Dragony. It’s a name leaving little to ponder about the musical direction of this Austrian Metal band. Hmm…could it be Brutal Death Metal? Post-Black Metal? Dark Ambient? Or maybe, just maybe, could it be…Symphonic Power Metal? You betcha flowing cape and silly hat it is! Unapologetic, uplifting, bombastic and unrelentingly catchy, “Hic Svnt Dracones” is everything you think it would be when you glimpse that cover artwork. It’s also intelligently arranged, well-crafted and suitably powerful in delivery.
This is actually the Dragony’s fifth album, the band formed back in 2007 prior to vocalist Siegfried Samer and bassist Herbert Glos joining heavyweights Visions Of Atlantis. Although Samer departed VOA, Glos still remains in their ranks, balancing his time between both bands. Visions Of Atlantis of course, have just released two pirate-themed, high seas exploring Symphonic Metal albums, but there’s no sign of sea-sickness for Glos, as we find ourselves sailing away once more on a pirate-themed, high seas exploring Symphonic Metal album. It’s safe to say that if you like the last two VOA albums you might quite enjoy this one too…
But then why not? And unshackled, Dragony are able to delve into a bit of Beast In Black territory on occasion for example, something VOA would shy away from. There’s also hints of everything from classic Queen (specifically on the title track) through to Rhapsody of Fire…actually there’s more than a hint of Rhapsody Of Fire when the intro for this album uses exactly the same piece of classical music which Rhapsody used as the basis for ‘The Wizard’s Last Rhymes’ (‘New World Symphony’ by Dvorak as far as I know), which caught me out for a minute when I first heard it. But to be fair, there’s only a limited amount of impactful classical tracks to choose from, and the band waste no time in getting into their own melody-laden Symphonic Power Metal style, staying heavy and energetic throughout, happily avoiding the temptation to indulge in anything resembling a ballad.
This is an album displaying great positivity and an uplifting vibe that holds throughout. All the songs are delivered decisively by musicians who really know how to play this style of Metal. The arrangements have intricacy, but equally, on the whole, waste little time in steering the listener towards a catchy vocal hook or chorus, all presented expertly by vocalist Samer, who has continued to excel more and more with each consecutive Dragony release. There’s a confidence to this band five albums in, and this shines through repeatedly on “Hic Svnt Dracones”. The image, the lyrics, the name – it’s maybe all a bit tongue in cheek, but when it comes to delivering high quality Symphonic Power Metal, there’s no denying this band’s seriousness.
(8/10 Andy Barker)
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