Never once in my days as a metalhead did I once dare to think of what gothic metal and doom metal would sound like when smashed together. And yet the universe in all of its infinite wisdom has given me Draconian’s newest gothic doom album, “Sovran”. Now it didn’t sound like something I’d like at first because I’m not big into gothic metal in any way, but I do like me some doom metal so I figured “Sovran” was worth a shot, and holy f**k was I right. Draconian manages to contain both gothic and doom metal to the point where there is a more than obvious difference when they switch between the two genre, but it’s such a seamless shift and works so well that it is not possible to become immersed in both styles even if you just like only one. The doom bits have a slow tempo and are very heavy as you expect along with some intensely deep growls, and then those shift within a second to a female vocalist who has an absolutely beautiful voice that is matched with more rhythmic guitars, a faster beat, and an overall positive overtone during those parts. And if any doom metal fans are worrying if Draconian sacrificed a long lasting song with the addition of gothic elements, fear not because not one track goes for less than 6 awesome minutes. “Sovran” seems to be a representation of two sides of the same coin with one side being the intense, heavy doom metal that just grinds along, and on the other side being the more positive feeling gothic metal showing beauty alongside the beast (the doom metal). All in all, Draconian have made a very dynamic album that has a great sound in its entirety that fans of their special unique blend of music can only know, but this album is very enjoyable if you like even just one of the two genres as I do and that makes “Sovran” a very strong album and definitely not the last one to come out of the minds of Draconian.
“Sovran” comes out October 30th. You can watch the lyric video for the track “Rivers Between Us (feat. Daniel Änghede)” via YouTube here, and purchase the album via iTunes here.
