R E V I E W S


Dynazty
Sultans Of Sin

Company: Stormvox
Release: 2012
Genre: Hard Rock
Reviewer: EC

  • Swedish hard rock's familiar formula



    • A lot of hard rock press and peers have been pretty excited about Dynazty over the last few years. The Swedish outfit have delivered two records in a young career, "Bring The Thunder" (2009) and "Knock You Down" (2011), the last one reaching number one on the Swedish charts and cementing their establishment as a top tier act. Many compare the band to the likes of Crazy Lixx and Hardcore Superstar in terms of Euro stardom and now, just ten months shy of the last record, we get a new entry with "Sultans Of Sin".

    The band pass off the control knobs from Chis Laney ("Zan Clan", "Candlemass") to legendary extremist Peter Tagtgren for this new recording. It is an interesting move considering Laney's stout placement in Sweden as a big name producer for hard rock acts. However Tagtgren is certainly no push-over, his work with Astral Doors, Pain and Hypocrisy have been revolutionary in terms of grinding production values that are still clear and vibrant. Same goes with this recording, a soundscape for Dynazty's new aggressive guitar ampage and riffs that seem to turn the heaviness up a notch (or down) from the previous two albums. The band also add a new guitarist to the mix with Mike Laver.

    Swedish hard rock's familiar formula runs the race here, sweeping the glam and glitz up with chargers like "Bastards Of Rock And Roll" and "Sultans Of Sin". The band's leadoff single has plenty Def Leppard "whoa whoas" on "Land Of Broken Dreams". The song has a slight power metal feel with the background keys, similar to something Freedom Call or later day Firewind have attempted. The big arena bounce is clearly in place on "Raise Your Hands", a KISS styled anthemic piece that is surely a live "event". The band still keeps the lighter burning bright, two wimpy ballads surface in "Back Again" and "Falling".

    Overall this is probably the best Dynazty album yet considering their early payout. It's hard to take this sort of thing serious considering the "rock star" songwriting. I still like the bands that take themselves a bit more seriously but nevertheless this is a fun hard rocking' record and another Swedish entry in what has amounted to be the "Sunset Strip" glory days of the 80s. Who would have thought palm trees and neon nights would eventually erode into the snow swept streets of Stockholm?




    Maximum Metal Rating Legend - Full Details
    5 Excellent - Buy it and say a prayer to the metal gods that you were tuned on to this masterpiece. A classic.
    4-4.5 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a clunker or a lacking somewhere to keep it from perfection. You won't feel bad about dropping some bones on these.
    3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler. This is the OK range where you'd search for the record on sale or used.
    3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio. Could show skills but be dull overall. Redeeming qualities for indy bands are effort and passion. Majors that don't try or suck outright end up here.
    2-2.5 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors. There is much better metal out there.
    1-1.5 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
    0 Terrible or an otherwise waste of your life and time.

    Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

    The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.

    Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.


    All reviews for this band:
    CD
    		 TITLE BAND
    DOR
    		 REVIEWER DATE
    		Sultans Of SinDynazty
    2012
    		EC10/19/2012


    Interviews found from this band:
    INTERVIEW BAND INTERVIEWER DATE


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