Dark Essence Records has welcomed the True Norwegian Hard Rock trio Draken to their roster and is ready to release the bands third album in the spring of 2026.
 
Formed in 2019 by Even Hermansen (guitar/vocals), Hallvard Gaardløs (bass/vocals) and André Drage (drums), Draken has carved out a fierce sonic identity at the crossroads of heavy rock and metal. Drawing inspiration from bands like High on Fire, Motörhead and Entombed, their sound is defined by down-tuned guitars, massive riffs and raw energy.
 
Draken has this to say about the signing:
We’re proud and excited to announce that Draken has signed with Dark Essence Records! A new chapter begins – and in 2026, we’ll release our third album Here Be Dragons. Recorded at Amper Tone and produced by the band together with engineer Kim Lillestøl.

This will be our heaviest and most uncompromising release yet – and we can’t wait to share it with you. Thanks to everyone who’s been with us so far. This one will go to 11…
 
To celebrate this news and the festive season we’re at, the track Jólablót from the new album is released today. You can stream/download the track here: https://orcd.co/jolablot

The band has this to say about Jólablót:
We woke up screaming one night, as we realized that we hadn’t yet written a true Norwegian disco metal banger about how much we fucking hate Christmas! I mean we hate all aspects of Christmas, the religious, the modern commercialisation of – imagine our shame! So, this is our humble attempt to rectify the situation once and for all. Think the evilest parts of Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor and Haddaway, with hints of Gojira, and maybe a little sprinkle of Refused. 

We were originally going to call this epic party anthem Antichrist Mass but settled for the much more sensible Viking name Jólablót, after all the kids in our neighbourhood started threatening us with violence. Just as well, since we really do like drinking and eating around the time of the winter solstice. So happy jólablót to you too! Enjoy!

Their first two albums – Draken (2021) and Book of Black (2023) – were released on Swedish label Majestic Mountain Records and received strong reviews across Norwegian and European press. The upcoming album Here Be Dragons was recorded at Amper Tone in Oslo and produced by the band together with engineer Kim Lillestøl.

Draken has performed across Norway and Sweden and toured central Europe with Spidergawd. With a new label and a new album on the horizon, the band is ready to take things to the next level.
 
More information about DRAKEN can be found on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/drakentheband 

Majestic Mountain Records is psyched to announce the official release of DRAKEN, the self-titled debut album from Norway’s most exciting prog rock power trio.

Formed in Oslo in 2018 by Spidergawd/Orango bassist Hallvard Gaardløs and close friend Andre Drage, Draken is a rock band with an appetite for reinvention. Recently becoming a fully-fledged power triumvirate with the addition of jazz/progressive virtuoso, Even Hermansen (Bushman’s Revenge) on guitar, the trio dig on the Metals and Hard Rocks of old, and in doing so channel the inspiration they unearth into something truly unique.

“With our first single ‘Way Down Low’…” explains singer Hallvard Gaardløs, “…it was one of the last tracks to be written for our album and the inspiration for the song came after I went to the movies to see Us by Jordan Peele. I thought it was pretty fucking scary and when I went home, I couldn’t really sleep so I stayed up and wrote that song. The characters and overall theme of the lyrics tie together with the album, so this could well be a title track of some sort.”

Recorded with producer Vegard Liverød at Røffsound Studios the album will be officially released worldwide on 26th March on Majestic Mountain Records. Pre-order HERE

Stream new single ‘Way Down Low’ – https://bit.ly/3tNvKvw

TRACK LISTING:

1. Realm of Silence
2. Way Down Low
3. Grand General
4. (We Walk In) Circles
5. The Master
6. Strange Love
7. Mountain in An Endless Ocean