Customer Reviews

Starfall

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

 

 

The first thing that has to be said about 'Starfall' is that the production and sound quality are top notch. The cover art is pretty sweet and I opened the little booklet once and sniffed it and it smelled good - always a good sign.

What we have here is some well crafted epic power metal. It is clear that Dragonland were going big with 'Starfall', and I feel that for the most part it paid off. There's a nice variety of tracks on this album, ranging from super melodic power metal to more progressive and complex. The musicianship is extremely professional and of the highest quality.

The last three tracks comprise the Book of Shadows saga, and although they definitely lend to the epic scope of the album, they aren't especially interesting. In fact, that is the biggest problem I have with 'Starfall' as a whole, is that there seems to be something lacking. I don't know what it is - solid songs, but nothing really grabbing.

Overall, a good album, but I only gave it 4 stars because it didn't seem to deliver that last punch to truly make it a classic.

Starfall is an outstanding release and a wild ride into sound. Full of power, emotion, suspense, and endless energy. It features high quality synths and keyboards through and through. Jonas's vocals melt seemlessly together with the guitars and synths. His voice soars in every song on the album. It's an all out experience listening to Starfall. Love it! Why these guys are not as well known as other bands is beyond me, but nonetheless it really doesn't matter as long as they belt out more tunes I'll be happy. For me this has been one of the best purchases I have ever made. So if you love Power Metal with uplifting elements, inteligent lyrics, amazing vocals, synths galore, and power/energy that doesn't stop....then check out Dragonland's Starfall.

Don't expect to listen to Dragonland's "Starfall" and hear anything unique or groundbreaking. They follow the same basic structure of almost every other power metal outfit on the market today, the difference is that Dragonland do it really well. The band consists of Olof Morck (guitar), Nicklas Magnusson (guitar), Jonas Heidgert (vocal), Elias Holmlid (keys), Christer Pedersen (bass), and Jesse Lindskog (drums). Olof and Nicklas really sound great together, their twin guitar attack and their solos scream out throughout the entire album, and Jesse's keyboards give such a great atmosphere to the album (fans of Evergrey will like this guy). My only complaint, and the only reason that this album received a 4 instead of a 5, is that sometimes Jonas' vocals seem to flow out of tune with the band, or perhaps it is the other way around, either way it is a small flaw in what I will consider a contender for album of the year, so do yourself a favor and check this one out.

Starfall is the third studio album of Swedish power metal band Dragonland, mainly led by guitarist Olof Morck and keyboardist Elias Holmlid who are backed up four other great musicians. Produced by Evergrey mastermind Tom Englund, the album falls in the classic Euro power metal style with considerable melodic metal and even AOR influences. Bands like Sonata Arctica, earlier Angra, Rhapsody, and even Europe all pop in in your mind while listening to this disc, which is basically very synth and guitar driven. It heavily focuses on melody and a typical Euro power metal singer named Jonas Heidgert. Besides the classic vocal stylings of the genre, Heidgert also uses more pop-oriented vocals, best explored on the short yet powerful title track. Beginning with AOR-like synth harmonies, the song takes on a very gripping mood the moment Heidgert enters it, but swiftly segues into a more classical-inspired piano passage and a somewhat atmospheric breakdown that allows the keys to take the lead. Ironically, things take a 180 turn with the following track "Calling My Name", perhaps most akin to the songs on Evergrey's The Inner Circle album, dealing with a relatively darker theme and featuring a good dose of Charles Manson type of spoken lyrics (hence the Evergrey similarity) along with traditional power metal singing. Tom Englund himself graces this tune with a mighty guitar solo that is immediately followed by a searing synth lead. Also, Englund does some lead vocals on this track, but they're quite different from his throaty, almost menacing style in Evergrey.

Guitarists Nicklas Magnusson and Olof Morck's guitar tone on "In Perfect Harmony" reminds me of the silky-smooth playing of Magnus Karlsson on both Last Tribe records and the recent Allen/Lande project. Neither Magnusson nor Morck opt for ultra-fast, technically challenging playing, though that's not to say they are unable to play that way. It's just they like to showcase a more restrained type of performance, trying to feed the songs with what they need, rather than boosting their own egos. Quite a few of the songs on this album are filled with well-played, expressive leads, such as "The Shores of Our Land", also featuring Evergrey's Henrik Danhage as a guest. Starting out as a very cliche happy-go power metal anthem, the piece abruptly breaks into a mesmerizing synth solo, picks up some beautiful female vocals, and then hammers back into a soaring twin guitar harmony. It's really well written and played. On the other hand, "The Returning" is a very straightforward power metal track with fast double bass drums, sweeping synths, and incredible tapping melodies on the guitar. However, as the album proceeds, it seems to slightly suffer from being way too predictable considering the potential these musicians and Tom Englund have. For a third release, they could have tried to be a bit more original. Considering the last three tracks on Starfall, comprising the "The Book of Shadows" trilogy, this band no doubt could explore a more experimental, and perhaps darker too, songwriting. It begins with a brief instrumental piece where Holmlid's synths produce ethereal melodies and then bleeds into Part II where Egyptian scales and more female vocals are heard. The finale, however, is simply breathtaking. Conjuring up images of an intense battlefield, save for a few seconds of female vocals, this is another instrumental track which encapsulates the band's, especially the two guitarists', strongest aspects. Constantly shifting between cutting electric leads and gentle acoustic passages, the song also features nice strings, classical piano interludes, and dense keyboard melodies.

Most power metal fans should enjoy Starfall a lot. Those who expect a bit more variety in music, however, might find what they want in their future albums. The last three songs are proof enough that they are capable of writing darker and heavier songs. Guess we'll have to wait and see what direction they want to go next.

I agree..it's not the epic power metal album with cheesy orc battle and magic and stuff. But that's because Dragonland denounced fantasy metal. If you want fantasy, listen to their previous record "Holy War."

That said, this record is a bloomer. With each listen you discover a little bit more, something beautiful and hidden behind everything else that is going on. You can hear that it is a record that took time and effort to write and arrange.

If you like fantasy-style metal, but sometimes can't stomach hearing about battling over the ivory plains, give "Starfall" a try.

The first thing fans will notice about Dragonland's 3rd album is their steering clear of more "medieval/middle earth" type atmosphere and going for a more straightforward (and unfortunately predictable) power metal sound in the vain of something that simply sounds like a stronger Sonata Arctica - exchanging songs of battle and middle earth war with songs about emotions and uplifted moods. This is unfortunate because I felt Dragonland was one of the very few bands who did the Middle Earth thing pretty well.
Now, the best thing I found on this album was its presentation - the instrumental chops are top notch, and the vocals are absolutely astounding, very on key, epic and passionate, you'll be hard pressed to find equally talented vocalists. Then there's the production, which is just perfect to say the least for a power metal album, I was floored by the album's presentation.... but just because an album comes off as pretty on the surface doesn't mean the songs are even all that good or memorable. Unfortunately, the majority of the songs on here just aren't, and while there are definitely few astounding moments, these parts that last only a few seconds aren't enough to sustain a 4 or 6 minute song. This makes for some very disappointing sections.
For example, the opener has easily have to have one of the best chorus's I've ever heard from a power metal song, so melodic and just perfect sounding, and after the 2nd verse the chorus is sung for the second time, then a pretty good bridge guitar solo goes... and goes, and goes until the song just ends, and I was left wondering why they didn't end the song with the epic chorus given it was SO GOOD! I asked myself "what were they thinking??" they just took this great song and hacked it into something so far below its potential it makes me wonder if they even have an EAR for their own music! This actally happens a couple of times throughout the album and it just sucks.
Overall, while it's pretty disappointing that Dragonland's leaving their Middle Earth sound, I can see their potential with their new direction, but I question how good of songwriters these guys actually are. In their history of work, they seem to hit some great highs but some epic lows. I still very much like this band anyhow, and highly recommend this album to anyone who's into melodic and uplifting power metal.

This is a monumental piece of chaotic power metal, so technical and brilliant executed. The twin guitar assault courtesy of Olof and Nicklauss are out of this world. This guys really play!!! Also recommended Wizard, Pagan's Mind(with a touch of progressive) and Demons and Wizards.

With a name like Dragonland, I was expecting some seriously epic power metal in the vein of Rhapsody, Luca Turilli, or anything else involving dragons and wicked solos. This was far from it, and its not that this is necessarily the worst music I have ever heard, it's just that they should be named something else, like 'Generic Nu-metal Band With Metal Street Cred.' I have no idea why anyone who likes metal, or power metal, would like this. It sounds like an angsty american nu-metal band, with not much tecnical prowess, from what I could gather. The songs are in a structured verse chorus verse form, and far from growling, high pitched singing, or anything metal, the vocals can only be classifued as annoying. I'm glad I only downloaded this bands album, because with Dragonland as their name, I was ready to go out and buy it outright. Don't bother with this if you think it is metal at all--