BLOODBOUND – Rise Of The Dragon Empire

If anyone who absolutely loves German and Scandinavian Power Metal bands and doesn’t like having to wait for the new albums is looking for new bands they might like, Bloodbound is one they should at least give a listen. Just one will do – because most of the fans of melodic Metal will very likely get addicted to this band even after only hearing them once.

Bloodbound has been around since 2004 and their debut record titled Nosferatu saw the daylight a year later. The band has been releasing a new record every two years since. Rise Of The Dragon Empire is their freshly released album that comprises eleven songs every fan of Power Metal will most likely appreciate.

First compositions on the album such as the self-titled song, which is also the opener, and “Slayer Of Kings” have some of the Dragonforce kind of precision to them, but they are certainly not excessively crazy and technical. The band could be compared to many Power Metal acts, such as Sabaton and Stratovarius from the north, as well as Powerwolf and Edguy (mainly their early works) from Germany. One of the things that make the songs on Rise Of The Dragon Empire stand out from the crowd is the folk metal sound, like on the seventh track “The Warlock’s Trail” – to name just one.

As far as instruments are concerned, both guitars do an amazing job. Tight riffs and absolutely amazing lead parts are certainly not to be complained about. Especially the solo in the sixth song titled “Giants Of Heaven” is particularly melodic and easy to get lost in, but the one from “Breaking The Beast” is first class too. It is however a shame that the bass is not very easy to distinguish in quite a few songs; it could definitely do with some more volume, as it seems to be the only thing that is really missing. One more thing that could be different: many of the songs end too abruptly. Yes, they do have outros, but they really could be longer; even four bars would have made a significant difference. This concerns particularly “Magical Eye” which is the fourth track – the outro melody could easily go on for at least twice as long. The singer Patrick J. Selleby could easily rival with someone like Joacim Cans or Tobias Sammet.

To sum it up, Rise Of The Dragon Empire is a very good Power Metal album. Despite sounding a lot like many other bands, the guys at Bloodbound are developing their own style, which hopefully will result in them releasing even better albums. Even though there are some minor imperfections on it, it still is a very good record and Bloodbound may soon start being recognized as much as the aforementioned bands. This Power Metal gem comprises quality songs and can definitely be recommended.