DRACONIAN - Where Lovers Mourn 2-LP (Black Vinyl)

Draconian is a curious entity in that they seemingly came from out of no where into the spot light after a few rather high quality releases. Lisa Johnson is by far a stand out singer and certainly one of the best female vocalists in the Metal field today.

The production is good enough for the songs within. The guitars have a very Black Metal feel to them opting for more opened chorded/single noted passages then the crunch the band would later use. They are a surprisingly epic yet incredibly melancholic. There are no solos but the leads are solid and misery filled. They only accentuate the sorrow in the lyrics.

The bass more or less follows the guitars and drums but it does sound good all the same. The drums are more or less standard Goth/Doom patterns, but they do work well with the material. The keyboards add to the vibrant atmosphere and help with the backbone of the guitar dirges. The lyrics are more typical for the style, about love and loss with a poem thrown in for good measure.

The vocals from both singers are brilliant. The male vocals go from spoken word to more mid-ranged Blackish howls to more guttural Death Metal growls. The female vocals are vibrant and sharp. They add a more drastic yet tasteful contrast to what has become one of the more played out trademarks in underground Metal.

Overall the only complaints about this album are that after the halfway mark some of the songs start to blend together. That and that Lisa isn’t featured more prominently. Aside from these, this is a very good debut album from an up and coming Goth/Doom Metal band. Highly recommended.