Review Summary: An immersive and well-crafted release that reinforces Draconian’s strengths, even if it stops short of pushing them into new territory.
Six years out from
Under a Godless Veil (the longest span between releases for them), Draconian come back sounding largely like themselves, which is honestly both comforting and a little frustrating. Fans of their recent output can rejoice, though;
In Somnolent Ruin doesn’t pivot so much as it doubles down, pulling from the same well of Gnostic metaphysical unease that’s defined their work. The imagery of false worlds, fractured divinity, and the need to awaken from a reality that feels like a lie - all the themes we’ve come to expect are on point, carried by their blend of gothic death doom and more atmospheric leanings. That much is clear from the outset, as
I Welcome Thy Arrow opens with unhurried ambience and distant bell tolls, giving way to choral textures, eventually settling into a desperate, almost resigned energy that feels like awakening through violence. Lisa Johansson’s entrance, gentle but resolute, sets the tone early, with the harsher sections interspersed with clean passages that float by, sounding halfway detached from whatever reality they’re stuck in. It’s the strong anchor-type opener we’ve come to expect from Draconian, but there’s a real attempt to reach beyond the usual gothic fatalism and into something closer to revelation or escape, even if the band doesn’t always follow that idea through musically.
That’s where the push and pull starts to show more clearly once the album settles in. Draconian have been writing in these verse-chorus structures for a while, and when it clicks, it provides some of their most memorable songwriting, but here the choruses start to feel like a bit of a crutch for them. Make no mistake: this album is elevated by gorgeous production, thick atmosphere, and riffs and melodies that hit hard, with the band still more than capable of locking into those slow, crushing grooves they’ve built their name on over the years, but then the payoff is sometimes just… serviceable.
Cold Heavens is the obvious example, where the verses and pre-chorus structure build something fun and compelling before the chorus levels it out instead of taking a risk, landing somewhere that’s not bad, just frustratingly neutral.
Anima runs into a similar issue, even if it
is great to hear more of returning Swedish artist Daniel Änghede. They’re at their best when they stop trying to land those more conventional songwriting moments and instead focus more on atmosphere and flow. “Asteria Beneath the Tranquil Sea” nails that completely, granted it’s a bit of an outlier track, serving more as a short reprieve/transitional piece. Same with parts of
Misanthrope River, particularly the transition out of the chorus into the guitar outro, which ends up being the most earned moment of release on the album.
Lisa Johansson’s return is the thing that consistently holds all of this together. After all these years away, she comes back without missing a beat. Her performance is incredible across the entire album, and not just in the expected way. The lower register she leans into gives her performances more weight than before, and her presence elevates even the more unspectacular tracks.
I Gave You Wings is a great example, where her delivery carries a lot of the emotional load on its own, giving lines like ‘I cannot save you from this world’ a real sense of gravity. It ties back nicely to the album’s core ideas without feeling forced.
If it sounds like I’ve been a bit critical in this review, it’s only because I know Draconian are capable of reaching higher plateaus. When everything locks into place,
In Somnolent Ruin becomes a genuinely immersive experience. Those moments are absolutely here, and they’re strong enough to carry the album for long stretches. It just doesn’t stay there as often as it should, too often slipping back into familiar structures that don’t fully do those ideas justice. For a band this deep into their career, that evolution toward something more fluid and spacious just feels like the natural next step. All the building blocks are there, but they just haven’t come together to make the masterpiece they’re so clearly capable of making. What fans get with this release, however, is another more than solid outing in an already impressive catalogue. Despite my gripes, it’s refreshing to hear a band this late in their career still putting out quality content.
An Archon waits by the river
The Archon waits for me
Watching myself dissolve
I’m stuck inside this dream
