| Musical Style: Metal/Hard Rock | Produced By: Andre Mendonca & Leo Turbo |
| Record Label: Roxx Records | Country Of Origin: Brazil |
| Year Released: 2023 | Artist Website: |
| Tracks: 17 | Rating: No Quote |
| Running Time: 72:35 |
Nova Lima, Brazil based Dynasty Of Metal released in May of 2023 via Roxx Records one of the finer Christian metal covers albums we have heard in Back To The Past. Initially known as Dynasty but later rounding out its name to signify its musical calling, Dynast of METAL (emphasis added) remains the project of vocalist Nahor Andrade and guitarist César Martins, the mainstays to appear on the groups three previous full-length albums in addition to Back To The Past.
Debut Motus Perpetuus from 2004 (released under the Dynasty moniker) emphasized melodic power metal with progressive tinctures and 2010 follow up effort Warriors Of The King (also Dynasty) a heavier joining of traditional and power metal. It was not until 2017 that the group embraced the Dynasty Of Metal heading while carrying over the traditional and power metal themes to Step By Step. Back To The Past reflects similar musical nuances of its predecessors while expanding into melodic metal, AOR, thrash and extreme territory in embodying the most varied Dynasty Of Metal release to date.
It is such variances that make Back To The Past such a special album from drawing upon the myriad forms and genres of the band to influence Dynasty Of Metal the past twenty years. Specifically, the artists covered represent a ‘who’s who’ of many of the more influential Christian metal and hard rock acts from the eighties and nineties, exclusive but not limited to Petra, Stryper, Sacred Warrior, Saint, Recon, Tourniquet, Bride, Narnia and Whitecross to name a few. To pull such off a capable band performance is necessary and Dynasty Of Metal delivers in spades!
One look at the track listing reveals Dynasty Of Metal are covering material to feature some of the greatest guitarists in the world- no small task indeed. That said Martins and second guitarist Filipe Otávio prove up to the challenge, starting with Joshua’s “Only Yesterday” by lending blinding reminiscent to those of Joshua Perahia to a catchy melodic hard rocker embellished by burnished keyboards similar to the original. The two shine equally on Whitecross’ “Without Your Love” by matching the classical influenced soloing of Rex Carroll note for note on a commercial semi ballad that also takes a blues laced heading.
Impellitteri’s “Eye Of The Hurricane” also finds both standing out with an ably done extended stretch of lead guitar difficult to distinguish from those of Chris Impellitteri, as does Narnia’s “Long Live The King” in finding the duo cutting loose in neo-classical fashion reminding of Carl Grimmark. Former maintains a straightforward metal feel but with added double kick drum and latter a distinguished melodic metal flair trending slower, mid-tempo territory.
Likewise, Andrade plays to his strengths and sings with confidence in also facing a challenge by covering many of the finer vocalists of the time. Consider opening Petra cut “Beat The System”, which sees him singing in a lower register than Greg X. Volt and helping provide some added muscle to a polished AOR based piece. He also makes a strong statement on Stryper number “The Rock That Makes Me Roll” by unveiling some grit and gravel vocally when placed alongside the higher register to Michael Sweet.
I find Andrade at his best on albums heavier material, which complements his natural mid-register vocal qualities. “Too Late For Living” from Saint stands out in this regard, as the group stays true to the song inherent unyielding momentum with plenty of Kramer like falsettos throughout, while same applies to “Weapons Of Our Warfare” from Deliverance, equally thrash like in aggression but with periodic outbursts of high pitched wails to remind of Jimmy P. Brown.
The Dynasty Of Metal sound also melds with Bloodgood, as revealed on its rendering to “Out Of Love” which while lighter than some cuts here, shines with a similar groove laden mentality and mirthful keyboards as the Bloodgood rendering. The same applies to Bride in that the group pulls off “Psychedelic Super Jesus” without a hitch in matching the all out Bride intensity not to mention the funky bass adorning the blues drenched instrumental moments.
If were to choose a ballad from the era to cover, it would be Sacred Warrior’s dynamic “He Dies” with its consummate melody, message and emotion. The band makes effective use of keyboards not unlike that of Sacred Warrior not to mention a similar soaring vocal performance. In similar fashion, Recon’s Lost Soldier” utilizes high-end vocals but contrasts with a power metal bent, embodied in the Dynasty Of Metal galloping take on the piece with fitting double kick drum in abundance. One cannot argue with the selection in that this is one of Recon’s better pieces.
Sadly, I fail to share similar sentiment with the choice of Barren Cross’ “No Time To Run”. No doubt, the mighty Barren Cross deserves inclusion, but I always considered the melodic rock tinged “No Time To Run” a ‘b-side’ cut at best from the group’s fourth album Rattle Your Cage. I am surprised Dynasty Of Metal did not attempt something more ambitious such as “Deadlock” or “In The Eye Of The Fire” (off second album Atomic Arena). If covering something off Rattle Your Cage, better options exist in my opinion such as “Time For Love”, “Midnight Son” and albums title track.
Only other songs I pass are those from Tourniquet (“Ark Of Suffering”) and Mortification (“Web Of Fire”). Nothing against the selection of either or the Dynasty Of Metal performance, which as always is top notch, but rather I am not a fan of Tourniquet or Mortification (musically not my cup of tea). That said I see fans of both bands embracing either song.
Dynasty Of Metal closes Back To The Past strongly on its final two cuts. First, a cover to the eponymous cut from the band of the same name, “Boanerges”, brings a turn of the century power metal vent with hints of Balance Of Power or Theocracy: enduring melody, intricate song structuring and epic demeanor. I am not familiar with the original so cannot comment further. Second, “Everlasting Life” is a new song traversing signature Dynasty Of Metal traditional/power metal territory with heavyset guitars aligning with gravelly vocals, slight blues signatures and aggressive hooks. I hope the group’s next studio album takes such a heading.
If I possess a lone complaint in regards to Back To The Past is that at 17 songs it suffers from track list bloat. I might have attempted to cut a more manageable two to three songs. Outside of that, there is a lot to embrace beginning with the Christian metal ‘who’s who’ from the eighties and nineties in terms of songs covered. No, I do not take to each band chosen - I would have made room for Resurrection Band - and in a few instances, I might have chosen a different song to cover, but overall the names that deserve to be here end up represented. One cannot question band performance when factoring the challenging material and talent to the original performers, particularly from a vocal and guitar standpoint. Thanks to Roxx Records for making Back To The Past available in such a high quality package.
Review by Andrew Rockwell
Track Listing
1. “Beat The System” (Beat The System) (4:07)
2. “The Rock That Makes Me Roll” (Soldiers Under Command) (4:52)
3. “Only Yesterday” (Intense Defense) (3:43)
4. “He Died” (Rebellion) (3:56)
5. “Too Late For Living” (Too Late For Living) (4:05)
6. “Lost Soldier” (Behind Enemy Lines) (3:47)
7. “Ark Of Suffering” (Stop The Bleeding) (4:29)
8. “Weapons Of Our Warfare” (Weapons Of Our Warfare) (4:20)
9. “Out Of Love (All Stand Together) (3:19)
10. “Psychedelic Super Jesus” (Snakes In The Playground) (4:00)
11. “Without Your Love” (High Gear) (3:55)
12. “No Time To Run” (High Gear) (3:42)
13. “Eye Of Hurricane” (Eye Of The Hurricane) (4:31)
14. “Long Live The King” (Long Live The King) (5:19)
15. “Web Of Fire” (Relentless) (4:50)
16. “Boanerges” (Senales Antes Del Fin) (5:27)
17. Everlasting Life (4:15)
Musicians
Nahor Andrade - Vocals
César Martins - Guitars
Filipe Otávio - Guitars
Tiago Sieg - Bass
Additional Musicians
Gustavo Paiva - Keyboards
Tiago Vitek - Drums
