReHydrated
Heartwind: III
Gabrielle De Val and the Dragonlords: Tiger
Find Me: Nightbound
The Nail: The Nail
Timeless Fairytale: A Story To Tell
Stryper: When We Were Kings
Phil Mogg: Moggs Motel
Pure Reason Revolution: Coming Up To Consciousness
Jordan Rudess: Permission To Fly

August 2024

Siege Perilous: Creation's Call EP
Paralydium: Universe Calls
Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion Vol. II
Bite The Bullet: Looking For Paradise
All For Metal: Gods Of Metal (Year Of The Dragon)
Hammerfall: Avenge The Fallen
Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 2

[ More Music Reviews ]

Draconian: A Rose for the Apokalypse

Gothic/Doom/Death Metal

3.5/5.0

Napalm Records
Website Facebook Twitter MySpace
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.

CraigHartranft.net - New fiction, crime fiction by Craig Hartranft

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.