I haven't listened to Draconian for quite some time and the new album just popped on my spotify. I was sold right from the intro notes and run to metalstorm to see what the hell is this
Love it so far. Vocals remind me of Trees of Eternity actually; you know, that poor lass.

Written by sogrom on 31.10.2020 at 11:40


Vocals remind me of Trees of Eternity actually; you know, that poor lass.

She has been compared to Sharon of Within Temptation, Lana Del Rey and Aleah... there was even a mention of Enya somewhere. LoL. I don't know how happy she is about all that. But i really loved her vocals on Sovran and in this album too. She's shown a lot of different flavors. The Sacrificial Flame, Night Visitor, The Sethian, each has her singing in a different way and she does a really good job of it.

AOTY for me. Definitely their best since ARF. Might even surpass that album on further listens.

A album what is well Heike is not Lisa, she is better singer, but in Lisa era bands music was not so rotten, overated.
There are no killer songs as Rivers between us and staller tombs.
But this is great, it continues, mournful melodies, sadness there, mix between old school dm grunts, make vocals and calm female vocals. I sugest this one to each of you, listen few times, its not so bad even Anders and Heike are overrated. Its good doom record, something is missing, but its not bad, believe me.

Written by Bad English on 31.10.2020 at 16:22

A album what is well Heike is not Lisa, she is better singer, but in Lisa era bands music was not so rotten, overated.
There are no killer songs as Rivers between us and staller tombs.
But this is great, it continues, mournful melodies, sadness there, mix between old school dm grunts, make vocals and calm female vocals. I sugest this one to each of you, listen few times, its not so bad even Anders and Heike are overrated. Its good doom record, something is missing, but its not bad, believe me.

so many questions, do you even care that most people do not understand your posts?
"rotten" music? wtf does that even mean?
Why do you think this band is overrated? It's not enough to say that they are, what's your reasoning for saying that.
Anders and Heike are overrated? Again, how? So the rest of the band are not overrated, just these two...

It's a good doom record you say, but it's rotten and overrated?! You contradict yourself here...

Written by Guest on 30.10.2020 at 18:10

I was expecting for something really heavy and dark, metalish after all. I've got The Birthday Massacre and Enya singing along with growls and mediocre riffs. That's how this album sounds to me. Very disappointed. Rated it 6, but could be much less.

How is this "The Birthday Massacre"? There are almost no keyboards and electronic elements on this album.

Written by JoHn Doe on 31.10.2020 at 16:33

Written by Bad English on 31.10.2020 at 16:22

A album what is well Heike is not Lisa, she is better singer, but in Lisa era bands music was not so rotten, overated.
There are no killer songs as Rivers between us and staller tombs.
But this is great, it continues, mournful melodies, sadness there, mix between old school dm grunts, make vocals and calm female vocals. I sugest this one to each of you, listen few times, its not so bad even Anders and Heike are overrated. Its good doom record, something is missing, but its not bad, believe me.

so many questions, do you even care that most people do not understand your posts?
"rotten" music? wtf does that even mean?
Why do you think this band is overrated? It's not enough to say that they are, what's your reasoning for saying that.
Anders and Heike are overrated? Again, how? So the rest of the band are not overrated, just these two...

It's a good doom record you say, but it's rotten and overrated?! You contradict yourself here...

Same question, what the hell is "rotten music"? Also, Anders is definitely not overrated, he is one of the best growlers in business for me. Heike's vocals are more subjective, but I think they work really well on their newer albums, Lisa wouldn't fit here at all. Heike has really improved on this album, she has a lot of impressive moments.

Written by JoHn Doe on 31.10.2020 at 16:33

Written by Bad English on 31.10.2020 at 16:22

...

...

I'm surprised you still try to find sense where there is none, the persistence is admirable but it's best to just leave his comments be

Written by musclassia on 31.10.2020 at 18:46

Written by JoHn Doe on 31.10.2020 at 16:33

Written by Bad English on 31.10.2020 at 16:22

...

...

I'm surprised you still try to find sense where there is none, the persistence is admirable but it's best to just leave his comments be

if he wasn't omnipresent, I would not care at all.

Written by JoHn Doe on 31.10.2020 at 19:01

Written by musclassia on 31.10.2020 at 18:46

Written by JoHn Doe on 31.10.2020 at 16:33

Written by Bad English on 31.10.2020 at 16:22

...

...

I'm surprised you still try to find sense where there is none, the persistence is admirable but it's best to just leave his comments be

if he wasn't omnipresent, I would not care at all.

You see, Bad English is actually God, but not like the Abrahamic God, all-powerful and what not. He's more like Azathoth, the blind-idiot god or The God-Emperor of Mankind, dead and mummified. He is an enigma wrapped up in a mystery.

This is good, pretty good. Maybe even really good, but definitely no a 10/10, I think people are overrating this album. I'm gonna need a few more listens but this is somewhere in the 7-8 range for me as the album feels a bit long in the tooth at times.

Written by X-FrEaK on 30.10.2020 at 16:56

Written by nikarg on 30.10.2020 at 16:34

This is a good album, with the second half being better than the first but there are really no bad songs in it.

Ill have to give it more spins, but my opinion is exactly the opposite. The thing is all the pre released songs were the exactly first half of the album. Lets see how it feels after some more spins

After spending some hours with the album, my final rating would be 8.5 (hence the 9). and although I think the last 3 songs are insanely good, the 3 before are not on par with the rest of the album. It has been amazing putting on the album and walking for hours in the gloomy Netherlands

I have to be honest, since I'm not a big Draconian fan, i wasn't expecting much, but this album is actually really good. Very pleasant suprise.

Written by X-FrEaK on 01.11.2020 at 19:00

It has been amazing putting on the album and walking for hours in the gloomy Netherlands

Yeah, I was also thinking that a gloomy northern walk with headphones would go really well with this album.

Written by X-FrEaK on 01.11.2020 at 19:00



. It has been amazing putting on the album and walking for hours in the gloomy Netherlands

Then yoy should come here, because after 2 weeks sun wont shine anymore, only show up between 10-12 and not whole disc. Nice idea, I wlll try do it , this music works in this dark period,

Written by Bad English on 01.11.2020 at 22:09

Written by X-FrEaK on 01.11.2020 at 19:00



. It has been amazing putting on the album and walking for hours in the gloomy Netherlands

Then yoy should come here, because after 2 weeks sun wont shine anymore, only show up between 10-12 and not whole disc. Nice idea, I wlll try do it , this music works in this dark period,

Coming from Portugal its already hard to deal with dutch winters, Norway its on another level

Written by X-FrEaK on 02.11.2020 at 12:23

Written by Bad English on 01.11.2020 at 22:09

Written by X-FrEaK on 01.11.2020 at 19:00



. It has been amazing putting on the album and walking for hours in the gloomy Netherlands

Then yoy should come here, because after 2 weeks sun wont shine anymore, only show up between 10-12 and not whole disc. Nice idea, I wlll try do it , this music works in this dark period,

Coming from Portugal its already hard to deal with dutch winters, Norway its on another level

Dutch winter, good joke man hehe, really good.

Written by Bad English on 02.11.2020 at 13:32


Dutch winter, good joke man hehe, really good.

Come on dude, Norway isn't that cold. Try Siberia or something.

Written by Diplomate on 02.11.2020 at 15:29

Written by Bad English on 02.11.2020 at 13:32


Dutch winter, good joke man hehe, really good.

Come on dude, Norway isn't that cold. Try Siberia or something.

I live in sweden, so and no, we are not cold, we dont freeze

Incredibly solid album. A great contrast behind heavy and soft moments. I listened to this yesterday while walking in the forest. The best word I can find for this album is balanced. If you're a fan of Draconian, you won't regret picking this up. I think "Sovran" edges it out a bit, but that could change after I give this a few more listens. Favorite track: "Ascend into Darkness."

Gave it a few more listens. Initially, I didn't like Burial Fields a lot, but it has grown on me. I had a feeling that Ascend Into Darkness would be special but I just couldn't listen to it enough because the 3 songs before it were too big a distraction. Now I've listened to it a couple of times and really love it. The subtle tempo changes with varied riffs make for a perfect album closer.

I like this more than Sovran. To me, it is the best Gothic Doom album since Arcane Rain Fell, by Draconian, or any other band. Johan plays more prominent solos this time around and I like each one of them. The last album had just one I guess, in Rivers Between Us. Hard to pick a weak song, but the one I like the least would probably be Lustrous Hearts or Sleepwalkers, and even those are 4-star songs to me.

What really goes in favor of Draconian this time around is the concept of the album. It brings a sense of coherence to all the songs. Even if you pick out a single song but listen to it with the underlying concept in mind, it makes a lot more sense. This is why I feel bands should try to work around a single concept for each album. gives each song a +1.

Why this album is more 8.5-9ish rather than 9.5-10ish for me is because I feel most of the time is taken up by vocals so there are fewer Riff-centric moments that made me a fan, like the ones in The Cry of Silence, A Scenery of Loss, Daylight Misery, The Dying and most of the songs in their first 3 albums. The riffs are still there, but they're hidden beneath the vocals. But that's about the only thing I can think of that stood between this album being really good, and perfect.

Probably my favourite Draconian album so far. A perfect blend of everything.
EDIT: OK, this one deserves a 10 rating from me which I rarely give...
Hard to find any fault in it, while, of course, it's definitely not grounbreaking, but it ticks all the boxes for me.
Catchy, heavy and melancholic.
For me the highlights are: "The Sethinan", "Lustrous Heart", "Moon over Sabaoth", "Night Visitor", "Sleepwalkers".

Good old death/doom/gothic "beauty and the beast" formula refined to it's perfection!
In this case - To the hell with originality! Some things are ment to be honed not to be reinvented.

What a loser year 2020 is, the top 1 album has a rating of barely 8.5 or has is the bar higher than in the past?

Written by Mountain King on 11.11.2020 at 23:42

What a loser year 2020 is, the top 1 album has a rating of barely 8.5 or has is the bar higher than in the past?

I think people overrate older albums and underrate newer ones. I think with time Under a Godless Veil will eclipse the previous Draconian albums and will be on par with Arcane Rain Fell.

Written by Mountain King on 11.11.2020 at 23:42

What a loser year 2020 is, the top 1 album has a rating of barely 8.5 or has is the bar higher than in the past?

there seems to be a lot of purposeful "downvoting" of various albums in the top 10 by fans of a different top 10 album. As such, all the albums seem to be getting a lot of lower rankings than what is reasonable, and it is lowering their overall rankings. Plus what Diplomate said. People are going to be hard-pressed to rank "today's album" as high as their favorite classic from the same band (or a different band)

Written by sgtrobo on 12.11.2020 at 07:08

Written by Mountain King on 11.11.2020 at 23:42

What a loser year 2020 is, the top 1 album has a rating of barely 8.5 or has is the bar higher than in the past?

there seems to be a lot of purposeful "downvoting" of various albums in the top 10 by fans of a different top 10 album. As such, all the albums seem to be getting a lot of lower rankings than what is reasonable, and it is lowering their overall rankings. Plus what Diplomate said. People are going to be hard-pressed to rank "today's album" as high as their favorite classic from the same band (or a different band)

Both of you have good points which are worth considering. However, I might be wrong but, I feel that great albums (9s and 10s) are a little bit hard to find these days and I am not comparing the 70's 80's or early 90s but early 2000s and beginning of the 2nd decade of the 2000s.
At least in the 3 genres I enjoy the most and where I know most of the bands (progressive, power and heavy - clean vocal based), the quality is falling somehow.

Written by Mountain King on 13.11.2020 at 20:04

Both of you have good points which are worth considering. However, I might be wrong but, I feel that great albums (9s and 10s) are a little bit hard to find these days and I am not comparing the 70's 80's or early 90s but early 2000s and beginning of the 2nd decade of the 2000s.
At least in the 3 genres I enjoy the most and where I know most of the bands (progressive, power and heavy - clean vocal based), the quality is falling somehow.

Black is doing quite fine, don't listen to death much but I think the same applies to it. Doom is in decline and gothic is almost dead, but to me the new Album by Draconian is a genuine 9+. How it is lower than Sovran and TSW (which was an incredibly boring album together with ARFTA), I have no idea.

Written by Diplomate on 15.11.2020 at 00:51

Written by Mountain King on 13.11.2020 at 20:04

Both of you have good points which are worth considering. However, I might be wrong but, I feel that great albums (9s and 10s) are a little bit hard to find these days and I am not comparing the 70's 80's or early 90s but early 2000s and beginning of the 2nd decade of the 2000s.
At least in the 3 genres I enjoy the most and where I know most of the bands (progressive, power and heavy - clean vocal based), the quality is falling somehow.

Black is doing quite fine, don't listen to death much but I think the same applies to it. Doom is in decline and gothic is almost dead, but to me the new Album by Draconian is a genuine 9+. How it is lower than Sovran and TSW (which was an incredibly boring album together with ARFTA), I have no idea.

Cool might be a good time for me to get more into black, and I'll definitely give this album another try. I listened to it only once when it was released.

None of this album is anything I would usually listen to...I'm not into doom and I actively dislike female singers in metal. Yet I am in love with this album. Idk if I am more open to new things I usually don't like nowadays or if it's just this album being exceptional but given the rating from other users probably the latter. So highly recommend to give this a listen even if you see the doom tag and think this will not be for you.

Written by Skl3ros on 19.11.2020 at 00:38

None of this album is anything I would usually listen to...I'm not into doom and I actively dislike female singers in metal. Yet I am in love with this album. Idk if I am more open to new things I usually don't like nowadays or if it's just this album being exceptional but given the rating from other users probably the latter. So highly recommend to give this a listen even if you see the doom tag and think this will not be for you.

I came here to say pretty much this.

Gothic-metal and Doom aren't usually genres I have more than a glancing interest in but this album has been in so many AOTM lists, I gave it a proper listen and it's gorgeous. I agree with a few of the comments who've said the best tracks are towards the end but I like all of it tbh.

Time to invest a few hours in their back catalogue I think...

Written by Mountain King on 13.11.2020 at 20:04

Written by sgtrobo on 12.11.2020 at 07:08

Written by Mountain King on 11.11.2020 at 23:42

What a loser year 2020 is, the top 1 album has a rating of barely 8.5 or has is the bar higher than in the past?

there seems to be a lot of purposeful "downvoting" of various albums in the top 10 by fans of a different top 10 album.... Plus what Diplomate said. People are going to be hard-pressed to rank "today's album" as high as their favorite classic from the same band (or a different band)

...I feel that great albums (9s and 10s) are a little bit hard to find these days and I am not comparing the 70's 80's or early 90s but early 2000s and beginning of the 2nd decade of the 2000s. ... the quality is falling somehow.

All good points, and I'd add that a lot of these subgenres have been around a while, and it's hard to do something so pioneering at this point as to blow anyone away. Death metal has been around for 30 years now, black metal even longer, thrash longer still... Doom is half a century old. We rarely hear anyone try something that doesn't instantly call to mind either their previous albums or a bunch of similar bands (or both.)
That being said, I'll just go ahead and play devil's advocate to my own argument here and suggest that the majority of voters here favor albums that remind them of what they already like. MPE has a top 3ish album. Paradise Lost is up there as well, same with this Draconian record. None of them are radical shifts in style. Enslaved shook things up more than most if not all those bands currently in the top 20, and they're all the way down at 14. So maybe people don't really want to hear something new after all.

Maybe that's the problem: Most of us think we want new stuff that reminds us of old stuff but forget that the reason we liked the old stuff in the first place was because it was different than anything we'd heard before. So people don't want to give original stuff a chance, but are always just a little bit let down by the stuff that sounds like what they've already heard. I think this is true outside of metal as well. A lot of people just reach an age where they stop looking to explore and just settle in with a couple of favorite bands and genres. Then they wonder why it doesn't hit them the way it did in high school or college.