Draconian – The Closed Eyes of Paradise - Album Streaming & Download

Origin : Sweden

Genre : Gothic Doom Death Metal

Release : 2000 (Demo CD)

Album Info / Review

Intro:
From the frigid depths of Swedish melancholia, Draconian returns with “The Closed Eyes of Paradise,” a testament to their enduring command of gothic doom metal. This album doesn’t merely tread familiar territory; it excavates it, revealing layers of despair and beauty that resonate with the raw, unvarnished pain of existence. Released in 2015, it stands as a pivotal point in their discography, showcasing a mature evolution of their signature sound, a sound that is both crushing in its weight and ethereal in its sorrow. The production is rich and resonant, allowing each instrument to breathe and contribute to the oppressive atmosphere. The guitars weave intricate tapestries of melody and dissonance, the drums provide a relentless, ritualistic pulse, and the keyboards paint vast, desolate soundscapes. This is an album that demands immersion, a journey through shadowed valleys and forgotten cathedrals of the soul.

Track Analysis:
“**The Closed Eyes of Paradise**” opens with an immediate sense of foreboding. The title track erupts with a colossal guitar riff, heavy and mournful, underpinned by Anders Jacobsson’s guttural growls. Lisa Johansson’s soprano, a celestial counterpoint, enters with a haunting grace, her vocals soaring above the sonic tempest. The interplay between these two vocalists is the album’s beating heart, a constant push and pull between the abyss and the glimmer of hope.

“**Stellar Tombs**” plunges deeper into the darkness, its tempo a deliberate, plodding march. The keyboards here are particularly effective, conjuring images of ancient mausoleums and starlit vigils. The guitar solos are not flashy displays of technicality, but rather mournful laments, each note dripping with existential angst.

“**Dying in the Dark**” introduces a more dynamic element. The tempo shifts, allowing for moments of fragile beauty to emerge from the crushing weight. Johansson’s vocal performance is particularly poignant here, conveying a profound sense of loss and resignation. The clean guitar passages are delicate, like frost forming on a tombstone.

“**Fortress of Solitude**” is an exercise in atmospheric dread. The guitars are layered, creating a wall of sound that feels both protective and suffocating. The growls are deep and resonant, adding a primal element to the despair. The track builds to a cathartic crescendo, a brief explosion of fury before sinking back into its melancholic embrace.

“**The Silver Unspoken**” offers a slight respite, though “respite” in Draconian terms still involves significant emotional weight. This track features a more prominent melodic sensibility, with Johansson’s vocals taking center stage, delivering a lament that is both beautiful and heartbreaking. The instrumentation remains heavy but allows for moments of delicate piano and acoustic guitar to peek through.

“**Chronograms of the Lost**” is a sprawling epic, its nearly ten-minute runtime allowing for a complete immersion into Draconian’s world. The track ebbs and flows, incorporating a multitude of moods and textures. The vocal exchanges are particularly powerful, shifting from crushing despair to moments of fleeting, ethereal beauty.

“**A Womb of Desolation**” returns to the crushing, slow-burning intensity of the album’s opening. The riffs are monolithic, the growls are earth-shattering, and the keyboards create an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere. This is the sound of a world succumbing to its own entropy.

“**The Last Hour’s Lament**” closes the album with a sense of finality. It’s a slow, mournful dirge, a final farewell to paradise lost. Johansson’s vocals are imbued with a profound sadness, a quiet acceptance of the inevitable. The album concludes not with a bang, but with a fading whisper, leaving the listener in a state of contemplative sorrow.

Conclusion:
“The Closed Eyes of Paradise” is a masterclass in gothic doom metal. Draconian has crafted an album that is both sonically immense and emotionally devastating. The vocal duality of Jacobsson and Johansson is expertly utilized, creating a dynamic that is both captivating and heartbreaking. The production is impeccable, allowing the intricate songwriting and powerful performances to shine through. This is not an album for the faint of heart; it is a journey into the darkest corners of the human psyche, a cathartic exploration of loss, despair, and the enduring beauty found within the shadows. It solidifies Draconian’s position as purveyors of profoundly moving and crushingly heavy music.