As I approached my recent visit to HRH AOR/Prog/Blues I was as giddy as Mr Giddy from Giddyland … so many bands that I wanted to see (admittedly mostly in the AOR arena but also Prog and Blues) and even better no clashes … except for mid way through the Saturday when I saw that Pat McManus was on the Blues stage at the same time as Purson (genius, British psych rock – check them out!) were on in the Prog event. Oh well, I could split the sets and see both, because Dynazty (in the AOR area)? Who were they? Well, the best laid plans and all that … on the eve of my journey I received an email from Spinefarm records asking if I would like to interview the guys (coming soon). Of course I said yes, then watched their new video “Starlight”. That’s when the problem hit me – my new found love of things quite a lot heavier and much more metal was triggered and the pummeling, double kick drum and riffing mixed with the melodic power of Nils’ vocals had me hooked – and needing to split myself in two for their show.
What a great show it was, with a bunch of very slick and entertaining guys (most of whom provided the band for Kee Marcello’s appearance later that day – and drummer, Georg Egg also drums in the Swedish version of Arsenal, the Rock of Ages musical band!). Now comes the shock, previous releases from the Swedes firmly placed them in the AOR camp, but with “Renatus” they have proved that leopards can change their spots (or in this case swap leopard skin spandex for something far blacker, heavier and serious). Do they pull it off? Absolutely! If you want light and fluffy, gentle AOR-y stuff then … sorry, this ain’t it. Sure you have keyboards but these provide a broader (almost proggy!) element to the soundscape. Some elements that seem a bit Dream Theatre – ish but with a power-metal edge, with melody throughout.
“Salvation” starts with a nice acoustic tone, breaks into a more power driven vocal and then …. wallop! Even the songs you think will have a softer edge come along and confuse you by gently massaging your aural senses only to then kick hard and rock your world. A sonic battering from an iron fist in a velvet glove – staggeringly good and if you like your rock that bit heavier you MUST get this bought.
“Renatus” sees the Swedish rockers building on the musical direction of their previous recordings, embracing a broader vision and a bigger sound…
“After 4 years, 3 studio albums and shows on almost every continent, we took the time in 2012 to figure out what we wanted to be in the future, updating ourselves musically and sonically; and once we started to write ‘Renatus’, everything fell into place. This album is heavier and faster-paced, with big arrangements built around soaring vocal melodies.
“This is a new era for Dynazty: the first album with our new bass player and band member, Jonathan Olsson, the first to be produced by ourselves, and the first to be released on Spinefarm” – Nils Molin,Dynazty vocalist.
Having already grown to ‘household name’ status in Sweden, with most recent album (‘Sultans Of Sin’) charting Top 10 week one, and toured internationally (including a run of dates in China), the band have created a new 10-track offering that showcases the depth of both their song-writing and their ambition.
Apparently, if you like your bass players beardy, with long hair and quite young, Mrs W says you need to go and see them … hmm not sure what she means?
Track Listing:
1 Cross the Line
2 Starlight
3 Dawn of Your Creation
4 The Northern End
5 Incarnation
6 Run Amok
7 Unholy Deterrent
8 Sunrise in Hell
9 Salvation
10 A Divine Comedy
“Renatus” is available now on Spinefarm …. get it bought!
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