Draconian has been my favorite band ever since they released Where Lovers Mourn. They never fail to produce good music.
Everything they've done is good, I was really hooked on them for a long time. I named my Dragon Age rogue, Draconia, after the band
Still, despite their extensive catalog, I always come back to Where Lovers Mourn, it's their finest work. Music, lyrics, vocals top notch. The female vocals are great, I like how she doesnt sound weak at all - she's got a beautiful, but powerful voice in contrast to the mournful guitars. Such a great contrast.
While the male vocals do the "harsh and raspy" thing, I can always understand what he's saying, and he never goes full-Cookie Monster. He has a great misanthropic screaming ranting style at times, for instance at the end of the opening track. The last track, same thing. Magnificent, never fails to get my blood pumping.
The final song, when the old man is reading the HP Lovecraft passage - un-fucking-believably-awesome, that whole song - what it means, the story behind it, how it's all tied together. When i realized that, I knew they were something special.
Other bands try, and they have their individual merits here and there , but nobody compares to Draconian
Have you heard
Tristania's "Widow's Weeds"? Vibeke Sten's fragile female vocals alongside Morten Veland's otherworldly "dark overlord" style vocals are a treat