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By Vinnie Apicella |
Dragonlord
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The very name evokes images of wizards and sorcery, and of the kind that makes for the never ending quests that serve well the imagery and wonder of the majestic Metal and role-player types that have parlayed a runaway imagination into a whole new musical breed of epic proportions. and such was my initial misgiving upon witnessing the fire and fury of this Dragonlord debut, "Rapture," and the stillness and symphonic texture of opening instrumental piece "Vals De La Muerte." and still in shock at what I would soon bear witness to at its conclusion, like a storm cloud laying waste to the previously clear night as it makes its foreboding descent, such was the case as "Unholyvoid" churned through my suddenly alert state of mind and all at once, thrown swiftly into darkness, I'm aghast and awestruck. This Eric Peterson-led creation, he of the Testament persuasion, unleashes a torrent of Black Metal largesse quickly drowning out any prior thoughts of rainbows and mysticism with instead a majestic massacre in the finest ungodly tradition. Peterson, having assembled a fine cast of traditionally Metal musicians also featuring Testament bassist Steve DiGiorgio and Sadus' Jon Allen, and previously known for his monumental guitar work for the Thrash Metal/Death-Core veterans, takes to the skies for this one, like a streak of lightning. the Dragonlord swoops down upon an unsuspecting world below-Peterson's first crack at vocals finds him performing admirably, settled somewhat from the Billy-like grunts of the former, opting for the typical necrophobic approach and pulled off pretty well. The biggest standout feature is the sword and shield interplay of the dual-guitar attack and keyboard aura that plays both parts of the calm before and the storm itself, typically dark in ambience, Thrash-like in a call to arms onward into battle design. and yet fans who've not only followed the work of Peterson's Testament, but those of Dark Metal styles worldwide will immediately feel the charge of "Rapture," which meets an untimely end on the eighth day, or eighth track, the title. "Babylon fell. Empire Destroyed." and suddenly the story ends. But not quite, even if advance word didn't reveal Peterson's plans for a new album that's already half completed, it's obvious with this new project, with the talent assembled, the vision and intensity, and the distinction drawn from their previous work, Dragonlord breathes a life all its own, detached from that which it was spawned from and shall live to reign again.
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