Never give up, never give in. That seems to be Dynazty’s motto – and big kudos to the guys for that. Dynazty today is a whole other beast than the band that started out back in 2009. After three really good albums that went in the vein of Melodic Hard Rock with slight Metal tendencies, the band changed their style to a more downright melodic Metal style with a modern twist and even if their fan-base grew bigger after said musical change, after seven albums in total, they’re only marginally bigger than for, say, five, six years ago. Totally unfair as they deserve much more but that’s the case of many bands in their vein – H.E.A.T., Crazy Lixx, Crashdïet and Hardcore Superstar too should be way bigger considering the astonishing quality in both songs and musicianship.
But trivial issues like that just don’t seem to bother the Swedish five-piece at all. These guys need to be creative and play live so what if the last record didn’t sell millions and made them headliners all over the world – let’s just write more music and put out another album. This means that singer Nils Molin (also in Amaranthe), guitarists Love Magnusson (also in Dampf) and Mikael Lavér, bassist Jonathan Olsson and drummer George Härnsten Egg did what they always do – they wrote and recorded another record, album # 8 and as a fan the expectations are just as high as they always are.
Opening with “Power Of Will” is a classic Dynazty stomper, uptempo and upbeat, heavy and punchy with big pop-laden melodies all over. It’s a headbanging pleasing metal-blaster with fat, crunchy guitars with some sharp keyboard melodies on top and it’s both aggressive and easily embraced at the same time, much by the fact that the chorus is shimmering and immensely catchy. No quality dip there, for sure. Lead-off single “Advent” follows and keeps up the aggressiveness but also with an underlying darkness and a distinct edge. The verses are muscular with lots of attitude built on a powerhouse riff which leads to an in-your-face, melodic as hell and very memorable – another winner.
Another single, “Natural Born Killer” throws in some classic Metal riffing, razor-sharp and strong as steel where the rhythm section gives us a good beating. The pop-melodies are as prominent as ever which blends fine with super infectious melody-hooks and the keyboards holds an almost ghostly ambience. The huge refrain also hits like a ton of bricks – if you hear it one time it’ll totally go The Grudge on you. Great. Second single is the semi-ballad “Yours”, a slow-burner that olds a seducing darkness, a big pop-touch that’s almost AOR-ish but also a solid, heavy beat. It’s a bit softer with a sweeping keyboard but the crispy guitars are never far away which builds up a nice contrast and the chorus is just breathtaking. Wow. Why this isn’t a hit all over the planet is a mystery!
“All The Devils Are Here” might have a title that suggests a full Metal blaster but it’s more of a pop-song in a Metal disguise than vice versa. It’s slightly held back in the verses albeit still quite stompy, big on keyboards and a distinct bassline. They up the speed in the chorus which throws in a heavier outlook and a damn catchy melody hook that has a slight 80’s touch to it. Very good. “The White”, the album’s latest single, is faster, edgier and harder with gritty riffage and some metal-fused rhythms where the gorgeous solo-part contrasts with a masterful acoustic guitar solo. It’s a powerful track yet still full of memorable melodies and another chorus that hits pay-dirt directly. Very good.
On a highly energetic note, “Instinct” hits hard like a fist in the gut with the rhythm section going for a beating and the guitars riffing away crunchy and robust. It comes in mid-tempo with an instant heaviness and some bouncy, haunting keyboards with a carnival-like vibe but the song also throws out some hooky pop-melodies which contrasts fine with the darker mood of the song. Good stuff. “Heart Of Darkness” comes on bouncy and stompy, very upbeat with a rhythmic vibe. It’s a straight ahead Hard Rock belter with some slick keyboards and a recognizable vocal-melodies. The chorus is good enough but it doesn’t lift like I’m used to. It’s an ok track but also a bit on the forgettable side.
“Achilles Heel” slows things down significantly. It’s a dark, ominous and heavy number with a symphonic stroke and a “Phantom Of The Opera” like musical arrangement. It’s a powerhouse number with a slight nod towards 70’s Rainbow twist courtesy of the Middle East guitar melody. It’s bombastic yet subdued with an immense atmosphere and a contagious refrain. This one really stands out. Brilliant! The album closes with “Power Of Now”, a striking, in-your-face, headbang-friendly metal-kicker with a lot of chuggy riffage. It’s still very melodic with prominent hooks which makes it a catchy affair. It do sport a few nods towards Power Metal too many for comfort, though. A good song but a bit too Power Metal for my taste.
All in all, this album holds eight killers and no actual bad numbers which means that Dynazty still doesn’t have the slightest idea how to make an underwhelming record – impressive, to say the least. Style-wise the album goes in the same direction as the ones released since Renatus back in 2014 – melodic Metal with modern twists, big on keyboards – maybe a full-time keyboard player will be in order now? – and hooky pop-laden melodies all over the place. For already fans, there’s no need for hesitation, it’s an obvious buy but if you’re still not acquainted with this lot and find this review just a tiny bit interesting you can easily become a fan after digesting this, so why not give it a shot?
8/10
More Dynazty reviews:
Knock You Down
Sultans Of Sin
Renatus
Titanic Mass
Firesign
The Dark Delight
Tracklist:
1. Power Of Will
2. Advent
3. Natural Born Killer
4. Yours
5. All The Devils Are Here
6. The White
7. Instinct
8. Heart Of Darkness
9. Achilles Heel
10. Power Of Now
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