Draconian Break Five Year Silence With Dark Tale ‘Under A Godless Veil’
~By Willem Verhappen~
Too long. Too long I've waited for a new DRACONIAN record. While the Swedish Gothic doom band always took their time to prepare for a new record, the five years between 'Sovran' (2015 - Napalm Records) and their new outing, 'Under A Godless Veil' (2020 - Napalm Records) feels somewhat excessive. While I'm sure the band had their reasons for this long period of silence, it raises the stakes for this release.
Draconian - Sorrow of Sophia
Under A Godless Veil tells the story of Sophia, goddess of wisdom, who in Gnostic tradition accidentally creates the Demiurge,who steals her powers and becomes the creator of our physical world. If there was any hope that this would be a lighthearted record, the opening track, "The Sorrow of Sophia," crushes those hopes without any mercy. From the get go it's clear that Draconian stays true to themselves on this seventh full-length. The band still plays gothic doom in line with bands like Swallow the Sun, the darker side of Katatonia and early Tiamat, with a lead role for Heike Langhans. The emotive, almost desperate vocals of the South African singer are in perfect contrast with Anders Jacobsson's almost animalistic growls.
Draconian - The Sacrificial Flame
Where Sovran was relatively straight-forward in its songwriting, Under A Godless Veil presents us with more dynamic songwriting. This becomes clear already during "Sorrow of Sophia", which organically moves from punishing death doom to a serene keyboard soundscape and back again. The beautiful "Sleepwalkers" is another showcase of the bands qualities. The almost ambient "Burial Fields" is yet another example of just how well the two vocalists compliment each other, while the blast beat laden "The Sethian" shows us that Draconian hasn't forgotten their death metal roots.
Draconian - Sleepwalkers
Draconian once again delivered with Under A Godless Veil. It's not the most exuberant record, with a lot of subtleties woven throughout the album. This might make it a bit bland for the casual listener, but if you sit down for a proper listening session and listen to the story being told, you will discover just how perfectly crafted it is. Under A Godless Veil was well worth the wait. Although I don't expect to get bored by this record anytime soon, I hope Draconian will fall back in their rhythm of releasing a record every other year.
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