Angry Metal Guy<p><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dragonknight-legions-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dragonknight – Legions Review</a></p><p><i>By Eldritch Elitist</i></p><p>A not-insignificant number of my favorite power metal acts are “noun noun” bands. <strong>Power Quest</strong>. <strong>Twilight Force</strong>. <b>Fellow Ship</b>. There’s something about smashing two overwrought people, places, and/or things together that perfectly fits power metal’s prerequisite for excess, and <strong>Dragonknight</strong> is one of my favorite band names to come out of the genre in recent memory. I’m a little less enthused that their identities are hidden behind their confusingly uniform, copy-paste <strong>Slipknot</strong> masks<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dragonknight-legions-review/#fn-210308-1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1</a>, but between their ludicrously opulent logo and <i><em>Legions</em></i>’ hilariously literal cover art, <b><strong>Dragonknight</strong></b> is one of the more immediately striking power metal acts to debut on Scarlet Records. Of course, with <strong>Frozen Crown</strong> and <strong>Fellowship</strong> being alums from the same label, the bar is set in the stratosphere; as <em>Legions</em> shows, that bar is not easily reached.</p><p>Explaining what DragonKnight sounds like would be markedly less expeditious than describing <i>who</i> they sound like, as <em>Legions</em> sees the band feasting upon a veritable buffet of inspirations. A bespoke influence seemingly accompanies each track; <strong>Gloryhammer</strong> (“Dead Kings in the Grave”), <strong>Beast in Black</strong> (“Sword of the Northern Lights”), and mercifully <i>not</i> <b>Alestorm</b> but rather <b>Running Wild</b> (“Pirates, Bloody Pirates!”) serve as some of <i><em>Legions</em></i>’ more obvious sources of inspiration. While <b>DragonKnight</b>’s aesthetic varies widely across this album, it’s all tied together with an overarching symphonic flair that keeps the proceedings from sounding overly disjointed. Moreover, <em>Legions</em> sounds technically competent and professional, traits which should be a given but are too often scarce in the genre. For many power metal fans, the level of execution alone may be satisfying.</p><p><strong>Dragonknight</strong> may presently be more concerned with emulating the successes of modern power metal than innovating the game. Still, I also get the sense that the band had a ton of fun making <i>Legions</i>, so it manages not to tip my cynicism meter to the red. I do, however, find myself increasingly annoyed with this album for a potentially more damning reason: It’s just kinda bland. There are certainly highlights between “The Imperator”‘s <strong>Dream Evil</strong>-goes-symphonic march and “The Revelation<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dragonknight-legions-review/#fn-210308-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2</a>“‘s condensed galloping rush, but much of <i><em>Legions</em></i> lacks urgency and excitement. Instrumental flair is absent outside of the frequently excellent guitar solos, and while the melodies are generally pleasant, <strong>Dragonknight</strong> fails to capitalize on their solid foundation with the giant melodic swings that define the genre. <em>Legions</em> isn’t forgettable, per se, but it fails to make an impression where it matters most.</p><p></p><p><em>Legions</em> hits me with all the force of a lukewarm bucket of water at least in part due to its production choices. The album sounds quite nice from a technical perspective, carrying a meatier low-end presence than most power metal records allow which effectively balances the symphonic bombast. The instruments themselves, however, lack tonal character, their generic metallic edge failing to cut through the swaths of synths. Singer and sole named member Lord Salo Khan (Mikael Salo, <strong>Everfrost</strong><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dragonknight-legions-review/#fn-210308-3" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3</a>) also lacks power in many scenarios, with his voice failing to deliver a convincing presence of power in <em>Legions</em>’ most melodic tracks, namely “Storm Bringer.” At other times, however, he excels; the conviction with which he delivers the lyric “<i>Sailing ships with great dexterity!</i>” goes a long way in making “Pirates Bloody Pirates!” another early highlight of <b><strong>Dragonknight</strong></b>’s career.</p><p>I reference <strong>Dragonknight</strong> in context with a hypothetical future as it’s one that I hope comes to fruition. Their debut left me with a stronger first impression than this review and its score implies, but I ultimately found <em>Legions</em> lacking in staying power, my mind struggling not to wander towards the dozens of better records it reminds me of as I ventured past my first couple of spins. <strong>Dragonknight</strong> has the talent and songwriting chops to excel on future outings, but they need to work on identifying and honing their strengths rather than spreading themselves thin with an overly ambitious scope. If <strong>Dragonknight</strong> can succeed in this regard, they may well find themselves on equal footing with their peers. As it stands today, they are a decent imitation of their influences, but sincere flattery can only carry them so far.</p><p></p> <p><strong>Rating:</strong> 2.5/5.0<br><strong>DR:</strong> 8 | <strong>Format Reviewed:</strong> 256 kbps mp3<br><strong>Label:</strong> <a href="https://scarletrecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scarlet Records</a><br><strong>Websites:</strong> <a href="http://scarletrecords.bandcamp.com/album/legions" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scarletrecords.bandcamp.com/album/legions</a> | <a href="http://dragonknightband.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dragonknightband.com</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/dragonknightband" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/dragonknightband</a><br><strong>Releases Worldwide:</strong> January 17th, 2025</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/alestorm/" target="_blank">#Alestorm</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/beast-in-black/" target="_blank">#BeastInBlack</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dragonknight/" target="_blank">#Dragonknight</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dream-evil/" target="_blank">#DreamEvil</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/everfrost/" target="_blank">#Everfrost</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fellowship/" target="_blank">#Fellowship</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/finnish-metal/" target="_blank">#FinnishMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/frozen-crown/" target="_blank">#FrozenCrown</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/galneryus/" target="_blank">#Galneryus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gloryhammer/" target="_blank">#Gloryhammer</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jan25/" target="_blank">#Jan25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/legions/" target="_blank">#Legions</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/power-metal/" target="_blank">#PowerMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/power-quest/" target="_blank">#PowerQuest</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/running-wild/" target="_blank">#RunningWild</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/scarlet-records/" target="_blank">#ScarletRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/slipknot/" target="_blank">#Slipknot</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/twilight-force/" target="_blank">#TwilightForce</a></p>