Paradise Lost – Draconian Times XXV

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been nine years since Draconian Times was reissued as a Legacy Edition via Sony Music. We noted, at its time of release that, although an impressive celebration of the album thanks to a 5.1 mix and various bonus cuts, it was slightly frustrating that tracks from the 1995 Commemorative Tour Pack were defiantly absent. It’s a shame, therefore, that this twenty-fifth anniversary edition (damn, I’m old) has gone and done it again. Gone is the 5.1 mix from the Legacy Edition (although the stereo mix is retained and remastered), while the bonus disc features aspects of both releases, without fully replicating either. All of this means, of course, that, if you’re a Draconian Times nut, then your home is going to start to look like a Paradise Lost storage depot.

So, what do you get with this reissue? Well, for a start, the album has returned to its original Music For Nations home, which offers a twinge of nostalgia. Packaged in a hardbacked book, it also features a twenty-four-page inlay, which includes notes from uber-fan Nik Ruskell and rare photographs from the period. Alternatively, you can go the vinyl route, which includes a download code for the bonus tracks, and which is pressed on a variety of cool colours. For whichever version you opt, it’s certainly a handsome package band and label have put together. One other thing worth noting is that the album flies solo on this edition, with the bonus tracks found exclusively on the second disc, which is nice for those who like the record to play through without any material tacked on to the end.

The Album

It’s hard to quantify the emotions that flow through you when you hear the first few notes of the still-stunning Enchantment. From the moment you pick up the album, you know it’s different from anything Paradise Lost (or their peers) had attempted before. Miles away from the scabrous doom of Gothic, the sense of grandeur evoked by those haunting piano tones gives way to an absolutely crushing riff, given the most astonishing studio presence by producer Simon Efemey. Twenty-five years has done absolutely nothing to dull the impact of the song, and it remains one of the most powerful and instantly recognisable pieces in Paradise Lost’s storied canon. At the time, the band were hailed in the press as “the new Metallica”, but the Metallica of 1995 (with no disrespect intended) had nothing on the grand soundscapes in which Paradise Lost were dabbling. Both Hallowed Land and The Last Time maintain the momentum, only for Paradise Lost to unveil another absolute classic in the form of Forever Failure. Opening with a snippet of Charles Manson, the song grabs the attention and holds it for four stunning minutes. This is a band at the peak of their considerable powers and, riven with raw emotion, it’s one of Nick Holmes’ finest performances. Fortunately, it’s a track with which the band don’t even try to compete, and Once Solemn storms out the gates as its own entity, leaving the elegiac Shadowkings to round out the first side.

With the band’s increasingly gothic inclinations on full display, the opening bars to Elusive Cure could easily come from any number of 4AD releases, although Greg is on hand to peel out a brutal riff soon enough. Yearn For Change largely repeats this trick, with a gently phased clean guitar-line building towards a steamroller riff of gargantuan proportions. It’s easy to see why the track would become a live staple for the band, and it’s neatly followed by the synth-washed Shades Of God, which more or less epitomises the Paradise Lost sound in just under four perfect minutes. Hands Of Reason sees Steve channeling Simon Gallup, as the band take The Cure and give them a thorough working over and, if I See Your Face is something of a throwback to Icon, it prepares the ground for the remarkable Jaded, one of Paradise Lost’s most emotionally devastating songs. A gorgeous, stately conclusion that most bands would have been tempted to draw out to obscene lengths, Jaded provides the perfect end to Draconian Times and, although we weren’t to know it at the time, effectively closes the chapter on Paradise Lost’s first era.  

Bonus Disc

First up, we get a four-track BBC Session, which previously saw the light of day via the (now out of print) Paradise Lost At The BBC album, which was released on the Strange Fruit label. The session offered here was captured The Rock Show in 1995, and it sees the band offering up three tracks from Draconian Times, as well as Sweetness (from the Seals The Sense EP). Hitting play reveals a rather anaemic-sounding Shadow Kings, the band delivering a strong performance but captured with a surprisingly top-heavy sound. The aforementioned Sweetness is similarly strong, the band delivering a powerful take on a lesser-known track. Strangely, both Once Solemn and Yearn For Change sound much better, as if band and production team had gelled by this point, with Once Solemn sounding particularly vigorous in delivery. Overall, this short session makes for a welcome addition, despite any technical limitations, as it helps complete the story of the band’s promotional activities for Draconian Times.

Next up, we get a substantial portion of the album demo, which misses out Enchantment (from the Legacy Edition) and Weeping Words (the tour edition) but which keeps last Desire and The Last Time. As a result, you need all three versions of the album to have the complete album sessions in your hands (see comparison chart below), which is vexing to say the least. As it stands, the demos offered here are powerful and represent just how strong the material was, even before Simon Efemey added his production magic. The Last Time sounds every inch the classic it was to become, with Greg’s rippling solo already fully formed. Equally, album highlight Forever Failure lands with its creepy, Charles Manson sample fully intact, although it lacks the solemnity of its final incarnation. Indeed, all the demos sound strong, perhaps with the exception of Hallowed Land, which features some truly horrible synth sounds where the oh-so-familiar piano of the album version now sits, although its interesting to hear how the band originally envisaged the song.

Last, but not least, we get the band’s excellent cover of Walk Away (Sisters of Mercy), previously found on the tour edition, and a demo version of Masters Of Misrule, which bears no resemblance to its namesake from The Last Time single / Tour edition.  

Final Thoughts

Is this twenty-fifth anniversary edition worth shelling out for? Well, if you already own the tour edition, the Legacy edition or BBC Sessions, it’s a tough call, although there are a number of tracks exclusive to this edition, which are worth a listen, and it is beautifully packaged (of course, committed fans of the band probably answered the question by pre-ordering this version the second it was announced). However, if for some unfathomable reason you don’t already own a copy of this stately masterpiece, then you should purchase a copy forthwith (pausing only to strike yourself), and count all the ways in which the record can justifiably be labelled a game-changing masterpiece.

Album: 10 / 10

This edition: 8 / 10

Edition comparison (tracks in bold, unique to that edition)