Death in My Veins

Singapore metal scene is fully developed to the point of international recognition. The country has also given birth to some of the most notable acts in South East Asian regions such as Impiety, Rudra, Istidraj and the likes. They are like a hotbed for extreme metal underground bands with varieties of subgenres. Be it black metal, death metal or thrash metal, Singapore has them all. Now, another precious gem has been created, Draconis Infernum.

I first came across the band when I was browsing through this site in search for some good black metal bands of Asian origin. Since I read the excellent reviews about this album, therefore I decided to order one for myself. Right now Draconis Infernum is spinning regularly in my stereo and it never disappoints me one bit. I know that these people have met international standard certification through their musicianship and styles of musical delivery. Unlike Impiety who have now become extremely brutal following their departure from traditional Norwegian influenced black metal in ‘Asateruul Awaleen’, Draconis Infernum seem to revive the tradition in much more elaborate ways. This is evident in the opening track where there is a distorted speech concerning the nature of Christian religion to which I never really pay much attention. Immediately after the speech ends, Draconis Infernum begin to blast their merciless assault of pure black arts. The riffs are far from being technical or whatever. There are a few repetitive sections typical to the genre but it is apparent that Draconis Infernum wanted to diversify their deadly potion. Moreover, the solos in this album are impressive for example in the track “Cursed are the Vanquished”. Compare to DragonForce, Draconis Infernum are not that terrible. Despite having earned themselves the reputation for being a nihilistic band, Draconis still have a sense of melancholy within each one of them. Around 2:12 into “Belial Rising”, an ominous acoustic section gives me the creep for the rest of my day. Good thing about this acoustic interlude is that it never drags along too far unnecessarily and they are not overdoing it. It is just enough to enhance the overall mysterious nature of the track. For this kind of music, the emphasis of brutality is not always centered on the guitar arrangement but the accurate alignment between the drums, bass and vocals. Kount Cider has one of the most hateful vocals that I have ever heard. He knows how to control his semi – growling shrieks or else he will mess up the whole song. He even beats out Gaahl in terms of vocal diversity. The drum parts earn the utmost highlight for this album since Seberuz Hammerfrost is able to keep pace with the fast rhythms. Blast beats are employed infrequently but once Seberuz laid his FN P90 assault, it is absolutely blistering, accurate and flawless. Thanks to the clear production, the cymbals are nicely audible. They never drown in the background or muffled since there are good black metal bands that sacrificed their production qualities for the sake of staying “true” to the genre’s nihilistic roots. Not the case for Draconis Infernum, they wanted to give the listeners total satisfaction by tweaking the clarity a bit. I think they must have been glad with the finished product too.

This album is almost flawless in terms of musicianship and performance. All the tracks are worth listening to and they are of course memorable. This is exactly how modern black metal should be performed or recorded. There are only five tracks in this full length, and that is the sad thing about it. I know that quality has no substitute over quantity but perhaps this album could be much more enjoyable with seven to eight tracks, nothing more than that. See, because of their music is too good it makes me asking for more. Now I am hoping that they will release another high quality material in near future. Therefore, to all extreme metal fans, if you guys wanted to explore the Asian talents furthermore, Draconis Infernum will be a good starting point. Fuck Emo, Metal rules!

Draconis Infernum is a band from Singapore, whose black metal could spread wide in the whole metal world. After listening to their music, we know that they are a serious threat for Northern elite. Their black metal can dethrone the Norwegian kings, that's for sure!

The album begins with a kind of morbid prayer, about death and Christianity, and then, Armageddon breaks out. The fast and furious blasting hell unleashing from the Asiatic caves could destroy everything is on his way : Reminding me of Gorgoroth or Dark Funeral, the black metal of Draconis Infernum is surely one of the most aggressive I've heard in these years. Maybe better than the Scandinavian models, their music includes some atmospheric parts, as in the mid-tempo "Belial Rising", which sounds like a good old song from Immortal, "Sons Of Northern Darkness" era.

Their music, concept and artwork does look like orthodox black metal somehow, especially like Funeral Mist, by including some kind of Christian prayers or Christian-looking artwork. But the lyrics are 666 % anti-religious and blasphemous, and the music is much closer to good old brutal black metal, in my opinion. The complexity of the riffs and the clear powerful sound makes me think that they are not playing like those typical "true black metal", even as they respect the purity of black metal style.

I would mostly think that they are closer to bands like Legion, Immortal or Gorgoroth. That's why this album is mostly dedicated to the fans of pure northern black metal, but the melodic black metal lovers will not spit on the album. Some melodic leads can be heard, especially in the first track, "Funeral March", and in a general way, the guys have good sad and hateful melodic riffs. My favourite ones are the main riffs of "Death In My Veins" and "Curse are the Vanquished", which could represent all the hate and bloodlust of these damned souls...

Power, Misanthropy, Might and Hate: all these can be felt while listening to this album. So, if nowadays it seems that real black metal does not mean anything compared to all the myspace bands and rock star pussies, true fans should get interested in bands such as Draconis Infernum. A really good music with a really good sound shows a really good band, that's why I'm sure they will rise over Asia to conquer the frozen throne of black metal elite...

Hails to the Asian Tyrants of Draconis Infernum!!!

All Black Metallers take heed: Draconis Infernum is a new upcoming force to be reckoned with. Out of nowhere they have sprung out and unleashed their debut release, one of the most aggressive and blistering release ever from the South East Asian underground.

While this release may contain only five songs, it is more than what one would expect, and could ask for. The length of the songs are pretty long and each song has its own touches and flavour. Intensity, morbidity, aggression, they're all there doses after doses. What is most surprising out of this release is that the sound quality and production is superb! It is always pleasing to hear a good clear sound where you can really feel each instruments (or weapons if I may) but maintaining the much needed raw and dirty edge of it. This would straight away put many predecessors to shame. The songs are full of hooks, tempo changes and smooth progressions, greatly displaying the grandiose musicianship of these true warriors sworn upon the spirits of old (as you can hear tons of old school influences in their songwriting as well as playing). It has definitely matched the international standards greatly comparable to many great, more-established European counterparts.

This is a release that one will not regret having. Quality is what these guys can promise right from the first track to the last, and right after each listen, it only gets better and leaves you wanting for more. Very well done! Definitely one of the most pleasant surprises from this part of the world for this year!