Hard 20 |
Dragonland"Starfall" Dragonland play melodic power metal a la Stratovarius, Angra, and even add a touch of Europe. Their music is very melodic, smooth, polished, and sophisticated; galloping tunes with close vocal harmonies, lush musical textures, harpsicord-like, "twinkle twinkle" keyboards, and some classical flavorings. While not doing anything that hasn't been done before, the band is certainly very good at what they do. They are fantastic musicians (guitarists Nicklas Magnusson and Olof Morck play brilliantly), the songs are perfectly crafted, and this is a very well honed album all around. Dragonland take the current power metal sound and raise the bar for it, pushing the musical boundaries of the genre, particularly on the "Book Of Shadows" trilogy, which ends the album. This is a mostly-instrumental epic in which the band ventures into different musical territory, using a variety of unusual instruments and musical styles. The influence of classical music on this saga (and the band as a whole) is very strong, and they also throw in a few other styles as well. "Starfall" could very well be an album future releases of this ilk are measured up against. Dragonland have taken an already-established style and built upon it, rather than being mere imitators, and appear to be setting new standards for power metal. |