Album Review: Drakonis – Blessed By Embers (Hostile Media)

Northern Irish black metal outfit Drakonis’ much anticipated forthcoming record Blessed By Embers will be released on April 3rd 2020 via Hostile Media. Following up on great acclaim garnered from their more recent concept work, late 2017’s The Great Miasma.

Their debut full length is a story driven concept spanning eight songs. Each taking us through a different chapter following the rise and fall of a charismatic cult leader, who allows darkness and fire to shape and purify his followers, ‘The Wretched’.

Aiming to expand the universe of black metal while paying homage to the classic sound old-school brutality. Drakonis burn with fiery virtue as they come crashing out of the gates with Threnody. Whereupon the band push forth a feral, yet surprisingly rhythmic level of black metal mass.

Lightly layered, serving as background, are some gothic traces that make the recklessness of the drums that more palatable throughout From the Eternal. Needed as Drakonis pull no punches with the belligerent attack of Fear of the Wretched. Incredibly intense music but the stuff black metal wet dreams are made of.

If your ears aren’t bleeding already, the title track will find a warm trickle begin to seep out. Although a welcome bit of guitar strumming melody will help the blood coagulate.

Not for long though as the battering dished out by the antagonising vocals, bone scrapping riffs and muscle spasm-inducing drums Of Dusk and of Pyre arrive. To be followed by Drakonis dropping the tempo just a tad but not the passion with As They Rot.

No doubt woozy from the battering dished out by Drakonis, it would be nice to say that the black metallers begin to chill and ease off as we reach the end. It would be nice, it would be kind even but that is not the case and we should be very grateful for that.

Lining up the battering ram, All is Still musters an incredible amount of force behind it. Smashing through everything that stands in their path before welcoming all into their dark bosom with An Anthem of Ashes. The lengthy trawl with a slightly doomier set of riffs ending one of the finest black metal albums released this year so far.

Drakonis – Blessed By Embers Full Track Listing:

1. Threnody
2. From the Eternal
3. Fear of the Wretched
4. Blessed By Embers
5. Of Dusk and of Pyre
6. As They Rot
7. All is Still
8. An Anthem of Ashes

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