DRACONIAN (Eng.)
– Hello, thanks for taking your time. To start, what’s the band currently up to? How does it feel having a new DRACONIAN album in your hands?
Hi Tania! We’re rehearsing and preparing for a gig in Ukraine and 8/10 and a gig in Moldova 9/10. In Ukraine we’ll be headlining at Doom over Kiev where we’ll play a 2hrs set. Exhausting but awesome. To have the new album (been out for 3 month now. Sorry for my late reply) in my hand feels great.
– Whas have you been up to during these 3 years?
Tough one. I’ve been at home alot with both my kids. Draconian have played some gigs but about one year before the release we didn’t do any shows. We, read Johan, focused on writing music for the new album.
– Now getting into your new «A Rose for the Apocalypse», what does its title mean?
The apocalypse mentioned in the title doesn’t mean the end of the world but the end of man kinds chances to survive on the planet. We’re screwing it up for ourselves with polution, war, overconsumption etc. The planet will recover but there’s a big chance that we won’t make it.
– I think this «A Rose for the Apocalypse» sounds darker, but also heavier, I could say more Doom, though I won’t dare say is completely a Doom Metal album. How do you see this as an «insider»?
Most of all I sure think it sounds as a Draconian album. Perhaps a bit different but still you recognize us after just a few bars.
– We could say with this effort the band’s going back to its roots but, maybe do you think «A Rose for the Apocalypse» is a culmination of several elements that build the DRACONIAN’s sound?
Sure it’s a mix of the old and the new Draconian but it’s also a result of us playing together for quite some time now.
– The CD has been, once again, produced by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street so I guess he may know the sound you want to obtain…
He sure does. He also has an awesome way of letting all instruments have their own place in sound landscape that is Draconian.
– About the artwork, has been created by Seth Siro Anton, has been this your first time working with him? I have always thought he has a such personal style, which makes certainly recognizable anything he does. Are you satisfied with his work?
I’m a sucker for skulls so I think it’s really sweet. Dark and gloomy with alot of details.
– I remember reading «Turning Season Within» was going to be your last album with Napalm, but «A Rose for the Apocalypse» has also been released via them. What happened? What kind of contract do you have with them?
As far as I know we have one more record to do in our contract with Napalm Records.
– This is your second full-length with DRACONIAN. How do you see has been your evolution as musician from «Turning Season Within» to «A Rose for the Apocalypse»?
Ha ha! It’s actually the third if you count The Burning Halo. I feel more confident as a bassplayer within this genre. I don’t listen that much to other bands in our genre but I really love playing our music.
– And what about the band’s evolution from album to album?
We’re more proffesional when it comes to live shows and I believe that we give our fans what they wan’t when they come to see us. ; ) We all love to hang out with our fans before and after our shows and I guess that’s one thing that has helped increase our popularity. We try to keep both feet on the ground and just be ourselves.
– Bass is an important part of such a thick/heavy band. What are your influences as bass player?
I like to think so to. ; ) I listen/look a lot at other bassplayers, known and unknown in many different genres. Metal, jazz, folkmusik, pop, rock etc. To pinpoint someone special is kinda hard. I just realized that I’m actually influenced by our own music and my bandmates quite alot. As I stated earlier, I love to play the bass in Draconian.
– And finally, what are your near-future plans after the release of this new work? Will we have the chance of seeing you once more in Spain?
Next up we have the gigs in Ukraine and Moldova 8-9/10 and then we will attend MFVF in Belgium 23/10. We ‘ve played in Spain 2 times and it’s been awesome so we would love to come back. Unfortunately we won’t make it this year but I’m certain that we will play in Spain again.
– That’s all, thank you once agian for your time. If you want to add some final words to the interview, feel free to do it.
I wanna send the biggest of thanks to all the awesome people out there that love what we do and comes to our shows. You guys rule! I also raise my glass to all reporters at various magazines, both web and paper, who review our records, writes about us and interviews us and by that helps us spread our music around the globe. Hails!
