Jeris Johnson - Dragonborn (2024)^{Release ID: 54183}

Ah, Jeris Johnson... Known for his remixes of popular rock/metal hits "Last Resort" by Papa Roach and "Can You Feel My Heart?" by Bring Me the Horizon. I actually first heard of him from when he collaborated with Plankton AI metal artist BOI WHAT in the song "Battling My Demons". I like his vocal work so much that I decided to check out more of his material, and some of the new singles got me hooked. Those singles would then be part of his new album Dragonborn. I've seen this album get as much hate as Falling in Reverse's new release Popular Monster, which is actually a little more surprising. On the one hand, not everyone is up for a huge diverse cauldron of genres, and they say too many cooks spoil the broth. On the other hand, Jeris Johnson is nowhere near Ronnie Radke levels of infamy, though Johnson has co-written a song for Popular Monster, the country metal single "All My Life". So here's what I have to say about Dragonborn...

Around half of this album is arguably the best work Jeris Johnson has ever done! This is perhaps the first ever album to combine heavy/power/melodic metalcore as main genres, while adding in some alt-metal, Nordic folk, cinematic orchestra, and his earlier trap-core. Yeah, his days of trap-core aren't really strong, but this diverse metal mix of epic and modern can overpower the poor past for a more promising present.

The title track is a nice start. It begins with the acoustic folk strumming of Korpiklaani, then rises into mid-tempo alt-metal not too far off from some of my brother's favorite bands. In the end, the acoustic folk returns, this time with background synth ambience and layered vocals that will definitely plant Skyrim into your mind. "The Story of Our Lives" is a total rocker. Sure there's a bit of the electro-trap in the verses, but it's outshined by the heavy/power metal that makes its entrance in the chorus, along with a brief groove metal breakdown that you might hear from Lamb of God. "When the Darkness Comes" is a spooky track continuing the blend of Avenged Sevenfold-style heavy metal and trap. If you're wondering if that chorus melody sounds familiar, it's that Arabian riff! It also reminds me of Kesha's "Take It Off" which uses the Arabian riff in the chorus as well. "Welcome to Valhalla" is interesting. The Skyrim-esque Nordic folk is combined with trap which is an odd mix that threatens to bring it all down. But then it explodes into an epic blend of power metal and melodic metalcore, "power-core" if you will. Then it ends with the cinematics of Wintersun's Time interludes. Truly a glorious highlight!

"Here's to the Years" continues that epic blend. Last year, Dragoncorpse united deathcore and power metal together. This year, Jeris Johnson showed the world that melodic metalcore, power metal, and Nordic folk can co-exist in that fun tune. More of the epic blend comes in my favorite track here, "Siren Song". You may recognize "Greensleeves" as the main melody, and holy f***, it can definitely compete with August Burns Red's "What Child is This?" cover. Brilliant! "Down with the Dynasty" is the 4th track in a row with the epic blend, this time with some more trap drops. "John" is another alt-rock/metal ballad not too far off from the bands my brother likes such as Breaking Benjamin, Skillet, Three Days Grace, etc. "Not a Person (Freak)" is a trap-metal mess with the closest we have to a deathcore breakdown that comes out as generic.

"Eat Drink War Repeat" is much worse, the weakest track here, making me f***ing cringe over this trap/crunkcore sh*t-fest. It's made up for a lot by "Ode to Metal", more of an ode to modern metal, but still really cool. After starting with a cinematic symphonic intro, we have an alt-metal blend of a Linkin Park-esque rapping verse, a pop punk chorus inspired by A Day To Remember, and a bridge filled with the melodic metalcore of early Avenged Sevenfold and the nu metal of Slipknot, all 4 bands paid lyrical tribute to in said chorus. "Kiss From a Rose" is a nice heavy alt-pop rock take on a Seal classic. "Finish Line" is a beautiful ending ballad of acoustic folk gone 5FDP-style alt-metal.

Dragonborn doesn't reach the perfection of Popular Monster, but it shows how well Jeris Johnson can experiment with different genres to make something diverse. If he makes a follow-up to this, I'm counting on a full-on heavy/power/melodic metalcore album with none of that trap sh*t. Now if only BOI WHAT can make his own full album....

Favorites: "The Story of Our Lives", "Welcome to Valhalla", "Here's to the Years", "Siren Song", "Ode to Metal", "Finish Line"