Coming to you from Brazil, comes a six piece prog/power metal band
called Dynasty. There has been quite a buzz about this band lately, so I guess it's my turn to give my opinion on whether
the buzz is legit.
Dynasty really incorporates a lot of influences from the progressive/power metal genre.
Fans of Eterna, Symphony X, Hammerfall, Stratovarious, Angra, and even Sonata Arctica should find something to latch onto
here. Personally, I would not go so far as to say that Dynasty is as good as any of those bands, but they are not a
weak band either. Musically, the band is very tight and dishes out some very well-played metal. Heavy riffs
and lots of screaming guitar solos are all throughout this disc. Nothing all that original, but solid and well-executed.
They also mix in plenty of keys to makes sure they fit in nicely with the other bands listed above.
Vocally, the band reminds me of Guardian, First Watch era. Not a clone in any
way, but some similarities for sure. And for that reason, I can say that the vocals are what are holding this band back
a little. Just a little though, cause they are not poor vocals. As an example, they are better than fellow
Brazilians, Dracma, who also put out an impressive musical album last year, but disappointed with the inconsistent vocals.
I guess it just depends on the song here. The vocals are all solid, but some are better than others. They
have plenty of passion, but I would just prefer it more if they would be more aggressive. They just seem to
be too "pretty" at times. Some songs call for it, but some songs are lacking because of the absence of aggressive
vocals when the music is shredding quite nicely.
Overall though, this is a pretty decent release. The lyrics are very bold for Christ and
the artwork and production are nicely done. The best songs on the disc would probably be "Miztvoth", "The Word
that Remains", and "Against All Evil". Not really any bad songs on the album. They even do a quality ballad
called "Just for Loving You". "Goldenland" ends the disc with a departure in the lyrics, as the band talks about England
invading Brazil and stealing gold and people dying. My knowledge of Brazilian history is worthless, so I nothing of
the background on this song. The end of the song closes with a cello and makes for a cool ending to the album.
You should be able to find this disc at Blastbeats or Metal Mission. (Review by Matt)
