Last time out, Death Dealer released a solid slice of traditional heavy/power metal with their second album “Hallowed Grounds”. Filled with all the theatrics and flair you would associate with this kind of music – big wailing vocals, adrenaline pumping guitar chugs and more posturing than the gym when lockdown has lifted and everyone rushes in to try and smash their PB on the bench presses or dead lifts, this five piece are back again and bringing more of the same. Traditional 80’s heavy metal meets power metal once more and surveys its domain with “Conquered Lands”. The question is, did this all-star ‘true’ metal line up roll through the lands they conquered with ease, or are there rumblings of resistance to their reign?
Unfortunately, it is a case of resistance rather than resolute victory.
There is a fine balance you need to achieve when trying to balance the theatrics and the music in this particular area of the metal spectrum. Bands like Iced Earth, Blind Guardian (mostly) and Manowar have set the standard over the years and you would think that when your band has members who have served in Manowar or with former Manowar members, there would be a better understanding on how to set things up so it hits with the desired impact at the right time. On “Conquered Lands”, the impact the band seem to have been going for is ‘In Your Face’ and the timing of it seems to be ‘The. Whole. Damn. Release’.
Everything on this album is over-the-top. Needlessly flashy lead theatrics drown out what could be some interesting progression ideas in the opening seconds of the album on “Sorcerer Supreme” and despite the verse recovering somewhat to lay out a decent, intense power-thrash feel, the choruses slow things down with more background guitar wankery and some vocals which pack some power BUT have some needless wailing spots for the sake of it… Also there is the slight feel that the vocals are in one tune and the rest of the track is in another, leading to it sounding totally out of key. Not exactly a solid start for an album, but it is a sign of things to come. The intention to grab you by the collar, hold you close and get in your face might have worked if it was dialled back a little in the intro so the surging verse caught you with the sucker punch, but alas, ’tis not the case.
“Every Nation” and “Running With The Wolves” are pretty much Manowar’s ‘Kings Of Metal’, loaded with cringe worthy tropes about being the true metal crowd. It makes for some entertaining listening at times, but outside of the live environment where these two tracks would shine, they just fall flat as generic heavy metal songs with not much remarkable going for them outside of catchy hooks and some decent leadwork in places and as for the track between these, “Beauty And The Blood”, the vocal issues come again, sounding out of key and spoiling what is musically a damn good track.
Thankfully after these four woeful opening shots, there is something worth talking about!
“Hail To The King”, the seventh track on the release is fantastic. It has that spark which makes you pay attention to it. The galloping and surging pace which encourages headbanging, strong and commanding vocals, a slick bassline which really drives the track forwards and a sweet chorus which features a solid vocal hook to it. This is the type of music which Death Dealer did well on their last release, and to unearth it over halfway into the album is a bit of a downer, but it does stand out compared to the first portion of the release at least! “Slay Or Be Slain” is an explosive musical assault which keeps with the high-paced musical attack and would no doubt go down a storm live, causing bodies to surge and chaos to reign in the middle of the crowd whilst “Faith Under Fire” manages to allow the frantic and higher register vocal wails to flourish with music which actually fits it. Even the cheesy ballad “22 Gone” really shines. The slick composition and strong and emotive vocals work hand in hand to create a good atmosphere and it caps off a run of four really solid tracks, paving the way for the closing track to wrap things up. “Born To Bear The Crown” does cap off the album in a better way than how it started but it is nothing attention grabbing, just typical power-heavy metal from start to finish, which leaves us with an album which has a terrible start, lacklustre transition and then a solid ending.
In all, the lands conquered here only seemed to be worth it in the final stretches of this musical campaign. Taking roughly half the release’s length to get going, Death Dealer were clearly dealt a losing hand and only managed to salvage things with some luck or exceptional bluffing. To go from a solid, reliable and expected sound on the previous release to something which leaves a lot to be desired is a let down. I do enjoy the heavy/power metal styles because sometimes, all you need is a solid chug, some theatrics and songs which make you want to take up arms and charge into battle with a war cry, but this release didn’t come anywhere near stirring that feeling within me.
Death Dealer should have folded on this hand and had the house take a loss so they could win it back in the next game!
(5/10 Fraggle)
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