Paradise Lost "Draconian Times" CD

All you need is a simple reminder that Draconian Times by Paradise Lost is arguably the band's high point in their career. Paradise Lost coined the term gothic metal with their album Gothic but really didn't show signs of the genre until followups Shades of God and Icon. Paradise Lost ultimately mastered the genre they pioneered in 1995 with their album Draconian Times which went on to sell over a million albums worldwide. This took the Metallica influence to a whole new level.
And a whole new level of melody was added. On Icon, the Hetfield-esque vocals were more obvious, but on Draconian Times they're more varied. Each of the first four tracks are classic numbers. "Enchantment" for starters displays more variation in Nick Holmes' vocal range such as a more traditional gothic metal baritone which can be found in the other songs on the album. "Hallowed Land" is also an excellent number which reminds me of "Enter Sandman" but with a mix of keyboards and a really sick guitar solo. "The Last Time" is another excellent number which I could describe as a mashup between Metallica and Depeche Mode. These two bands along with Godflesh are probably the big influences on Draconian Times. "Forever Failure" may have depressing vocals, but the lyrics which are about motivation, help me get on with my day.
Even Paradise Lost, who are still active as of this writing knew they'd be writing uplifting songs on Draconian Times. Nick Holmes even had choral effects in the album which didn't detract from the album's quality. Obviously Cher had no influence on Holmes' singing. Holmes' best performance is on "Shadowkings" where his vocals are the most emotional. Drummer Lee Morris displays some industrial influence such as on songs like "The Last Time" and "Hands of Reason". I guess he must've been a closet Godflesh fan. Guitarists Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy play some rather ethereal riffs but on tracks like "Hallowed Land", they dish out some really groovy riffs. However, some tracks like "Elusive Cure" display usage of acoustic guitars which adds a bit of atmosphere to the songs. Stephen Edmondson's bass perfectly blends with songs like "Yearn for Change" and "Jaded" which adds more to the atmosphere of Draconian Times. Even the keyboards provided by session musician Andrew Holdsworth are beautiful on this album with "Hallowed Land" in particular receiving praise in this regard. It's just such a beautiful album.
The beautiful thing about Draconian Times is that it came out a month before I was even born. Although most people would point at Type O Negative for being the best band within the genre, this is also gothic metal done right. Unfortunately, Paradise Lost pretty much sold out with after this album with 1997's One Second. However, at the end of the day, Draconian Times stands tall as Paradise Lost's peak in their three decade career. If you're trying to get into Paradise Lost's Gothic (or death-doom in general) but need help transitioning, I'd start with this album and work your way backwards. It's the perfect album to get into gothic metal or death-doom and arguably one of the greatest doom metal albums ever made. A stone-cold classic.

Official promo video: 

Official promo video: 

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