Interview with Heike Langhans, the female voice of Draconian

A conversation about the new release, South Africa and passport issues

Artist: Draconian

Origin: Säffle, Sweden

Genre: Doom Metal, Death Doom Metal, Dark Metal, Gothic Metal

Label: Napalm Records

Link: https://www.facebook.com/draconianofficial/

Bandmitglieder:

Voice (growls) – Anders Jacobsson
Voice (clear) – Heike Langhans
Guitar – Daniel Arvidsson
Guitar – Johan Ericsson
Drums – Jerry Torstensson

Guest musician:
Bass guitar – Daniel Änghede

 

Photo Credit: Eleni Liverakou Eriksson

Draconian released Under A Godless Veil (review click) in October 2020. Female Voice Heike missed some gigs around the last tour because of passport issues. A couple of things to discuss and learn about Heike, the new album and Heavy Metal in South Africa.

Time For Metal / Jürgen:

Hello Heike,
thanks for your time. First and most important point at the beginning. How are you, the band, friends and family? Hopefully nobody has issues with a virus.

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

Hi and thank you for asking! I’m perfectly healthy and only suffering from a heavy heart due to having to spend time apart from my partner Mike, while we sort our visas and passports in our home countries – him being in New Zealand and me in South Africa. Though I think escaping the upcoming winter in Sweden for a summer visit home is probably good for mental and physical health overall. I only know one friend who is dealing with lingering effects from the virus and it’s not pretty, so I wish him a speedy recovery!

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

You missed a couple of shows around the Sovran Tour with Draconian, and Lisa Cuthbert was your substitute on the microphone. How is the current situation? Could you clarify all issues around visa & passport?

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

At the time, I was awaiting my residence permit renewal, which took 19 months in Sweden. This is simply the current state of affairs in a country dealing with an influx of refugees, so there wasn’t much I could do other than wait it out. Sadly, we cannot account for the unknowns, but we were lucky enough to have a friend like Lisa to help out! I was definitely unhappy about missing the cruise gig as I love nothing more than the ocean and giant ships, but I’ve made my peace with it.

Photo Credit: Eleni Liverakou Eriksson

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

Please correct me, if I am wrong, but I read that you are based in Stenungsund, all other band members in Säffle, which is for Sweden not so far away and approx. 2 hours’ drive. How was the work during the pandemic situation this year?

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

No, I have actually been based in Säffle with the rest of the guys since December 2019. My partner moved to me from New Zealand in January 2020 and we managed to get nested right before the pandemic really kicked off. We were both able to work from home and took the opportunity to write and record an album together in just a couple of months. For us this situation was a blessing in disguise as we got a lot of time to bond and dedicate almost every day to working on music.

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

One question about your home country. The only metal band from South Africa, which I know is Seether. How big is Metal around the Cape?

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

They are from my side of the suburbs and used to be called Saron Gas! And personally, I thought they were much better before they went over, haha! We have a small, but close-knit Metal scene, with a few friends who’s bands have gotten a degree of international recognition without moving over. A few off the top of my head would be Atmospheric Black Metal band Crow Black Sky, 2017 Battle for Wacken winners Megalodon, scene-legend Industrial Metal band Terminatryx and a few new-comers who have signed to labels like Season Of Mist, such as Constellatia.

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

Five years between Sovran and Under a Godless Veil. At which point in time did you start with the writing and with the production process for Under a Godless Veil. And who was mainly writing the lyrics?

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

Johan most probably started writing shortly after Sovran, but with a new addition to his family and a very different approach to the new album, I imagine it took a great deal of time to finalize ideas and honestly it all feels like a blur to me, so I couldn’t even pin-point at which time we truly started working on this album.

The main lyricist is front-man Anders, who has a very clear and thought-through concept for each offering. I’m given creative license to rewrite or add lyrics for my own parts where necessary, only if I feel it needs restructuring in order to flow phonetically.

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

Who played the bass guitar on the new album? Officially Draconian have no bass player, but was it Daniel Änghede?

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

Yes. Draconian has no bass player officially yet again.

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

I would like to jump to some lyrics. Parts of Sleepwalkers sounds like a perfect description of the humanity situation to me. Is this track influenced by the self-destructive activities of the humanity regarding mother earth?

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

Absolutely. Also the unaware and indoctrinated state we can’t seem to wake up from. As if, over time, we’ve been lulled into a perpetual state of blind acceptance for things as they are, not as they ought to be. While those with ill intent to do nothing but watch and feed until we lead ourselves to our own demise as they remain blameless and invisible to the slumbering masses.

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

In my head part of The Sethian comes in like a description and prediction for all the Donald Trumps and dictators of the world and their behaviour. Is my interpretation of the lyrics correct?

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

The beauty of music is that the listener may interpret and relate to it any which way they please. We certainly intended for a far deeper and ancient story to be portrayed, but as with every historical or mythological story, there are parallels to be drawn with present times. But before we make the music listening experience too political and thus polarizing, we should pull ourselves back to a time where themes in music could be appreciated for what concept and artistry was intended, as it seeks to be unifying experience, rather than a divisive one.

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

One of my favourites is Moon Over Sabaoth. Who arranged the song with you in the background chorus?

Photo Credit: Eleni Liverakou Eriksson

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

Johan wrote the song and I arranged my vocal melodies according to what I felt would add a dimension of prettiness to the chorus. I decided to do this a few times on this record, as it’s something I wish to hear more of myself in this genre. It just takes an already crushing passage and adds emotion and depth.

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

Ascend Into Darkness for me is kind of a summary of the different impacts and styles which you find on Under A Godless Veil. Is my interpretation correct?

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

As I tend to orient ‚True Neutral‘, I’d say it’s not for me to tell you what is correct or not. It’s your interpretation after all. I have a personal principle about not conditioning a listener with my own perspective as it can either be disenchanting or perhaps condition them to think differently about it from that point. I want you to enjoy and relate to these songs in your very own way, through your own filters and perception. The final track definitely feels like a conclusive summation of sorts, the bridge vocal especially being a sort of final realization or response to what this album is really about and thus letting our once cosmic, now earthly mother know that we are waking up to reality and asking for mercy.

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

Draconian announced tour dates for a couple of European states for March 2021. Do you have a backup solution or the option to postpone the tour? In Germany no one believes that regular concerts will be possible in the next 6 months.

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

To my understanding, the tour has been postponed to early 2022. Personally, I don’t hold my breath or promote anything shrouded in uncertainty, especially not when playing shows has become a low priority for me personally. This pandemic has caused many of the rational among us, to reconsider life and strategies accordingly, instead of putting faith in something we cannot predict or claim to have the answers for. Perhaps this would be a good time to work on new material and give the world time to stabilize properly. No one wants to put themselves and those around them at risk. It’s just not worth it. This is of course my own opinion and doesn’t speak for the whole band.

Time For Metal / Jürgen F.:

Thanks for your time! Hopefully we see Draconian and all other bands back on stage next year. Stay healthy and heavy and good luck for the next months.

Draconian / Heike Langhans:

Thank you kindly for the support and opportunity and I wish you the same health and blessings for you and all your loved-ones. Let’s all remind ourselves that being healthy and responsible comes first. The music itself isn’t going anywhere! Live long and prosper!