Review by Transmontanus
Draconis Infernum – The Black Flames of Satan
Record Label: Darker Than Black Records
Year: 2026
Rating: 8/10
Art, as a whole, is an amazing thing. Art has no prejudice; Art does not care where you come from or who you are; Art is a vehicle; Art carries the characteristics of those who crafted it; Art is the expression of the Creator. Not all Art is good, and not all Art is bad. One of the good things about Art is that it lives on, through its Creator and those who embrace such a legacy. Draconis Infernum is a good example of how Art does not limit itself to boundaries or geopolitical frontiers.
Art does not limit itself to boundaries and geopolitical frontiers, correct? Draconis Infernum is a Black Metal band from Singapore, of all places! In all honesty, I am not that familiar with the Singaporean Black Metal scene, with the exception of Impiety and Abhorer; nonetheless, Draconis Infernum does sound quite interesting. As mentioned before, the year was 2005 and Singapore was the birthplace. 2008 saw the band release its first full-length, “Death in my Veins” and receive some positive critical acclaim. 2 years later, “Rites of Desecration & Demise” was released, and in 2014, the band released its 3rd full-length, “The Sacrilegious Eradication.”; the band’s 4th full-length was released on the first day of the current year, and it hits hard!
Draconis Infernum
Musically, to me, they sound very Swedish, Old-school Swedish, Marduk to be more specific. Well, Old-school Marduk – Legion’s era – is pure perfection, and these lads do try to emulate said era. Are they able to reach the same level? Honestly, no, but I believe no one was expecting them to be able to do it, so let us enjoy what we have. Draconis Infernum has, probably, a larger palette of sounds than Marduk. The Sweds are, at certain moments, pure violence and slaughter; the Singaporeans are not the same, and although they embody an aggressive entity, their sound has differentiated nuances.
“Where the Swine Roam” is a great example of those differentiated nuances. Draconis Infernum is not violence in raw form; well, it rarely is violence in raw form, it is mostly a well-balanced sort of creature that lives between the aggressive and the melodic facets of the band’s sound. “T.D.O.A.” is another good example of this almost dichotomic shape of the band, although one thing is very clear with the band: full-throttle and let’s go! “In Ruin & Desolation” is a much more epic track than any other present on this record. Stepped away from aggressiveness and into more melodic and epic, as stated, domains. A great closer, no bloody doubt! A shift in sound, a shift in direction, a great closure. Overall, a great record. I feel it has what it takes to be appreciated by fans of a more aggressive sound and a more melodic sound.