Released By: AFM Records
Release Date: October 14th, 2022
Genre: Symphonic Power Metal
Links: https://www.facebook.com/dragonlandband
Line Up:
Jonas Heidgert – Vocals
Olof Mörck – Guitars
Jesse Lindskog – Guitars
Anders Hammer – Bass
Elias Holmlid – Keyboards
Johan Nunez – Drums
Tracklist:
1. The Awakening
2. A Light in the Dark
3. Flight from Destruction
4. Through Galaxies Endless
5. The Scattering of Darkness
6. A Threat from Beyond the Shadows
7. Aphelion
8. Celestial Squadron
9. Ressurecting An Ancient Technology
10. The Power of the Nightstar
11. Final Hour
12. Journey’s End
13. Oblivion
In what has already been a very crowded year for new releases, including many big names, one of my most anticipated new albums was from the fairly underground Swedish symphonic power metal band Dragonland. Despite not being as well known as the likes of Helloween, Blind Guardian, or Stratovarius, Dragonland is very highly regarded by power metal fans, with their 2011 release Under the Grey Banner, in particular, being widely beloved and considered their career best so far. Sadly, fans had been left waiting a very long time for a follow-up, slowly hearing news of one coming here and there, but not hearing any new material for 10+ years. Finally, after almost 11 years, the band is set to release their sixth full-length album, The Power of the Nightstar, and even after such a long wait, I can safely say it’s an album that continues all the momentum the band had built up previously, and only goes further towards proving why they deserve to be considered one of the absolute best in the genre!
Dragonland has evolved its sound quite a bit over the years, starting as a fairly typical power metal band, while slowly introducing new elements with each new album. Under the Grey Banner in particular was their most epic, symphonic album to date, taking their music in a more cinematic direction, while still being as fun and catchy as ever. The Power of the Nightstart continues with this, being even more cinematic, epic, and complex than any of their previous albums, while still having plenty of fun, super speedy power metal sections to keep fans happy. The symphonic elements are once again a key element of the music, with the orchestration being used heavily throughout, though there are some tracks where the guitars and keyboards dominate, while others go all in on with the symphonic arrangements. One big change is the use of keyboards, which were always there before, but largely played a secondary role, where on this album there are times when they’re placed right at the center, being the driving force. In general, the keys have a more futuristic, spacey sound to them (which is of course in line with the concept), at times being very ambient and atmospheric, while at other times being quite flashy and epic. Elias Holmlid does a fantastic job throughout, and this album feels like his shining hour.
The one lineup change in between albums was the addition of new drummer Johan Nunez, who fits in perfectly with the band. There are plenty of tempo changes throughout some of the tracks, as well as portions where he must quickly alternate between drumming fairly calmly before exploding, and he manages to pull everything off very fluidly. As always, duo guitarists Olof Mörck and Jesse Lindskog do a fantastic job, and while this isn’t an overly heavy album, there’s a ton of excellent lead guitar work, often very melodic and epic, in a way that fits the mood of the album perfectly. There are some excellent solos, as well as bursts of killer riffs and some fantastic melodic guitar work throughout the album. Vocalist Jonas Heidgert is also in top form, sounding as smooth and powerful as ever. He has a fairly typical power metal voice, often going for big, high notes, while staying in a mid, slightly high range most of the time, but he’s the perfect fit for the music, conveying the lyrics perfectly, while always sounding very energetic and emotionally invested in his performance.
Like most Dragonland albums, The Power of the Nightstar is a concept album, though since Under the Grey Banner was the ending of the big fantasy saga the band had started with their debut, The Battle of the Ivory Plains, it makes sense that this album’s story has an entirely different feel to it. Instead of being a fantasy theme, this is a Sci-Fi tale, telling the story of a race that’s been forced to leave their home planet and find a new place to live, while being pursued by an opposing race. Details are fairly scarce as to what the races are supposed to represent, but it’s a very enjoyable story, building up their search for a new home, and finding new weapons to help in their battle, while also showing things from the perspective of their enemies on the standout track “A Threat from Beyond the Shadows”, with everything eventually leading to a huge climactic showdown on “Final Hour”, which is the best track on the entire album. Just going by how the album closes out, I’m pretty sure this will end up being a self-contained story, and I don’t believe there are any connections to previous albums, so new listeners who are interested in the concept should have an easy time getting into this one, without any worries. Another thing I appreciate is the band’s use of narration, which feels seamlessly built into the tracks. It’s used very sparingly, helping add a bit of flavor and context to the songs, without ever getting in the way or becoming a distraction. Honestly, if more bands used narration as effectively as Dragonland, I would be a bigger fan of it in general.
As expected from a concept album, some tracks stand out on their own, both musically and lyrically, while others serve more of a setup role. Everything is pulled off brilliantly, though, so even the less explosive tracks are still fantastic, and serve their role well. Following a brief, very cinematic intro track, with a mix of keys, orchestration, and some narration, the opening track “A Light in the Dark”, kicks things off in a fairly subdued way. It’s an excellent track, with the ambient keyboards instantly making their presence felt, and it has some nice, heavy riffs, and strong vocal melodies, but for most of its running time it stays at a fairly laid-back pace, slowly building up towards an excellent chorus while setting the tone for the overall story. The tempo does pick up in a big way at a couple of points, with the lead into the first chorus, in particular, being epic, while the first solo section of the album is also a big standout, starting with a slow-paced guitar solo, before speeding up during an intense keyboard//guitar solo duel. Overall, it’s a great track, which does its job of setting the tone for the rest of the album.
Next is the second single “Flight from Destruction”, a much flashier, more intense track, where the band goes full speed ahead from the start and never looks back. It’s the kind of fast-paced, high-energy track power metal fans would expect, enhanced by some excellent orchestration, emotional lyrics, and a fantastic chorus, where the lyrics change around a bit each time it comes up, which is pretty neat. It’s a track that’s amazing both musically and lyrically, doing a great job of setting up the stakes for the story. Next is “Through Galaxies Endless”, a more atmospheric, mood-setting kind of track, where the ambient keys take the lead throughout, mixed with some heavy but fairly subdued guitars, and the tempo remains pretty slow throughout. The chorus is the highlight, with the final run-through, in particular, being fantastic, and one of my favorite vocal sections of the album.
The pace picks up again with “The Scattering of Darkness”, the third single. This track begins with an extensive, very intense keyboard section that instantly gets the listener hyped, before settling down for a fairly calm opening verse, but once the chorus kicks in the pace pick up in a big way, with the drums going full speed, while the guitars slowly start to kick in and the vocal melodies during the chorus are both insanely catchy and melodic at the same time. The track gets more intense as it goes along, and is one of my favorites on the album. However, it’s immediately topped by “A Threat from Beyond the Shadows”, another fast-paced track, with a very classic power metal feel to it. For the most part, it’s fairly straightforward, with a nice mix of heavy guitars, keyboards, and an excellent chorus, though there are a few twists, such as the epic, heavily orchestrated narrated section in the middle, leading to an excellent solo section, and then there’s an intense section where the drums go wild, and some harsh vocals are thrown in. Honestly, the second half of this track goes bonkers, but in the best way possible, to enhance a song that was already fantastic from the beginning.
Unsurprisingly, things calm down for a bit following those two intense tracks. “Aphelion” is a very brief, ambient instrumental track, followed by “Celestial Squadron”, a more mid-paced track, which has some of the heaviest guitar work on the album, as well as a fairly dark atmosphere to it, particularly from the keys. There are also some traces of harsh vocals in the background, especially noticeable during the pre-chorus section, while the chorus itself is very melodic and catchy, as expected. The track has a slight prog feel to it, as well as a strong spacey atmosphere, and it’s quite interesting overall. Next is “Resurrecting an Ancient Technology ”, which begins with some soft keys to set the mood, but once the track gets going it’s a fairly upbeat power metal track, with a nice mix of heavy guitars, bouncy keys, and a fantastic chorus, with some excellent lyrics. It never fully speeds up, but it has a very upbeat feel to it and is the kind of track the band excels at.
Speaking of what the band excels at, they deliver plenty more of that on the title track, which was the first pre-release single for a good reason. Following an epic vocal section at the start, which already has a strong triumphant feeling to it, the band quickly goes full power, with the guitars, drums, and orchestra all going all out, while the keys are used to set the tone. It’s a fast-paced, high-energy track with pretty heavy guitars in place. The verses are very fun and intense, while the chorus has some amazing lyrics as well as some of the best vocal melodies and instrumental work on the entire album. It’s certainly the type of track that will instantly get a power metal fan pumped up, so it was a great pick for a first single, especially as a sort of comeback statement from a band that had been quiet for over 10 years.
As awesome as the title track is, though, it’s simply setting the tables for the main event, that being “Final Hour”, which can best be described as an epic Star Wars-style space battle, set to symphonic power metal. If that description gets your attention, don’t worry: The song is every bit as amazing in execution as it may look on paper, if not even better. It’s a fast-paced track throughout, though it takes many twists and turns, with plenty of momentum shifts, tons of heavy riffs, grand orchestrations, well-used bits of narration, excellent instrumental sections, and plenty of amazing vocal melodies. It’s amazing how much the band manages to pack so much into under 7 minutes, as the track certainly feels like it has the density of a 10+ minute epic, and yet instead of feeling rushed, it’s simply one of the most stacked power metal tracks I’ve ever heard, with not even a single second wasted. Instead, it simply moves from one highlight to another, while remaining cohesive throughout. As amazing as the rest of the album is, this is without a doubt the highlight of the album.
Closing things off is the much calmer, 9-minute epic “Journey’s End”, which features guest vocals from Amaranthe’s Elize Ryd. It’s a fairly calm track throughout, with fairly light guitar work, mixed in with ambient keys and orchestrations. It may initially seem a bit underwhelming after the previous track, but the mixture of amazing lyrics, narration, and beautiful vocal melodies all help to make it an amazing track, as well as a perfect ending for the album. Or at least I think it is: There’s one more track after it, called “Oblivion”, but “Journey’s End” feels like it reaches a natural ending point, and the former track has a different feel from the rest of the album, both musically and lyrically, I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be a bonus track. Either way, it’s an excellent track, slow-paced and very melodic, but with some heavier guitar work than the previous track, as well as a heavy reliance on keys. The vocal melodies are excellent, but the lyrics take a backseat to the overall feel of the track and feel disconnected from the rest of the album. Overall, though, it’s a nice track, and after waiting so long for the album, I’m sure fans will be happy to get any extra tracks the band wants to give them.
It’s been a long wait for Dragonland fans, but now that The Power of the Nightstar has arrived, I can safely say it more than lives up to the hype! It’s possibly my favorite album yet from the band, continuing with the heavy use of symphonic elements and excellent narration from Under the Grey Banner, while adding in some very ambient, spacey-sounding keyboards and telling an entertaining Sci-Fi story, all while still maintaining the kind of fast-paced, epic power metal fans have come to expect from the band. I’m sure longtime fans of the band will be very excited to finally have new music from them, especially when it’s this good, and newcomers looking for one of the best power metal albums of the year should give this album a listen.
Ratings: 10/10
Editors Pick 
Written by: Travis Green
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.
About Author
- Symphonic Power Metal
- Olof Mörck
- Sci-Fi story
- 10
