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Dragonland: Under the grey banner

25/01/12 || BamaHammer

Hail, ye fair peasants and piss-ants! I cometh from the realm of Dragonland, bringing wondrous tales of glory and mithril and elves and shit on my quest to find thy sacred cheese. Yea, and I must tell thee that legend has it that thy sacred cheese was hidden in the farthest reaches under the grey banner.

Though power metal is generally a silly fucken genre, these Swedes manage to do it pretty well (This band is a Gothenburger with cheese…rimshot!). I thoroughly enjoyed 2002’s “Holy war,” half of 2004’s “Starfall,” and most of 2006’s “Astronomy.” Despite the fact that the cheese level is high enough to give most lactose-intolerant metalheads a case of fatal diarrhea, Dragonland always manages to write at least a few extremely catchy songs on each album, whether I’m willing to admit it publicly or not. I was actually pretty excited to hear D’land’s latest effort just to see how it stacked up against their previous albums that gaveth me a little enjoyment in the past.

Dragonland albums have always featured some pretty glossy, sparkling productions, and “UTGB” is no different. It sounds as if it were recorded with mithril guitars, dragon scale picks, dwarven drums, and mixed by elves. (ILLUSION INCREASED TO 8)

The guitars, courtesy of Olof Mörck, have some potential, but never really do anything great other than gallop with palm-mutes or hit big chords. The solos are very good and virtuosic, as usual, and the real highlight of the guitar performance for the album. However, I just can’t ignore the overall anonymity of the guitars on the record since they always seem to be competing for the spotlight with the keyboards or vocals. (CONJURATION INCREASED TO 6)

The bass loud yet hardly noticeable. It provides a good bottom end to the mix, but nothing more. (HEAVY ARMOR INCREASED TO 3)

The drumming is your standard power metal fare, a sometimes seemingly endless train of sixteenth notes at hyper-speed, and regardless of how fast they move, they’re still fairly boring. (MELEE INCREASED TO 4)

Jonas Heidgert has one of my favorite voices in all of metal, and I’m not entirely sure why. He always sounds like he has a hint of a head cold. His voice is definitely unique and instantly recognizable, which for this genre, is important. He doesn’t try too hard to sound like Michael Kiske or Bruce Dickinson or anyone else. He just sounds only like himself, and I respect that. (SPEECH INCREASED TO 8)

Ultimately, this album is a little bit of a letdown. As much as I’m ashamed to say it, “Astronomy” and “Starfall” had a few tracks that stuck in my head like glue, and I still listen to them when no one’s looking. This album is simply missing songs like that. While some of the songs are good, nothing really sticks. (ENCHANTING INCREASED TO 3)

Overall, “UTGB” can provide power metal die-hards with some enjoyment. Even casual power metal patrons like myself can enjoy parts of it for at least a couple of listens. However, if cheese isn’t your thing, you should definitely stay away. (DESTRUCTION INCREASED TO 4)

So, yeah. That just happened. Nerdiest review ever. If you love the power metal genre, this album probably deserves an 7. If you hate power metal, it would get a 3. Therefore…

Information
Released: 2011
Label: AFM
Website: www.thegreybanner.com
Band
Jonas Heidgert: vocals
Anders Hammer: bass
Olof Mörck: guitar
Morten Løwe Sørensen: drums
Elias Holmlid: keyboard

Tracklist
01. Ilmarion
02. Shadow Of The Mithril Mountains
03. The Tempest
04. A Thousand Towers White
05. Fire And Brimstone
06. The Black Mare
07. Lady Of Goldenwood
08. Dûrnir’s Forge
09. The Trials Of Mount Farnor
10. Throne Of Bones
11. Under The Grey Banner
12. Ivory Shores

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