Drakonian Paradigm

I was very excited to listen to this album after suddenly finding out that they had released it. I only started to listen to Weapon about 6 months before this record was released, before which I was blown away by their EP “Para Bhakti...Salvation”.


First off, there are quite a few differences you can hear between this Full-length and their previous works. The most prominent difference is the production and sound quality. Weapon has currently left behind the raw tone of the guitars for a somewhat cleaner sound, yet still managed to remain as aggressive and heavy. The bass guitar is also very distinguishable from the guitars, and is very well performed on the part of Kha. Nothing too special or complex is performed, but it goes very well with the music. A new addition to this album is the acoustic guitar passages you can hear often (like in the beginning of the first track). This adds quite a bit of variety to the music, and is a great way to progress into a track. The drums are very clear, well played, and aren’t drowned out by the guitars (as on Para Bhakti). You can hear every beat going on, at every moment. They don’t rely too much on the double bass to remain heavy, which is great. They have truly achieved equilibrium between the prominences of instruments. The vocals here remain untouched. Vetis does his usual great job with growls, screams, chants, clean vocals and occasional whispers. Nothing too different here except that the vocals are a bit clearer. A minor change to notice is the different line-up. Feeling that the previous members were inadequate, Vetis summoned a new bassist and drummer (who I personally feel surpasses their predecessors). Overall: Great Musicians


The album begins with the self-titled track “Weapon”, a thrashy instrumental track that is pure aggression! Starting off slow with an acoustic passage and a nice solo, the song then goes into full speed at about 1:45. “Weapon” is full of excellent riffs from beginning to end, with no stopping. The instruments just keep going till the end. Each of the next 6 songs are very black-thrash sounding. There is no point where an excellent riff is not played, or where the drums lose pace with the guitars. Guitar solos are played on almost every song, and suit the songs perfectly. With the vocals, something different is done every time. Sticking mainly to the growls, Vetis often whispers, scream, and is even accompanied on ritualistic chants by his band members. There is lots of variety in when it comes to the vocals. Draconian Paradigm also runs the perfect duration. They didn’t over-do the album by adding too many tracks, or 10-minute epics. This is all quality material packed into 41 minutes. The lyrics primarily revolve around Satanism (I can’t really imagine them doing much else). The lyrics are very distinctive from your typical satanic black metal band. Weapon’s lyrics delve into the deeper, more theological side of Satanism (comparable to Deathspell Omega). If you are into that, the lyrics are another plus point for the album. If not, listen to the music and you will still love the album.


Finally, this release also has amazing album cover, which I feel is very well representative of the music; very dark and cleverly satanic. It seems to resemble some early Islamic art (in a very non-Islamic way) with the geometry and symmetry. Fucking awesome.


No down-sides to any track can be found, and each is distinguishable from the other. This is music that you will not get bored of listening to. If you do not listen to the entire album in one sitting (aka get bored), you must be mad!


Buy this record! You will not regret it. – 97/100

This is the first full-length album from Weapon, a Canadian band playing black metal.

The production on this record is much clearer than on the demo or 7" records; the murky, occult sound has been replaced with a crisp, low-end-heavy production that would have been at home on many of the Greek black metal records of the early 90s. Given the change in style on this record, this makes a lot of sense, but I can't help but miss the thicker, dirtier sound.

Drakonian Paradigm continues to develop along the path set down by Violated Hejab: the new songs here start with the Greek sound established by acts like Varathron and Rotting Christ, and add heavy-metal-influenced lead guitar parts and rhythmic, ritualistic vocal delivery. The result is both catchy and powerful, chock full of oblique, inventive riffing and shout-along vocal lines. Atmosphere isn't neglected, either; songs like "Drakonian Paradigm: The Flame Of All" have a genuinely twisted feeling, while others, like "Serpentine Ayat", are triumphant and aggressive. I especially like the shouted vocals, particularly on "Mortem Pyre" and "Cacophony! Black Sun Dragon's Tongue" -- the vocals on this record are truly exceptional, even more so when they switch off between the right and left channels! Comparing "Serpentine Ayat" to the original version on "Violated Hejab" really points out how much the extra attention to the vocals has improved this record. While I do prefer the guitar sound from their earlier releases, there's no doubt that the vocal production on this record is perfect for Weapon! The drumming also deserves mention: there are a ton of great fills on this record, and on "Remnants of a Burnt Mosque", the varied drumming really carries the song.

This is one of the best black metal albums this year; after Violated Hejab and Para Bhakti, I had high hopes for Drakonian Paradigm, and it blew them all away! This is killer stuff, especially for fans of old Greek and Czech black metal. Highly recommended.

Standout tracks: "Cacophony! Black Sun Dragon's Tongue", "Serpentine Ayat", "Mortem Pyre (In Darkness And Blood)"