Dynazty's 'Firesign' - Album Review

Despite often going to great efforts to consume as much hard rock and metal music as I possibly can, inevitably there are still bands that fall through the cracks. While I would consider my knowledge of metal music, particular the more melodic end of the spectrum, to be pretty strong, there are still countless bands that I am yet to discover. This is especially the case when it comes to bands that might be considered second and third division acts. That description is not used to be disparaging about those bands, but purely to acknowledge their status in the wider metal world. The bands I am talking about are those which will probably only ever play one UK show at the Camden Underworld as part of their European tours, and even that will struggle to sell out, or the perennial support acts that seem to hit a glass ceiling and never push on to greater things. Many of these bands are great, and deserve a lot more, but there are others which are varying levels of average. It can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, so many of these bands are nothing more than names to me. I think it is fair to say that Sweden's Dynazty are one of these bands. While they might have found success elsewhere in Europe, they have certainly not made a real dent here. Dynazty have been a band that I have known about for a while, but it was only when frontman Nils Molin joined Amaranthe last year as a permanent member of their trademark triple vocal attack that I decided to should take more notice of the band he has fronted since 2008. It still took me a while to actually bother to listen to any of their songs however, but when Youtube recommended their then-new single The Grey a couple of months ago I decided to give it a go. I instantly enjoyed what I heard, and decided to pick up the band's new album when it was released in September. That album is Firesign and it was released at the end of last month. It is the band's sixth studio and, as far as I can tell from some brief Youtube exploration of the band's past works, stays true to the Dynazty sound. Firesign is, essentially, a power metal album - but not one that relies on speed and many of the (some would say tired) tropes of the genre. There is a big 1980s hard rock influence in the band's sound, with many of the songs here being more riff and 'strut' based than many modern power metal bands. There are not endless double bass drum-filled verses here, but instead more emphasis on mid-paced songs with strong hooks. It is certainly not a classic album, but there is a lot for fans of melodic metal fans to enjoy here. The choruses are pretty strong, and the use of subtle electronics throughout rather than in-your-face keyboards keeps the album from feeling too sugary and gives it a somewhat heavier feel than your average power metal release.

Breathe With Me gets the album off to a strong start with trippy electronics and a muscular driving riff. The verses, while initially sparse to allow Molin's vocals shine, soon ramp up with chugging guitar rhythms that builds towards an explosive chorus. In my opinion, Dynazty are not the most interesting band musically, but their secret weapon is Molin. His voice is extremely good, and it is him that makes the band worth listening to. The chorus here is a winner, and is packed full of soaring melodies that compliment the dancing electronics and simple riffing. While keyboards a quite a big feature of Dynazty's sound, they are mostly used to compliment and enhance the songs' guitar parts. This is clearly evident here, and the keyboards add a little extra power and melody to the song. The Grey is the album's lead single, and the song that convinced me to buy the album in the first place. Being a single the song is very focused on melody, and I feel it is one of the strongest efforts here. Jonathan Olsson's bass drives the verses, which are largely stripped of the heavier guitars and this allows the choruses to hit harder when the guitars come crashing in. The chorus is a great moment, and includes melodic choices that I would not automatically expect. It is a bit left-field, but Molin's delivery makes it work. A great guitar solo here would have been the icing on the cake, but the song's instrumental section mostly consists of a repeated guitar pattern over and over again which really does not allow the band's guitarists to adequately showcase their skills. In the Arms of a Devil has a heavier overall feel, with the keyboards taking somewhat of a backseat to allow the guitars of Rob Love Magnusson and Mike Lavér to really dominate. The tough riffing here has a lot of weight behind it, and the subtle keyboard textures that are mixed into the background help to enhance the overall atmosphere of the piece. Despite the heavier feel of the song, the chorus is still very catchy with more of Molin's trademark melodies. This song really ups the steaks in the guitar solo department however, with a lengthy melodic shred-fest that is sure to impress any fan of this sort of thing. The mix of all these elements makes this song another highlight, and one that makes an instant impression. My Darkest Hour is a more of a mid-paced cruncher, but with some prominent synth work that helps the song to sparkle. The verses here make little impression, but the chorus is an anthemic one that is sure to go down well live. Little instrumental flourishes, such as a faster section that includes some impressive drumming from George Egg, keep the song interesting - but it is the chorus here that really makes it all come together.

Ascension is one of the album's slightly longer tracks, and opens with a somewhat folky riff that instantly catches the attention. I said earlier that I do not consider Dynazty to be the most interesting band musically, and that is true, but occasionally they write a strong riff that deviates from their usual reliance on crunchy rhythms and synth stabs. In general this song just feels a little more complex and involving than the band's usual sound, and has another really strong chorus. Choruses are definitely the band's strong point, but again I feel this is mainly down to how good a vocalist Molin is. He is very expressive, and his sense of melody is a big part of what makes these choruses flow in the way that they do. The album's title track follows, and this is a feast of big synths and grinding mid-paced riffs. This synth-focused sound is not to dissimilar to that of Amaranthe, and I wonder if that was a reason in Amaranthe hiring Molin as their new clean male singer? In fact, this song as a whole has quite an Amaranthe-esque vibe with a really uplifting, poppy chorus - the only thing missing is the vocal diversity! This emphasis on big poppy melodies is probably the main reason this song is another highlight for me, and the chorus here is possibly one of the album's best. The rest of the song might not be so memorable, but it all hangs perfectly off the chorus which makes it an enjoyable listen. Closing Doors is much less interesting, and based around a main riff that sounds extremely familiar but I cannot put my finger on what other song is really sounds like! Olsson is again allowed to shine during the verses, which once again strips things back to largely just his bass, Egg's drums, and some basic atmospherics. Sadly however this is a song that never really seems to get going. The chorus really lacks the punch and soaring melodies that are present elsewhere, and as a result seems to fall flat. The guitar solo is pretty good however, and features some nice little legato runs that are full of melody. These are a good touch, but the fact that the chorus does not live up to the band's usual standard will ensure this song becomes forgotten quite quickly. Follow Me is punchier, and contains an interesting heavier riff that takes a few twists and turns as it moves along, with the keyboards again providing little melodic flourishes. The chorus makes use of gang vocals, something that is not commonly used through the album, and this helps to maintain the somewhat tougher sound that is created through the heavier riffing. Egg's drumming is punchier overall here too, with more focus on double bass drumming that also helps to set the song apart from the crowd. It is a fairly short song, at just over three and a half minutes long, so it is never in danger of overstaying its welcome.

Let Me Dream Forever opens with dancing synths, but soon slows down a slow bass-led chug which forms the basis of the verse. As elsewhere in the album Molin makes these moments count and uses these quiet moments to really unleash the full extend of his voice. He is easily the most impressive part of the Dynazty set up, and hopefully he will start to get the recognition he deserves through Amaranthe, which might also bring more people to Dynazty's output. That being said however, this is another song that does not do all that much for me. The chorus just does not excite the way that others do, and the somewhat laboured rhythms elsewhere make it less interesting. Starfall is more energetic, and features a good mix of techy riffing and flashy synths to hit the ground running. As with The Grey, this is a song that takes a slightly left field approach to melody that impresses. The chorus is not at all predictable, and explodes with melodies that do not take the approach that I would expect. I always like it when bands do this and manage to pull it off. Predictable choruses are often great, and give the listener what they want - but taking a different direction shows a mature approach to songwriting. The album's last song The Light Inside the Tunnel is another slightly longer piece that uses synths in a pseudo-orchestral way to give the song a dramatic opening. While does not end up being as epic and powerful as the intro suggests, this is still a good closing number. It is certainly a song that represents the band's core sound well, and has a strong chorus to sign out on. I feel more emphasis could have been places on the dramatic string-synths to really make this song hit home. A semi-symphonic metal piece would be a good fit for Dynazty I think, and I feel that more could have been done to make this song a truly epic closer. As it is however, it is still a good song and a memorable final effort here - with some outro wordless vocals from Molin that further go to show his skills! Overall, Firesign is an enjoyable album from Dynazty but not one that has fully converted me into a fully-fledged fan of the band. There are certainly plenty of enjoyable songs here, but I feel that there are other bands who pull this style off more successfully. I will certainly make the effort to check out some of their older work in due course however, as I feel they are a band worth exploring.

The album was released on 28th September 2018 via AFM Records. Below is the band's promotional video for The Grey.