Draconian
„Under A Godless Veil“
Limited Double black Vinyl. Gothic, Doom, Death, Metal. 2020.

I actually stumbled across Draconian while browsing the Napalm Records website. "Under A Godless Veil" is the seventh album from the band, which was founded in Sweden in 1994. Draconian has remained true to its style: melancholic, dark gothic death-doom metal. And that's despite changing lineups. I call the switch from delicate, bright female vocals to male growls "Beauty & The Beast Metal". I'm a fan of this rather elegiac, doomy gothic and I really like being able to understand the lyrics even in the growls. A melodic, atmospheric album.

Sophia from Gnostic mythology isn't simply a sad figure. She falls from her plane and lands in a world where humanity is separated from God and the Demiurge appears as the creator of the material world. People live in a kind of captivity. Only Gnosis (knowledge) can help them see beyond the supposed reality. A concept album in the style of Beauty and the Beast. Heike Langhans doesn't just sing beautifully; she seems to sing into this world from another plane. Anders Jacobsson's growls and clean vocals are not only aggressive but also have an earthy, grounded undertone. It's not new that voices like Heike Langhans's melt my heart. We especially hear her breath as she sings. We're obviously in a recording studio, and yet I sense a certain authenticity. Draconian is reminiscent of early Theatre of Tragedy, but it's heavier and has its own distinct style.

It's rare for me that the very first song is the heart of the album. But the opener “Sorrow Of Sophia” immediately draws me into its melodic melancholy. Almost prog? Varied, not too short, with shifting tempos. And it's precisely the smooth melody that burrows right into my skull. Simply hauntingly beautiful. Heike Langhans' voice creates (beautifully!) pathos-laden, kitschy gothic. Anders Jacobsson's growls, in contrast, bring a certain aggression into play. It's wonderful how the lyrics and music blend seamlessly. The epic scope is, of course, also present. And I feel the same way about the other tracks. Sluggish drums, strings, fat guitars, and well-defined electric bass playing. Outstanding, melancholic vocals from Heike Langhans, which remain intelligible despite the relatively high reverb. The growls are also clear and simply well-executed. 

Compared to Tristania or Theatre of Tragedy (Beauty and the Beast Metal), the doom metal aspect is much more pronounced here. Furthermore, Draconian has remained true to their style and gradually expanded upon it. A comparison to Within Temptation is out of the question for me, but there is a vocal similarity to Sharon Den Adel. Sad albums have a magical attraction for me. I'm captivated by the atmosphere they create, and Draconian, in my opinion, masters doom and gothic metal best. A word about the technical side: the vinyl version sounds less expansive to me, as if all the instruments are more tightly interwoven. I prefer listening to the CD or streaming.

What do I really think?

The last track is logically titled "Ascend Into Darkness". While I consider it a concept album, it only superficially revolves around Sophia. Here, we depart from Tolkien's contrast of darkness versus light. For me, this is about uncertainty versus knowledge. And that's far more complex than good versus evil. And knowledge, too, can be very painful. This isn't simply a "normal" gothic metal album. It's far too varied between the heavy passages for that. Ambient elements shine through, bringing dreamlike soundscapes to the tracks. At first, I was naive; only gradually did the veil lift, and only then did I fully entered the reality of "Under A Godless Veil". And the realization didn't hurt me.

The photos are all from my LP. The rights to all designs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.

TheProgThief
©23.07.2026
Mk 2