Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
The world of Draconia continues to expand as visionary composer Nikolo Kotzev unveils two of the most intense and dramatic characters of his upcoming symphonic rock opera: the female villains Reptilah and Gamohra, portrayed by two extraordinary voices from the international rock and metal scene, Veronica “The V” Freeman and Ronnie Grace.
More than twenty years in the making, Draconia is conceived not as a traditional album but as a complete artistic experience, a true movie in music. Created by Nikolo Kotzev, already internationally recognized for the acclaimed rock opera “Nostradamus”, the project combines real orchestra, choir, Rock band and an exceptional cast of singers to tell a story of condemned love and the eternal struggle between good and evil.
Structured in four acts and spanning over 120 minutes of music across 22 songs, “Draconia” moves between darkness and hope, romance and destruction, progressive complexity and cinematic orchestration.Following the completion of recent recording sessions, Kotzev now presents two central characters whose actions dramatically shape the destiny of the story.American metal powerhouse Veronica “The V” Freeman enters the world of “Draconia” as Reptilah, one of the opera’s main antagonists and one of the driving forces behind the unfolding of the narrative.
Introducing her role, Kotzev commented:
“She has an evil role, one of the main antagonists. I’m rarely scared in the studio, but she managed to scare the living hell out of me. You’ll hear it.”
The V immediately connected with the character and embraced her darker side:
“My character’s name is Reptilah, so when I was asked about this, I thought: how perfect. She’s evil, not that I’m evil, but she is really mean. She’s not playing around. She just wants to destroy whatever’s in her path, and that really works for me.”
Kotzev reveals that Reptilah plays a decisive role in the storyline:
“She is instrumental in allowing the main story to unfold by casting a curse. The consequences of her actions affect the entire story.”
The V adds:
“She’s willing to sacrifice herself to make her evil plan happen.“
The Draconia sessions 2 – Veronica “The V” Freeman, May 2026
The intensity continues with the arrival of Ronnie Grace, who takes on the role of Gamohra, the second female villain in the opera. After completing her recording sessions, Kotzev admitted that expectations had been raised yet again:
“I thought Veronica Freeman scared me, but Ronnie took that another level up. I’m still shaking. Goosebumps. Her role came out really, really good.”
Ronnie Grace approached the role with complete immersion:
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of this opera and this family. Nick trusted me with this role and I put my heart and soul into it. In the studio I was definitely method acting, I looked possessed.”
Kotzev confirmed that the emotional intensity translated directly into the final performances:
“One of the most incredible things was seeing how deeply she entered the character. You can hear that in the way she sings. We are reaching new colours and new depths.”
Across her six songs, Grace explored different sides of the character:
“Some songs are more operatic, some are straightforward evil rock and hard, and some are very theatrical. I had so much fun recording and stepping into the role, it really connected with my theatrical background.”
The Draconia sessions 3 – Ronnie Grace, May 2026
These new sessions further expand the growing cast of Draconia, which already includes Joe Lynn Turner as Wiseman, Dino Jelusick as Freedom, Stefan Nykvist as Mohrdai, Göran Edman as Storyteller and Nikola Zdravkov as Crow, while the female leading role Hope has already been assigned to a well-known singer and will be announced soon.
With every new recording session, Draconia continues to reveal new dimensions of its musical and narrative universe, moving steadily toward becoming one of the most ambitious symphonic rock productions of recent decades.
