Draconian Times

Draconian Times is the fifth studio album released by British metal act Paradise Lost. Two tracks from the album, "The Last Time" and "Forever Failure", were released as singles with music videos, and both charted.

Draconian Times
Studio album by Paradise Lost
Released	12 June 1995
Recorded	Great Linford Manor and Ridge Farm Studios, England, January–March 1995
Genre	Gothic metal
Length	48:59
Label	Music for Nations, Relativity
Producer	Simon Efemey
Paradise Lost chronology
Icon (1993) Draconian Times (1995) One Second (1997)
Singles from Draconian Times
"The Last Time" Released: 8 May 1995 "Forever Failure" Released: 25 September 1995

This album was played in its entirety on the band's live album Draconian Times MMXI. This album was released with Shades of God and Icon in a boxed set called Original Album Classics.[1] A song called "Another Desire", was written during this album's recording, but it was not released on this album nor the reissues. Instead, it was included in the "Forever Failure" single.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Sputnikmusic	[3]
Laut.de	[4]

Daevid Jehnzen of Allmusic rewarded the album a score of 4.5 out of 5, calling it a mix 'between stark, oppressive goth rock and crunching heavy metal' and praising Paradise Lost's ability to 'create and sustain a mood'.[2]

Ulf Kubanke of Laut.de calls the album 'a perfect mix between beauty and morbidity' and also points out that the album sounds 'as if Hetfield took a bite out of the album First and Last and Always '[3].

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gregor Mackintosh & Nick Holmes except as noted.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Enchantment"	6:04
2.	"Hallowed Land"	5:02
3.	"The Last Time"	3:27
4.	"Forever Failure"	4:18
5.	"Once Solemn"	3:03
6.	"Shadowkings"	4:41
7.	"Elusive Cure"	3:21
8.	"Yearn for Change" (Mackintosh, Lee Morris, Holmes, Steve Edmondson)	4:19
9.	"Shades of God"	3:54
10.	"Hands of Reason"	3:58
11.	"I See Your Face" (Aaron Aedy, Mackintosh, Holmes)	3:17
12.	"Jaded"	3:26
Total length:		48:59

Limited Edition Commemorative Tour Pack (Bonus CD)

No.	Title	additional note	Length
1.	"Embers Fire (Live)"		4:27
2.	"Daylight Torn (Live)"		7:28
3.	"True Belief (Live)"		4:24
4.	"Pity the Sadness (Live)"		5:14
5.	"As I Die (Live)"		3:38
6.	"Weeping Words (Demo)"		3:50
7.	"The Last Time (Demo)"		3:27
8.	"Walk Away"	The Sisters of Mercy cover	3:24
9.	"Laid to Waste"		3:14
10.	"Master of Misrule"		3:07
11.	"Forever Failure (Video Edit)"		4:45

Koch Records (US) Reissue

No.	Title	additional notes	Length
13.	"How Soon Is Now?"	The Smiths cover	4:34
14.	"Fear"		3:08

Japanese bonus tracks[5]

No.	Title	additional notes	Length
13.	"Walk Away"	The Sisters of Mercy cover	3:24
14.	"Laid to Waste"		3:16
15.	"Master of Misrule"		3:07

Legacy Edition (2011)

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Enchantment" (1994 Demo)	5:03
14.	"Last Desire" (1994 Demo)	3:09
15.	"Forever Failure" (Live in Germany 1995)	4:21
16.	"Shadowkings" (Live in Germany 1995)	4:49
17.	"Once Solemn" (Live in Germany 1995)	3:05
18.	"Hallowed Land" (Live in Germany 1995)	5:11
19.	"The Last Time" (Live in Germany 1995)	3:40

Personnel

Band Nick Holmes – vocals and lyrics Gregor Mackintosh – lead guitar Aaron Aedy – rhythm and acoustic guitars Steve Edmonson – bass guitar Lee Morris – drums Guest musicians Andrew Holdsworth - keyboards

Production Simon Efemey (Zomba Management Ltd.) - production Pete "Pee Wee" Coleman - audio engineering, mixing Kevin Metcalfe (at Townhouse Studios, London) - mastering Holly Warburton - illustrations and photography Stylorouge - design and layout Andy Griffin, Phil Woods, Phil Luff - assisting Spoken Dialogue on "Forever Failure": taken from "Charles Manson - The Man who killed the Sixties" produced by Box Productions for Channel Four Television Corporation.

Charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6]	21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7]	24
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[8]	47
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9]	46
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[10]	24
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11]	15
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12]	16
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13]	20
UK Albums (OCC)[14]	16

Notes

1. http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Paradise_Lost/Original_Album_Classics/353139
2. Jehnzen, Daevid. Draconian Times - Anathema at AllMusic. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
3. Altmer. Draconian Times sputnikmusic.com. June 11th, 2007. Retrieved on 2012-05-20.
4. Kubanke, Ulf. Draconian Times laut.de Retrieved on 2019-11-22.
5. "Draconian Times" Japan release - Discogs.com
6. "Austriancharts.at – Paradise Lost – Draconian Times" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
7. "Ultratop.be – Paradise Lost – Draconian Times" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
8. "Ultratop.be – Paradise Lost – Draconian Times" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Paradise Lost – Draconian Times" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
10. "Paradise Lost: Draconian Times" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
11. "Officialcharts.de – Paradise Lost – Draconian Times". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
12. "Swedishcharts.com – Paradise Lost – Draconian Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
13. "Swisscharts.com – Paradise Lost – Draconian Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
14. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 26, 2014.