Bloodbound - Rise of the Dragon Empire

Power Metal has always had a flair for the grand and epic. I guess that it was at some point of the early 1990s that bands started to meld some symphonic influences to their music. The epic grip has always been a huge part of Power Metal since the days of Viper and Angra, a bit later, Rhapsody. Metal did a great use of the grandiloquence that symphonics brought to music to the intentions of sounding bigger and bigger. A perfect match, I must say. The match between strong guitars and the right noted solos did a perfect match with the sections of an orchestra. Some dashes of medieval tunes got that right as well.

On the opposite of many people’s opinion, classical music offers lots of emotion, and Metal made a great use of it too. Right the thing that Bloodhound worked on “Rise of the Dragon Empire” which is an album that praises this good match. Perhaps, “Rise of the Dragon Empire” is a bit too emotional for some heavy metallers, but it does reach a bigger audience. However, to reach this bigger audience Bloodhound didn’t have to sugar too much their music. Bloodhound have a great flair for the emotion translated into note-to-note guitar solos, anthemic choruses, and grand harmonies as can be heard from “Reign of Fire” the last, but not least track. A track where Bloodhound formula works best. Tittle track is a great opening to grandiousness of the album. It has just the perfect timing and dosing of emotion and punch. Leading keyboarding with strong chord-riffed guitar makes a perfect match to embellish the harmonious vocals.

Bloodhound with “Rise of the Dragon Empire” is for an album that will please Power Metal fans at large, but not only, symphonic and heavy metallers will be attract to it as well. “Rise of the Dragon Empire” has great melodies and anthemic songs that will make you sing along. An album that should have a room in your playlist whatever it is as long as it is a Metal one. But there are heavy and straight songs as “Magic Eye” with a great and strong guitar riffing.

Bloodhound “Rise of the Dragon Empire” was released on March 22nd via AFM Records.

Track Listing: