(Symphonic Black/Thrash Metal) [CD] Dragonlord - Black Wings of Destiny (Japanese Edition) - 24.07.2006 (Japan), FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

I think the thing that stands out about this record is the drumming. The drumming is simply astounding. Take "Curse of Woe", for example. The aggression in the relentless pounding of the snares is breathtaking. The guitar work in this track, whilst impressive, is slightly drowned out by the keyboards and drums, but this is no bad thing. The blastbeats and tom rolls in this track really bring it to life and create that 'razor-edge-attack' feeling that is so prevalent in the music of Dragonlord. On the back of this, there are some great vocal lines in this track, the best being "don't tell me you'll save my soul".
"Revelations". That title didn't really spark my imagination, but I think the track redeems itself in sheer musical quality. It reminds me a little of Opeth with its guitar tone and long rhythm parts. It's in triple time, so it has a rather epic, swooping quality that really suits the guitar style of Peterson. The track lacks a bit of direction, but one forgets that when a riveting, albeit short, solo kicks in at around four and a half minutes. This is followed by a final verse of vocals accompanied by a blasting riff, and the song ends with a thud.
"Mark of Damnation" is another great track. It's full of hyper-blastbeats contrasted with some really militaric rolls and yet more Opeth-like guitar work, which is often panned to great effect. Guitar is another area where Dragonlord surpass all expectations. The sheer variety of sound is nothing short of bewildering. They switch from palm-muted chugging to Iron Maiden-like choruses, and then on to astounding solos. The keyboards that were so important on "Rapture" have taken a back seat in this album, not really showing their head until track seven, and this is a good thing if you like guitars, as they are given more free reign over melody than they were previously.
Eric Peterson's vocal style is something to be admired, I think. Many comparisons have been made to that of Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir, and the similarities are there, but I think Peterson definitely puts his own mark on preceedings. You can hear that classic metal voice, that Testament brought us, shining through the darkness, slightly overshadowed by the hoarse black metal growls (the fourth track, "Sins of Allegiance" is where to head if you're a fan of his Testament style). It's a compelling performance, and he manages to pronounce every word whilst maintaining the evilness that he so obviously going for, and even his longer howls are impressive. Sometimes he sounds a little strained, but I think that adds a little humanity to the sound, a sound which can generally be described as opulent but grim.
I think the best way to describe the overall sound of this is via black metal pioneers Immortal. Where Immortal use chugging riffs and powerful drumming to create a cold, wind-blasted ice sheet of sound, Dragonlord modify, via keyboards and some clean singing, that same sound to give the impression of dragons clashing in the sky above rocky transylvanian spires. And given that these guys are from the far-from-desolate USA, I'd say that's quite an achievement. The sound isn't incredibly different to the first offering, "Rapture", but don't think that's a bad thing - Rapture wasn't incredibly long, and definitely left the listener wanting more. "Black Wings of Destiny" gives you that little bit more.
That's not to say it's the same as "Rapture". Rapture was decidedly more aggressive than this, charging ever onwards to the repetitive shredding of guitars. Here, helped in part by the epic cover of "Emerald" by Thin Lizzy, Dragonlord is a little more romantic and slightly less shiver inducing. Rapture's lyrics were very sci-fi orientated and vague, which was great, but we didn't really get a feel for why they were called Dragonlord. There was hardly a mention of dragons or Satan, who is 'The Dragonlord'. Luckily, "Black Wings of Destiny" tells us tales of the dragonlord rising from the depths to conquer all, and our curiosity is satisfied.
I'm mightily impressed, I must say. In the face of a metal scene that seeks to get progressively darker and more simple, Dragonlord offer us a symphonic black/thrash soundscape that's epic, dark, glorious and triumphant in all the right places. Plus it ends with that heart-rending cover of "Emerald", and you're left feeling all tingly inside.
Review written by Corpus_Chain for www.metal-archives.com

Eric Peterson - Vocals, Guitars
Jon Allen - Drums
Steve Smyth - Guitars
Derrick Ramirez - Bass
Lyle Livingston - Keyboards