Draconian Reign // Tragedy Eternal // EP Review

At Bloodstock Festival 2022, I wandered into the New Blood tent and was struck by a band that I was previously unaware of, however after hearing the first song they played, I got hold of their debut EP. That band was Draconian Reign and they were soon on the radar and a lot of other people as that tent was soaking up what was being delivered.

The band themselves are a Symphonic Blackened Deathcore collective from the UK and this is the follow-up to the debut EP Necromantic. Openly claiming to be influenced by the likes of Dimmu Borgir and The Black Dahlia Murder, the band are ready to release their first material after signing to Seek & Strike.

Tragedy Eternal is a four-track EP spanning 24 minutes and is full of brilliantly heavy music.

Opening with ‘The Darkness Below’ the influence of Dimmu Borgir is there to hear, with a symphonic opening that has a feeling something massive is coming and before too long, there it is!

The eruption of guitars, drums and a gloriously blackened vocal hit like a breezeblock to the temple. The technicality of the music is something to behold as the drums are fast and punishing so when it is all put together the result is crippling.

As ‘Before The Gates’ continues, all the above are present, however, the trigger for the blast beats is about to be pulled so get ready to be smashed into smithereens. Containing all the aspects of brilliant Deathcore, this track is utter class.

‘Infernal Requiem’ is next up and starts off with a searing guitar riff that is met with those brutal drums again and whilst less oppressive than the previous track, is still heavy as fuck!

Closing with ‘The Funeral’ which opens with a more Symphonic angle, the sound that you are now used to is never too far away and it soon hits with pinpoint precision. Throwing in a lovely breakdown relatively swiftly and the blast beats, it is also a combination of all other tracks and leaves you yearning for more.

In an ever growing Deathcore market, to make you stand out you need that extra something and Draconian Reign have is in abundance. The fact that they back up the recorded music with stunning live performances always helps, but it’s the recorded music that gets people into the pit and this is the perfect way to get people to those shows.

Ed Ford

Tragedy Eternal will be released Friday May 5^th 2023 via Seek & Strike.