Oh boy. We got ourselves yet another of them masked bands boasting all those forbidden delights Power Metal could possibly furnish. And all of them are Lords to boot. Dragonknight here, a – and I quote – “…new conceptual band…” delivers a slick brand of Power Metal.
Way too slick for some folks, who immediately sniffed the terrible stench of an AI production. Well, judging by the label promoting this album and the presence of one Mikael Salo (ex De Lirium’s Order et al), they indeed form part of Finland’s PM brethren. But – cheese on red-hot iron drips fast and there’s lots of that on Legions. So, before this thing runs away from us, let the fondue fest commence!
You guessed it. Dragonknight didn’t carve new pathways to glory. And why the heck should they? Instead, they took the well-trodden safe routes Power Metal likes to navigate. A lot of that rolls in on ancient tropes employed by the likes of Fellowship and oldish outfits such as Helloween or – again – Sonata Arctica. But – luckily, Legions ditched the sugary sweet realms some of their competitors often occupy and headed for fantasy land Veonity-style1 instead. Somewhat along the lines of the likes of Axenstar and Hammerfall, you’ll get tall tales and spicy yarn galore, full of dragons, knights, and some naval action, complete with booty and the fury of the oceans. In other words, Dragonknight aim for the Power Metal mainstream whilst trying to remain in the comfortable realms of their Scandinavian brethren.
Interestingly, Mikael Salo – presumably Lord Salo Khan – didn’t quite impress us at first. Just take The Imperator as an example. Imagine, they address the supreme leader and sole holder of all powers of the realm, yet the vocals won’t belt aggression. Instead, you get weak-tea fantasy game fare trying to put you to sleep. But – Salo finally comes fully into his own as Legions progresses further down the tracklist. Meaning, he’ll deploy the full spectrum of a great Power Metal front full of clear voice contributions, lusty belting with an impressive, kinda reach near Angus McSix, and some truly remarkable metal screams (Storm Bringer). This finally became variation writ large but delivered rather later than sooner.
And then, let’s break a lance for the axemen @ Dragonknight. True, the guitarwork mostly errs on the traditional Power Metal side. But wait for the abundant shreds and the often otherworldly solos that suddenly emerge from nowhere. And while the strings managed to dazzle us to a point, the stern regime of blast beat overreach of the wielder of sticks didn’t quite synch with us. This goes hand-in-hand with the repetition bug that bit hard on Legions. Plus, the record graced us with a bricked production that oozes this impression of a totally sanitized slab of metal on display with the bass more on the missing side than not.
On the other hand, Legions sports a true folky vein. The orchestral arrangements are next level and even the intro survived the stern corrective urges of the Master ov the Review Pipe over here. Defender of Dragons – for instance – roars into life with a heavenly intro that – again – effortlessly leads into harsher fare. Boy, it even gets you one of Salo‘s rare metal screams. Start with The Legions Of Immortal Dragonlords if you’re short on time. The track pretty much contains the essence of the record with a tendency to cook too much cheese all at once. But that’s alright, after all, Power Metal is known to go overboard at all times with too much of – anything. Dragonknight‘s occasional leaning into Amaranthe territory did not sit well with the Review Desk over here, though. It just won’t do.
Now, far from being perfect, Legions turned into a delightful Power Metal piece nonetheless. You’ll get straightforward fondue, fully spiced, and cooking on a hot metal stove, true. And there may be a tad too much picking and choosing of other acts’ best cuts.2 But the piece is full of positive energy, well-elaborated, sturdy, thoughtful, and brimming with pretty snazzy ideas. A debut that for sure can be used as a stepping stone for bigger and greater records to come. And when that happens, the biggies in the genre better take heed. Or they might have to eat the dust of Dragonknight roaring by in search of a speeding ticket.
The future will tell, I guess.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Scarlet Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 17 January 2024