DRACONIAN Announces New Singer

Swedish doom metal band DRACONIAN has issued the following update:

"It has been nearly a year since last we braced the stages and said our goodbyes to [singer] Lisa [Johansson]. We had no intent of collecting dust and taking up old man's hobbies, so we set out to find a new female singer. For a band such as DRACONIAN, this is no easy task and quite possibly the reason it has taken what seems to be ages. We thank our friends and fans greatly for their patience and a great thanks to everyone who took the time to apply for the position. We rifled through more than a hundred applications from countries far and wide and ended up finding a suitable singer in the most unexpected country of them all.

"The Horde is pleased to announce our newest member, Heike Langhans — all the way from South Africa. She has since relocated to Sweden in order to join the band and has fit it superbly. She's a true doomster at heart and brings an even greater emotional flair to our sound. Our journey thus continues and writing for the new album has already begun.

"As fall approaches, we ready ourselves for some serious rehearsal, recording and tour planning. We look forward to seeing you all out there again!"

Added Langhans: "I will start off by saying that Lisa will be dearly missed. Replacing a voice such as hers is a concept foreign to most fans, myself included. I've listened to DRACONIAN for many years and share the same sentiments as you do. She will never be forgotten and we wish her well for the future.

"That being said, this is a new era for DRACONIAN and one to look forward to.

"My joining has not been an easy process. Dealing with embassies, migration boards and countless authority figures has delayed the joining process slightly, but we do what we can and remain patient. All in the name of doom.

"The last few months have been busy indeed. Traveling back and forth, rehearsing and getting to know my new surroundings has been exciting and hard work. I used to believe it can't be done, but I've proved to myself and others that everything we are passionate about in life is worth fighting for.

"As a new member, I have prepared myself for the positive as well as the negative, but would like to thank all the kindness I've received so far from fans upon the release of DRACONIAN's LAKE OF TEARStribute song, 'Demon You/Lilly Anne'. Though my part in it was not big, it's a little taste of things to come. I'm immensely excited to share a stage with these like-minded individuals and to touch the hearts of people all over the world with our musical poetry."

DRACONIAN's latest album, "A Rose For The Apocalypse", was released in June 2011 via Napalm Records. The cover artwork was created by Seth Siron Anton (PARADISE LOST, KAMELOT, ROTTING CHRIST, MOONSPELL).