Customer Reviews

Dragon Slayer

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This cd is i a must have, i went out an bought it on impulse cause i had the money only hearing one song on the cd "Prophecy" which is one of best songs on the cd, but i hate to compare them, cause to me all the songs were great with the exception of the one ballad #7 "Losing you", i was rock'en along to the cd when all of the sudden this came on i listened to it all the way thru the first time but have past over it every other time, why does nearly every band have to throw that one slow song in, it's so so but disrupts the entire flow of the cd which until u get to that song is in your face and afterwards it still very heavy. I would recommend this Cd to anyone that is into bands like iced earth, arch enemy, primal fear, an so forth. Even with that one slow songe this cd still packs one [heck of a] a punch and is still deserving of 5 stars. I tried letting some friends listen to it but unfortunatly they have been buried in a deluge of american corporate hip hop,rock/rap [stuff] for to long an i fear my friends taste in great music is no more and that the more corporate garbage from mtv they listen to the more brain cells they will lose only to leave me with cabbages for friends it's ashame, It's there loss this CD is awesome i havn't stopped listening to it since i bought it a week ago, listen to it, love it, and play it loud.

With "Dragonslayer", Swedish metal band Dream Evil shows headbangers around the world that the Swedes are the best at melodic metal. With a sound that will be loved by fans of groups like "Hammerfall", "Gamma Ray", and perhaps "Iron Maiden" and "Dio". Like Hammerfall, Dream Evil combine killer melodic guitar riffs and hooks with soaring vocals and fantasy lyrics. But in some ways, Dream Evil surpasses even Hammerfall in its execution of this style. The opening track, "Dragonslayer" is to date one of the most searing, melodic, and exciting metal tracks of all time. Other favorites include the touching, yet powerfully heavy ballad "Losing You" and the epic "The Chosen Ones", both of which utilize, to wonderful effect, the string section of an orchestra... the latter going even further with its deep and powerful male backing vocals... almost opera-like. The songs vary from fast, pounding tracks like "Burn in Flames" to midtempo rockers, like "Heavy Metal in the Night". There's something for every metal fanatic on this CD. Finally, I know that the members of Dream Evil are disappointed with the view that the U.S. press takes with bands that put out this type of material. Some ignorant, misguided souls might think this type of music is "old" or "cheesy". All I can say is that metal is coming back hard... so either join us or burn in flames!!!

Dream Evil is a band comprised of Fredrik Nordstrom (Keyboards/Guitars, formerly of Hammerfall and In Flames), Niklas Isfeldt (Vocals), Gus G. (Guitars), Peter Stalfors (Bass), and Snowy Shaw (Drums, formerly of Mercyful Fate), and yes, you guessed it, it is a power metal band. Power Metal is gigantically huge over in Europe, much like "nu-metal" is in the States (however, I would rather tolerate power metal to the point of sickness as opposed to nu-metal, which isn't even METAL). To tell you the truth, I don't know a whole lot about this band, but I will say that power metal can get cheesy and annoying at times. However, this band attracted me in a couple of ways:

1) I'm a fantasy freak, and the whole album is actually a concept album about a knight who must save his king and kingdom from a fierce dragon. Dragons rule.

2) The band name, you guessed it, came from a Ronnie James Dio album, and Ronnie James Dio rules.

3) The album has some killer cover art.

So with that, I was intrigued, and off I was on a musical adventure in which case I wished I was a knight fighting in the Crusades or something. But enough nostalgia aside. Let's get on with the music.

1. CHASING THE DRAGON (A)
An awesome introduction, and one of the catchiest rockers I have ever heard in a while. Excellent guitar solos as well.

2. IN FLAMES YOU BURN (A-)
The song fools you in the beginning because it's an acoustic opening... but it BURSTS into a speedy number with some excellent vocals. The chorus is infectious. Ironic, given Nordstrom was in a band entitled "In Flames" originally.

3. SAVE US (B-)
Opens with a drum piece, continues on with some crunchy riffage. Has a catchy style like IN FLAMES YOU BURN, but far more positive sounding. Pretty good, although not as great as the previous two. However, it does sport a pretty awesome guitar solo.

4. KINGDOM OF THE DAMNED (B+)
Sounds like Hammerfall's HEARTS ON FIRE, although not quite so powerful. This one's pretty good still, and the chorus will stick in your head.

5. THE PROPHECY (A+)
AWESOME opening with guitar interplays. Some of the speediest guitarwork on the album is presented here. My second favorite on here not only because of that, but Niklas's vocals are at his best here. The chorus makes me have raging fists.

6. THE CHOSEN ONES (A-)
Excellent track that starts off with a melodic guitar piece, followed by some lowkey vocals by Niklas. Some keyboard elements are AWESOME in this particular song, and it builds up into a nice chorus. The rest of the song retains that same power.

7. LOSING YOU (B+)
A ballad that has a nice piano piece accompanying it. A guitar part is later on but doesn't detract away from the song. Very beautifully written, even if it takes three or so listens for it grow on you. For some reason it reminds me of Foreigner's slower music.

8. THE 7TH DAY (C+)
A galloping hard rocker with some infectious lyrics. Very crunchy in its guitarmanship and it's a good headbanger, but the chorus seems a bit heavyhanded, at least to me. All in all not a bad song but not nearly as good as the one's preceding it.

9. HEAVY METAL IS THE NIGHT (A-)
A cool song that reminds one of the old days of heavy metal. The guitarwork here reminded me of Dokken and Ratt, but seemed heavier than anything they've done. Niklas tries singing in a deeper Halford style of singing (minus the screeching) and it comes off surprisingly well. A pretty good anthem rocker.

10. H.M.J. (A-)
The three initials stand for HEAVY METAL JESUS. I kid you not, that's what the song's about: the knight being blessed by the Son of Man to kill the dragon for kingdom come. It's cheesy, corny, but it still rocks. It's not athiest by any means, and the song reminds me of the old days of AC/DC and Lynyrd Skynyrd (imagine if they ever were metal bands). This can turn you off depending on your point of view, but it's actually one of the best songs on the CD.

11. HAIL TO THE KING (A++)
The "technical" closer of the album actually ranks as my personal favorite from the album. Very heavy, gallopy, and nice musicianship all around. The chorus is the most infectious on the CD. All in all, very good and a great way to end the album... well, sort of. Read on.

12. OUTRO
All this is is an orchestra preparing or something... it sounds like it's just at the end of a symphony. I might see what the band is going with here, but it would've worked better had they shifted Track 11 DIRECTLY into here (as if the whole album was a symphony and it just ended), but it's just "there," and it only lasts 15 whole seconds. This doesn't need to be here. I'm not counting it against the album, but...........................F

Overall, you might find this to be a pretty decent album. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it to be a cohesive concept album. Some power metal can be overbearing and cheesy, but this one is not. Check it out if you're a metal fan.

There are many people out there that are calling DREAM EVIL the next big hit in the Power Metal scene. I don't know about all that... I'm not even sure I would even call them Power Metal at all. Perhaps True Metal or just good ol' Heavy Metal! One thing is for sure though... these guys are pretty damned good. "Chasing the Dragon" is a killer track and probably the most Power Metal song on the album, "In Flames You Burn" is an excellent Metal anthem, "Kingdom of the Damned", "The Prophecy" and "The Chosen Ones" are all good as well. "Heavy Metal in the Night" is one of the best... straight outta the 80s with a JUDAS PRIEST feel. "Hail to the King" is also a highlight. The singer is good and reminds me a lot of Anders Zackrisson from NOCTURNAL RITES' first 2 CDs. I heard that the follow-up "Evilized" is even better for these guys... if that's true then I can't wait to check it out!

I was really impressed when I first listened to this album. Dream Evil is the prject of Fredrik Nordstrom, most known as a great producer, and Snowy Shaw, of Mercyful Fate. I knew Fredrik's work as aproducer (which means the album has a superb sound and production; sounds like Sinergy's latest album), but I was totally unfamiliar with his music skills. Lucky me I'm familiar with them now! This album is excellent. Some influences can be recognized, like Iron Maiden. It combines different styles. Melodic metal, power metal, epic metal, etc. The album has great choruses, solos, and clean vocals "a la Europe". You have different tempos; fast songs and ballads. If you want a ballad, you'll find the sweetest melodies and choruses. If you prefer a fast song with blazin' guitars and powerful drums, you have "The Prophecy", to please your senses. But the band never loses their touch of quality. It seems that every element fits perfectly, nothing more, nothnig less. Some song titles may sound clichés, and Dream Evil's music may sound like something that has been already done, but what makes this band different from the rest is their simplicity and originality, and how the guys managed to combine all the ingredients of the recipe. The album shares lots of feelings and emotions, but never deppression. "DragonSlayer" will lift your spirit up!. I liked this album that much that I was compelled to write this review. For any metal fan; give this album a try; I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

Dragon Slayer, by Dream Evil is one the best metal albums that I've heard in a long time. It's fast, hard, and powerful without all the screaming that is so common in most modern heavey metal albums. What I think is also great about it is that the whole album is a story, and you can hear it progress as you listen to it.
I personaly would recomend this album to anyone who enjoys good metal.

This CD was a wonderful buy. From the exciting vocalization to the thundering guitars. Personally, I would classify Dream Evil as Epic Metal.

I can't remember where I originally 'found' this album (probably through Amazon's "Also Bought" section) but when I sampled it my first impression was that it sounded good and worth picking up. So on impulse I bought Dragon Slayer and Evilized by Dream Evil. So far, I have only listened to Dragon Slayer - and that's because I can't seem to stop playing it!

Before I go further in my review, let me say that most of the other reviews are correct. This is a GREAT album; Dream Evil did a great job, and I love the fact that it's a concept album - all songs hinging around a centralized story/concept. Niklas Isfeldt has a very medlodic voice that can hit some incredible notes, all without screaming. The guitar riffs of Fredrik Nordstrom and Gus G, and the drumming of Snowy Shaw on the songs are good to great, all without being over-powering. Yes, it does harken back to some of the stuff you might have heard in the 80's and 90's. And yes, a few of the lyrics might be considered "cheesy".

But those qualities not bad things. For those of us that have been enjoying heavy metal for several decades and still love new "old-school" style music - this is a MUST HAVE! It is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time! And for those that have never heard the category of "fantasy metal" - check it out. It explains the lyrics of this album. With the recent surge of MMORPG players and RP games in general, this genre of music has been making a small scale come back, and I love it.

Now onto a few of the songs. What follows is just a little review on my favorites songs on the album. But it's not complete. All of the other songs are also good, but I thought I would point out these few:

"Chasing the Dragon" - This song showcases Niklas Isfeldt's great vocals! The song has good musical harmony overall.

"In Flames You Burn" - An incredible song - can't stop singing this one! The drumming is excellent, as is the guitar work. This is a great song that has traces of good ole "speed metal" in it.

"Save Us"- Good heavy riffs and drumwork. I absolutely love the group singing in this song - it really brings home the fantasy aspect of the music for me.

"The Prophecy" - Another good speed metal tune, again with great guitars and drumming. Isfeldt's vocals on the chorus really shine also.

"The Chosen Ones"
Cool mood-setting opening music. I absolutely love this song! Incredible vocals all around and Niklas Isfeldt hits some excellent notes!

"Heavy Metal in the Night"
The only song that I would categorize as truly "cheesy" lyrics. That being said, it's still a good tune that I enjoy listening to.

I strongly suggest this album to anyone who likes Power, Symphonic, Melodic, Speed, Old-school, or fantasy metal. While it's a few years old (2002), I think this music shows were the genre(s) are going, and I think you'll like it as much as I do.

I heard "The Book of Heavy Metal" Through Youtube awhile back. Although I thought it was cheesy, I had to take a closer look and after listening to it, I bought it and this album. It is really well put together and I listen to is frequently. You won't be disapointed.

Alright, enough with the lyric bashing. Judas Priest has some of the most basic lyrics and they're a great band! This album is a good/bordering on great metal offering. Yes, it's not the most original album, but at least it rips! The Chosen Ones is a great tune and Losing You is a powerful ballad of sorts. \m/