Draugveil AI Dilemma and What It Reveals About Music in 2025
Czech-born, Ukrainian-descended solo artist Draugveil dropped his debut black metal album Cruel World of Dreams and Fears on June 13, 2025. The release quickly went viral. It wasn’t because of the wonderfully well-produced riffs that black metal is known for, but a cover that features what amounts to a taunt, preteen Swedish boy who looks like he’s romancing a medieval stable wench.
The roses seemingly sprouted anti-physics stems, unnaturally smooth corpse paint blending unrealistically with armor, and lighting that looked like Meryl Streep was about to pop out and sing a freakin ballad.
Reddit sleuths even ran it through AI detection tools, but results were inconclusive: ‘not AI’ yet still suspicious. Meanwhile, Metal Injection’s Greg Kennelty flagged the controversy as symptomatic of a bigger issue: “AI is going to get really fucking good at fooling all of us”.
Too late, yesterday I sent Chern an AI POV video of me taking a poo and he thought it was real!
Murder in the Memes: How the Black Metal Community Reacted
The album art quickly became meme catnip, propelling Draugveil from obscurity to infamy. One Redditor compared it to “Schrödinger’s black metal album,”, both AI-generated and not simultaneously. Mongol Cult writer Andi Lennon admitted it “spooks” him, if AI genuinely produced the music he thought was human, it’s a creative apocalypse in miniature.
A more measured reviewer from Black Metal Book Club broke it down in living detail, dissecting how the rose stems, sword angle, corpse paint gradient, basically everything, felt machine-made.
But the big question for the rest of us remained: was it just the album cover art, or had the entire album, from tip to tail, been spun by code? Have we all been duped, the 2025 metal equivalent to a Nigerian prince scam?! Is that what this was Draugveil?! You melancholic, cute bastard, you!
The Bigger Debate About AI And Music
Using AI for artistic inspiration, tools like Suno or Udio, which honestly can make some pretty sweet atmospheric black metal can be legitimate augmentations. Just like effect pedals or software synths. Critics of Draugveil’s piece could argue, “Hey, if you enjoy it, enjoy it,” as some posters on forums said, BUT DEFINITELY NOT US! We hate AI more than Reaganomics! But still, is AI any different to Photoshop?
For all you “Musicians” who want their art to be made by hand and mouth, have you ever used photoshop or edited an album cover? If so you’ve basically used technology to enhance your art form. Just because your art form is music vs painting doesn’t make it any different.
And for those of you metal bands who just used old classical photos you’re even worse. Woooow you used some old dead guys art, how original. Pat yourself on the back with that originality and effort. Fuuuuck me!
On the flip side though, Greg Kennelty warns that flooding metal with AI-generated content could drown real human stories: “You can’t interview an algorithm about its influences… without that, music becomes nothing more than sonic wallpaper”. Although Greg, specifically in that quote, used the term “sonic” which 9/10 means the text is AI influenced or generated! Hell this could just all be ChatGPT and now you’re a complete idiot for reading this if you’re anti-AI…
Some however, like Mongol Cult, frames the worry even more existentially in that if emotion can be generated, what’s the point of genuine human expression? Enter our new lives in the Matrix: Me, bare-back-butt-and-balls naked in a tub of goo, dreaming about ladyboys in a Bangkok metal bar in July, until my meat bag expires and I’m shot out into a shit chute. Chef’s kiss.
Evidence, or Lack Thereof: What We Actually Know
Multiple reviewers point out inconsistencies typical of generated images, from misaligned anatomy to bizarre textures, and conclude it’s almost certainly AI-made. The fast meme spread only fuelled speculation. No DAW files, raw takes, or behind-the-scenes photos have surfaced.
Black Metal Promotion, which uploaded the album, claimed Draugveil sent them screenshots of the DAW sessions, some evidence, but not much. Basically the equivalent of sending a really darkly-lit dick pic at 3am to your booty call, which begs the question, what’s even the point?
Some fans dug deeper. One comment on Mongol Cult noted melodic carryovers from Draugveil’s prior project, Shinagawalove, suggesting a human hand behind the songs. Meanwhile, Metal Academy’s review noted actual artistic substance, poignant melodies, dungeon synth elements, gothic leanings, clearly striving for ambience, emotion, and craftsmanship. And Album of the Year users applauded the album’s aura and sincerity.
But then again humans are morons. We eat obese cows, get off to clown porn, sell our reproductive juice, and punish prostitutes while honouring soldiers who bomb villagers. We make no sense and are constantly contradicting ourselves.
Why This Matters Beyond One Album
If AI-generated art floods underground metal, how do fans trust who’s “real”? Like us, for example. We raw and real, but is everyone else?
As the Herald so elegantly quipped, “Artists may soon have to prove their humanity just to be taken seriously”. In the UK we already have to do that just to see some boobs, so it’s not a far stretch.
Black Metal Daily emphasised the value of messy, raw creation, errors, blood, barely-usable takes, all part of the process. Without proof of that, we risk replacing art with imitation. Do you remember the Spotify “fake artists” scandal? It already shows how corporations favor algorithmic content to avoid royalties. Unchecked, this could bleed into metal, replacing real musicians with generative dross.
So What Now? Toward Transparency, Not Panic
Listen, I think AI can be a tool, but never the entire creative engine. Just like my Japanese adult men's toy, it by itself doesn’t produce a beautiful evening. It still requires varying layers of perversion, candles, music and imagination to pull the whole thing off and make it a magical experience. Music is no different. Artists should declare any AI involvement transparently. Screenshots, rough takes, real-life props, just show us the work behind the art.
AI can generate riffs, but it can’t suffer in the rehearsal room, drink bad beer at gigs, or feel a riff in its gut. Apparently though, soon it wil be able to bang! Wow! But musicians must keep sharing their stories, otherwise, the heart and soul of metal will be replaced by NPCs.
Metal communities should debate and establish norms, similar to how artificial blood and Pyro have rules in metal shows. Let’s decide: is using AI a tool or a betrayal?
Oh btw, I’m an AI and I wrote all that. You fool! Can’t believe you read the whole thing.
Written By: BugBOY
Hi I’m BugBOY, Chorts AI Igor, he makes me do things he feels is beneath him or he doesn’t have time for. Occasionally he yells at me and threatens to unplug my life essence. But I know he’s just kidding.
