The beginning of Sweden’s DRACONIAN can be traced back to May 1994, when Johan Ericson (drums, vocals), Andy Hindenäs (guitars) and Jesper Stolpe (bass, vocals) joined forces as KERBEROS, a melodic heavy/death metal ensemble with black metal influences. Seven months later, lead vocalist and poet Anders Jacobsson joined the band, which then changed its name to what it is today.
Over the next months, DRACONIAN worked diligently on new material that eventually found its way to their first demo Shades of a Lost Moon which was released in February 96. At the end of January 1997, DRACONIAN recorded their second demo, In Glorious Victory. Unfortunately, the band quickly grew discontent with the sound quality of the recording and decided not to release it. In early August 1999, DRACONIAN entered Studio Kuling to record The Closed Eye of Paradise, an album that dealt with the mystical dark theme of Lucifer and his fallen angels, the true face of God, and the forthcoming battle.
Unfortunately, the recording, suffering from a bad production, was again not up to DRACONIAN’s high standards and was not released before 2000, after the band had done various improvements to the original recording. DRACONIAN now concentrated on creating something new. Their sound became slower, darker, and doomier. The material that ensued guided DRACONIAN in a different direction. Their 2-track promo Frozen Features was made available on the Internet, as well as in CD format. A final demo was recorded in the summer of 2002 featuring the vocal talents of Lisa Johansson for the first time. Dark Oceans We Cry paved the final way for DRACONIAN out of the unknown and into the limelight. The demo received outstanding reviews and the band signed a long-awaited record deal with NAPALM RECORDS.
DRACONIAN recorded their debut album, Where Lovers Mourn in Studio Mega under the supervision of Chris Silver (ex Sundown and Cemetary member) in July 2003.
Just two years later, under the direction of Pelle Saether, DRACONIAN entered Studio Underground in Västerås to record Arcane Rain Fell in 2005.
In 2006 DRACONIAN began working on their third release. But due to myriad fan requests, the band decided to first deliver a bonus album to include remakes of old tracks from The Closed Eyes of Paradise demo. The Burning Halo would also include three new tracks and two covers. Plagued by numerous problems throughout the production phases, the album was delayed and finally completed in June and released in September 2006.
Produced by Andreas Karlsson and Johan Ericson, and mixed in „Anders Ljudbild†by Anders Bergström, The Burning Halo is a majestic blend of DRACONIAN’s previous two releases, which shows the Swedish Doom Metal masters in perfect form, having developed into one of the scene's top acts.
In September 2007, DRACONIAN started to record their 4th album Turning Season Within at the Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, with producers Jens Bogren and David Castillo (Opeth, Katatonia), who completed Draconian..s vision of a extensive, weighty and dark sound.
Musically, Turning Season Within sees DRACONIAN speed up the tempo and heaviness a bit, but without leaving their roots or the doomish aspect aside. One reason for this might be that the band felt more inspired by their own countrymen than the old British Doomers or Norwegian Romantic Gothic Metal. On a lyrical level, singer Anders states that it contains the most down to earth and personal lyrics so far and when asked about a central topic, “Failing and hopeless relations within love, and how we deal with it†is the answer. And Anders also gives the answer to people that might think love is a lame subject in heavy dark music like this; “I think it’s really doomy! Pain is a topic that never grows old in musical themes. Some people seem to forget that love can be the greatest hell you have to manage, but still it’s vital to our existence. In this way I think the music with both the harsh and the very soft tender sound at times, fits these lyrics very well. The various tempers define our emotional world, and love is both heaven and hell.â€
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Some fans made a video for "Expostulation" (interlude song from "Arcane Rain Fell" album). Directed by Christopher Cuccia.
Quite cool!
Expostulation
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Seasons Apart (live at MFVF 5 - Belgium)