Dragonland are a band that are all primed to kick some serious ass in the Power Metal world, and their latest opus, "Starfall" is more than enough proof of that. This Swedish band, consisting of members Niklas Magnusson and Olaf Morck (guitars), Jonas Heidgert (vocals), Elias Holmlid (synthesizers), Christer Pedersen (bass), and Jesse Lindskog (drums), are all very skilled musicians, and don't seem to be holding back at in the usage of their talents. Together they have managed to put out an extensive and amazing album of inspiring Power Metal tunes. Anyone who is into
Sonata Arctica will definitely be a fan of
Dragonland, as I am reminded of some of the elements of their style throughout "Starfall."
I first heard and got into
Dragonland when I downloaded the song
"Holly War" and their amazing cover of
"The Neverending Story" theme song off of MP3.com over a year ago. When I heard that they had a new album out, I knew I had to get it to review it for RevelationZ. I think "Starfall" is the first
Dragonland album you should buy, and if you are as into it as I am, then I would recommend looking into purchasing their back catalogue.
One of the biggest strengths of the album, is the excellent production work of Tom S. Englund of
Evergrey fame (also some production work by Arnold Lindberg). Not only did he do a superb job on the knobs, but he also contributed some backup vocals on many of the songs. I happen to be a huge fan of
Evergrey, (I've seen them live twice in the last year and a half) and really enjoy hearing Tom's voice on "Starfall". Actually one complaint that I have is that I wish he had sung more. I think that Jonas's voice is incredible and has a lot of range; however Tom's voice is much more soulful and passionate.
The most obvious standout tracks to me are
"As Madness Took Me" and
"In Perfect Harmony", which is my favorite song on the entire album. I can't get the vocal melodies of that one out of my head, which is a surefire sign of their undeniable catchiness. I really enjoy the keyboard work on this album, so I have to give props to Elias for providing so much atmosphere and melody. He is obviously an outstanding keyboard player. I especially like the keyboard intro to
"As Madness Took Me". That being the album opener of course, so as soon as I heard that, I knew I was going to love this. The last three tracks on the album,
"The Book of Shadows Trilogy", is this totally awesome and totally unexpected instrumental segment that is a very cool ending/finale to "Starfall". It reminds me a lot of the Gladiator soundtrack, which leads me to wonder if Elias is as much of a Hanz Zimmer fan as myself.
The thing that I feel I must convey to you is that this album is for Power Metal fans only. I can't really see anyone who isn't into Power, in some various shape or form, enjoying this or getting anything out of it. This is not to say that it isn't really good, but there are just too many aspects of "Starfall" that fall into the Power Metal Stereotype. Otherwise, if you claim to be a true lover of Power Metal, then you need to buy this.
Written by
Jonah Sunday, November 21, 2004
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