(Power Metal) [CD] Dragonhammer - The X Experiment - 2013, WavPack (image+.cue), lossless

REVIEW FROM WWW.METAL-TEMPLE.COM:

O' Italy; how thee have delighted my ears lately, with a veritable slew of excellent melodic Metal; a brand of music they are well-known for, in the vein of ELVENKING and RHAPSODY OF FIRE; Power Metal, and everything about it that may be progressive or symphonic, has always had a special place in my heart. Italy's DRAGONHAMMER belt out a seemingly typical brand of Power Metal, that is nevertheless littered with progressive flourishes, and contains symphonic atmospherics and interludes.

The first song, "The End Of The World", begins as such; an epic and melodic power metal track not too dissimilar to STRATOVARIUS, and showcases Max's impressive vocal range; in the chorus, I am hearing striking vocal similarities to that of ELVENKING, and also some equally impressive lead guitar and keyboard work. "The X Experiment" takes on a most-welcomed progressive vibe. A powerful and aggressive, yet slow-tempo opening riff makes way for a thoroughly heavy track overlaid with strong CHILDREN OF BODOM-like keyboard melodies; riff wise speaking, much of the song is a pounding gallop. Halfway through I was immediately struck by a highly DREAM THEATER-esque series of flourishes. The album drives forward in a much heavier direction in "Escape" that begins deceptively thrashy, but one is soon enough greeted by rather avant-garde-sounding keyboard that gradually pads out the song to a mellow, mid-tempo Soft Rock passage. Soon enough, Max's wails give way to something far more metallic, and the lays down a much more bombastic series of riffs following a return to the previous motif.

Quite possibly one of the most 'progressive-sounding' track on the album is "The Others", which strives to keep a relatively upbeat and unmistakably heavy atmosphere and deals with, admittedly, cliche topics, but the lyrics are nonetheless honest and hit home. Here I also find some of the more beautiful melodies contained within the record, especially in the keyboard sections. Lastly, the last track on the record is also my favorite; "Last Solution" begins with an infectiously groovy and catchy riff that is soon backed by a strange keyboard recording. Among the guitars and vocals, the chord progressions are what get me; melodious, uplifting and effective. Naturally, the chorus vocals are equally as soaring as the guitar and keyboard melodies, and the song features an excellent solo.

Not necessarily one of the most unique Power Metal bands I have ever heard, but I would not go as far as to use the term generic, and definitely not a bad album, which contains the features that every Power Metal listener looks for.

REVIEW FROM WWW.DANGERDOG.COM:

Here's another band that's been missing in action for quite some time, nine years to be exact. Italy's Dragonhammer returns with their fourth album, The X Experiment, now on the My Kingdom Music label.

Put the words 'dragon' and 'hammer' in a band name and you can probably guess what type of music the play: power metal. In the case of Dragonhammer, the toss in more progressive and symphonic metal elements. Also, for this revival, they get some help from some rather famous countrymen including guitarist Francesco Fareri (Jeff Loomis, Vitalij Kuprij, Virtual Mind) doing a solo on My Destiny, Roberto Tiranti (Labyrinth, A.P.D., et al) doing vocals on The End of the World, and Titta Tani (Ashent, Phoenix Rising, et al) handling vocals on My Destiny.

I'll admit on the first spin two words came to mind about The X Experiment: typical and dull, to describe their progressive power metal. After a second turn, while this may be typical of the genre, the music is much better than I originally thought. Escape, My Destiny, and The Others are fine examples of well-crafted melodic heavy metal with progressive nuances. Follow Your Star, clearly a metal anthem, bumps up the symphonic side and adds some female background vocals.

I think what put me off the first time was Max Aguzzi's vocals. I simply did not like listening to him, and still don't, although he may grow on me, scary. When he stops singing and the music comes to the forefront, Dragonhammer's metal shines quite brightly. This is an odd thing since the band has Titta Tani, a very talented and balanced vocalist, perform on My Destiny, making it the best vocal song here. (Although, it does sound like Aguzzi works his way in their as well). Maybe Titta Tani should takeover on lead vocals. I'd go for that. Ultimately, I'm glad I gave Dragonhammer's The X Experiment a second chance; it's solid Italian progressive power metal.