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Review: Dragonland - The Battle Of The Ivory Plains
Dragonland
www.facebook.com/dragonlandband
The Battle Of The Ivory Plains

Label: Black Lotus Records
Year released: 2001
Duration: 55:40
Tracks: 12
Genre: Power Metal

Rating:
3.5/5


Review online: January 23, 2004
Reviewed by: Sargon the Terrible
Readers' Rating
How do you rate this release?

Rated 2.64/5 (52.86%) (28 Votes)
Review

I thought Michel was unnecessarily hard on this one. (I'm evil – Ed.) Sure, this debut by Swedish Power Metallers Dragonland is no classic, but it's not as bad as all that.

Yes, this is very generic in places, but I have to say I find it enjoyable nevertheless. Dragonland are firmly in the DragonForce/PowerQuest school of fast, keyboardy power metal, and they don't really do anything new with it. They have sweeter leadwork and a better ear for melody than some other bands in this genre, but their songwriting is kind of chaotic and a bit hit-or-miss. The songs will speed along in generic mode for a bit, but then a really catchy hook or melody line will jump out at you. I heard the title track (the best song here) over a year ago and it is still a tune I catch myself humming, so there must be something to it after all. Jonas Heidgert is not a breathtaking singer, but he has a stronger voice than most Italian singers and a definite melodic style: even if someone else were to sing one of his vocal lines, I would know he wrote it right off. I like that Dragonland don't overdo the keys most of the time and stick with the guitars, Andy LaRoque's production job is adequate, and heavier than usual for this sort of band, so I like that too.

I don't know. I can't say Dragonland are a great band, because they really are not, but I like this album quite a lot anyway. I think these guys have a lot of potential, and could become a really first rate band with some experience. This album is pretty generic, but if you are a Power Metal fan it is definitely worth the effort.

Additional Information

Japanese edition with bonus track

More about Dragonland...
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Review: Holy War (reviewed by Larry Griffin)
Review: Starfall (reviewed by Larry Griffin)
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Review: The Battle Of The Ivory Plains (reviewed by Michel Renaud)
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