Review by Saxy S for Dragoncorpse - The Drakketh Saga (2023)

It's not very often that my nightcap album for the week warrants an album review, but I believe that Dragoncorpse are worthy of the exception. The Australian based band peaked my interest early by combining two genres that do not belong together: power metal and deathcore... is what I would say if I wasn't keeping a keen ear to the ground.

For those who have been paying attention to the modern scene will already know that symphonic deathcore is hot on the presses. The obvious starting point has to be Lorna Shore, considering they are one of heavy metal's biggest bands at the moment, but let's not forget about Shadow of Intent and Mental Cruelty. Dragoncorpse seems to be the next logical step in the progression towards accessorizing deathcore to a wider audience, by way of symphonic instrumentation, gigantic vocal choruses and "bro0tal" breakdowns.

And y'know what? I can see the appeal for a band such as this. Forget about the fact that these are just power/symphonic metal songs with the occasional blast beat and heavy breakdown interspersed, the merging of the two styles works much better than I could have ever anticipated. For every oppressive Lorna Shore breakdown that feels inconsequential to the three/four minutes of death metal assault that preceded it, Dragoncorpse litter their breakdowns with tiny callbacks to earlier in the track, whether that be a continued symphonic focus, or in the case of "Terror Eternal" the dual vocals of Mardy Leith's growls and Jesse Lindskog's high screams/wails. 

The album does run a little bit short as the concept does revolve around its cringy interludes, which are simply symphonic orchestration combined with guttural vocal poetry. The vocals sound like Alex Terrible and don't evoke any reaction beyond just how out of place they sound. Otherwise, the hardest part to comes to terms with is how little it does with its supposed hybrid status. This sounds like a power metal album through and through and the deathcore influence is only icing.

Beyond all of that, I find it hard to believe that anyone would actually listen to this in their respective clans. The power metal crowd will likely find the death metal influence overwhelming, meanwhile the deathcore kids will never touch something like this because of its clean singing and cheesy and quasi-uplifting stature. It certainly is a fascinating listen, but I worry that Dragoncorpse will shift one way or the other and will eventually just turn into a generic symphonic metal band with power or deathcore elements.

Best Songs: Blood And Stones, From The Sky, UNDYING