Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
The world of Draconia continues to unfold with a new studio EPK introducing Joe Lynn Turner as The Wiseman, one of the key characters in Nikolo Kotzev’s ambitious new symphonic rock opera.
The collaboration also marks a significant reunion between Turner and Kotzev, more than two decades after the acclaimed rock opera Nostradamus, in which Turner performed the title role.
After completing his vocal parts, Turner described Draconia as something unlike anything he had previously experienced: “What I can say is that it is incomparable. There’s nothing you’ve ever heard before like this. We call it a rock opera, but the operative word is still ‘opera’, because it is a true opera in every sense of the word. And yes, there’s a lot of rock in it, so you’ve got the best combination of both.”
More than twenty years in the making, Draconia is structured in four acts and spans over 120 minutes across 22 songs, combining rock band, real orchestra, choir and an international cast of eight singers. Conceived as a true movie in music, it tells a continuous story built around themes of freedom, hope, love, corruption, war and the eternal struggle between good and evil.
Turner explains: “The characters and the storyline are very contemporary. It’s about freedom, it’s about hope, it’s about life and what’s going on in the current world, only it’s placed on a fantasy level.”
As The Wiseman, Turner represents the voice of reason within the story. He also underlines how different the recording process was compared to a conventional rock album: “Rock singing is one thing, but when you put it into this classical form, there are a lot of intervals that rock singers are not necessarily comfortable with. It’s been an incredible experience. The approach is absolutely different from anything I had done before.”
An important part of Kotzev’s philosophy is that no AI is being used in the performances: the singers, musicians and orchestral parts are all real, with the production built around genuine performances and a real orchestra.
The cast of Draconia includes Joe Lynn Turner as The Wiseman, Dino Jelusick as Freedom, Stefan Nykvist as Mohdrai, Göran Edman as the Storyteller, Veronica “The V” Freeman as Reptilah, Ronnie Grace as Gamohra and Nikola Zdravkov as Crow. The female lead Hope has already been cast with a well-known singer whose identity will be revealed soon.
Production is currently around 75–80% complete, with the release planned for the end of 2027. Turner concludes: “I’m proud to be a part of this project with all the amazing singers and the abilities that are contained within this piece of art. Stay tuned. Draconia. The rock opera.”
More news and studio updates will follow soon.
DRACONIA ON THE WEB:
