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I ought to make it clear that I am quite a fan of catchy, powerful metal like that which Dungeon specialise in, but even so I have been quite flattened by this album! The bludgeoning begins pretty much from the word go, with the battering ram first track, ‘The Power Within’, which combines some furious rhythm work with pummelling guitar riffs. Over this though, the vocals do not disappoint, and deliver several memorable melodies. This opening track has such a furious pace that it seems to rush by well before the five and a bit minutes are up, but still, an excellent opening track well deserving the ‘power metal’ tag! The following track takes it down a gear regarding speed and sheer ferocity, but it is still an enjoyable song and it is reassuring that some variety has been achieved, as it takes a more laid back, mid-paced approach, giving room for some more melodic guitar playing.
The production – handled by singer/guitarist Lord Tim – is a good compliment to the power that is delivered, because it doesn’t sacrifice any presence, which would have made the guitars sound less direct and the vocals more distant. It would have been easy to release a one dimensional record within this style, but I think these songs present a lot of depth without losing any elements which make it such an assault on the senses! Typical of the power metal style, the vocals are operatic and often harmonised, which adds to the fist-raising nature of the sound, whether it is your thing or not. Unlike some bands of the genre though, the vocals don’t push out the guitars as a central element, because usually the guitar riffs are just as prominent, which I like. Sometimes they assume an almost thrashy quality, drawing on the aggression of more guitar-orientated styles to add activity – ‘Art of War’ being a particular example.
Any fan of a wide range of styles from the classic heavy metal titans right through to speed and thrash metal fans should be able to appreciate this release and really get into it, and I get the impression that these songs would make a good live experience as well. The obligatory guitar solo is certainly not forsaken, and these are given free rein at numerous points throughout the album, which luckily don’t fall into the traps of cliché and unoriginality. The key elements for me are the guitars and vocals, which direct each song whether it is an aggressive track or a slower one, but the rhythm section is far from complacent either. Some aspects are instantly memorable and worth repeating, such as the intro passage to ‘Against the Wind’, which comes in with a different approach to the previous tracks but is so effortlessly catchy. It is also refreshing to hear a band from Australia putting out this material, as European bands seem to have monopolised this approach to an extent. On this path, Dungeon deserve to change this though, and prove that pure, 100% METAL can be delivered from anywhere as long as the spirit is there!
| Tracklist |
| 1. The Power Within |
| 2. Tarranno Del Mar |
| 3. One Step Beyond |
| 4. Against The Wind |
| 5. The Art Of War |
| 6. The Hunger |
| 7. Surface Tension |
| 8. Under The Cross |
| 9. Epilogue |
: 48.16
| Buy other Dungeon albums |
