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Rise of the Dragon Empire finds Sweden's Bloodbound cementing their dedication to becoming a top-notch power metal band in the Edguy/Nightwish mold. Musically, this is straightforward power metal full of major key riffs, double-kick drums and harmonized keyboards, all of which are rock solid. Where Bloodbound have stepped up their game this time around is with the vocal lines. Singer Patrick Selleby sounds a lot like Edguy's Tobias Sammett and not just his voice, he also uses a lot of the same inflections and is singing a lot of the same types of melodies, especially on the choruses of tracks like "Blackwater Bay" and "Skyriders and Stormbringers". Rise of the Dragon Empire is far from original but if albums like Theater of Salvation and Century's Child are in your permanent rotation, you're sure to like this one.