Paradise Lost
From page 79 of Classic Rock Magazine June 2011
Draconian Times Legacy Edition
MUSIC FOR NATIONS/SONY MUSIC
PL’s classic big seller gets the remastering treatment.
Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? Well, clearly not if you’re one of those involved in putting this rather tidy, if overstuffed, package together to celebrate the fan favourite that is Paradise Lost’s 1995 album Draconian Times . In historical terms, DT is the bridge between the band’s earlier brutal, extreme metal roots, and the electronic and industrial embellishments they experimented with during the latter part of the 90s. As such it strikes an almost impeccable balance between monumental riffage and gothic gloominess; a pall of icy black despair hangs over the crunching grooves and oddly catchy melancholic melodies. The likes of Hallowed Land, Forever Failure and Shades Of God sound suitably immense in their remastered form, but if you really want to immerse yourself in misery then you could always go for the DVD mixed to Dolby 5.1 on disc two. Of course, such a package isn’t complete without a bunch of extra bits and pieces, and here we have a set of previously unreleased live Draconian Times tunes taken from a German gig circa 1995, plus a brace of demos – strictly for fans only. Wallowing in grinding darkness never sounded quite so good. ■■■■■■■■■■
Essi Berelian


