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DYNAZTY “Game of Faces”
DYNAZTY “Game of Faces”
By Colonel Angus
This Swedish metal band has been around since before 2009 but that was the year of their first studio album. Since then they have released a number of album with “Game of Faces” being their ninth but this is their first for Nuclear Blast Records. I’m glad to see them get signed to this larger label and hopefully, this will help them reach a wider audience. I know, their first few records were firmly rooted in the 80s Sunset Strip sound but since then they have refined their music to incorporate a heavier direction while still holding on to a lot of that melody. “Renatus” was the turning point that really sparked that change and since then, they have been refining that sound with each record bettering the one that came previously.
“Game of Faces” continues that trend of being better than the last effort “Final Advent” which I thought was their best record. On this new one, I feel that each of the eleven tracks is a standout and none of them fall into “filler” territory. Things start off well with first single “Call of the Night” which has this great cinematic intro but builds into this roaring opener. Right off the bat, we are hit with power and melody. I know these guys get lumped into the power metal genre but I only hear small bits and pieces while most of the music is just great metal. For the title track we get some heavier riffing that is a nice contrast to the more upbeat first track.
As we move forward, “Devilry of Ecstasy” has some great ACCEPT style of riffing but still includes plenty of their own style especially when Nils Molin belts out the chorus. I feel this track is a great blend of their previous style along with their newer sound (which isn’t so new now). They continue with that balance for “Die to Survive” and for my money, this is one of the standouts on the album. The chorus alone will have you humming the tune for days. The guitar work here is also great with both riffs and solos performed perfectly without overplaying. Not letting go of a good thing, “Fire to Fight” matches the intensity of the previous songs and reaches the threshold where I can hear the power metal elements clearly.
The speedier “Dark Angel” gives the listener a nice change of tempo but still leaves room for some solid riffing courtesy of Love Magnusson and Mikael Laver who both put in a great performance throughout the disk. The guitar work never sounds repetitive and the solos work beautifully within each track. “Fortune Favors the Brave” is another standout on “Game of Faces” with its melodic chorus and first-class guitar hooks. If you want to hear some of the best music DYNAZTY has to offer, grab a listen to “Fortune Favors the Brave”. For “Sole Survivor”, I hear a little bit of an Irish element but overall, it is another solid slab of DYNAZTY magic. In certain parts, the tune has an almost cinematic feel but this is certainly not soundtrack music by any stretch of the means; it just has this “going off to battle” air about it.
The last three tunes are split between additional upbeat power-ish metal sandwiching a slower ballady piece called “Dream of Spring”. It’s not your typical ballad but it does have the emotional vocals and the sweeping grand chorus. When done right, it becomes a track that you don’t skip over and this one is done right. Just to make sure we don’t end on something slower, the band finish off “Game of Faces” with the galloping “Mystery”. DYNAZTY have created another record that may be one that fans will always mention as one of their best. As I’ve stated earlier, there is not one song that should be left off or I feel is not up to the standards of the others. Each one deserves to be on “Game of Faces” and deserves to be heard. While I did enjoy their earlier efforts, this new record will be on heavy rotation for the next couple of months.
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