Dungeon - A Rise To Power

Spiff

I have the power
Apr 14, 2001
11,915
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38
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Brisbane, Australia
Dungeon - "A Rise To Power"
Metal Warriors 2002
Review by Nigel Bridgeman


When it comes to Australian metal, not a lot of bands stand out from the rest. There are a few bands which have made a name for themselves (Destroyer 666 and Pegazus to name a couple) but there are many more acts which haven't hit the big time. It's an under-appreciated genre in a country that is often loath to support its own work, but over the last few years things have been improving. After signing with Metal Warriors it certainly appears that Sydney boys Dungeon could be the band to spearhead the Aussie metal movement for the next few years.

Broken Hill product and vocalist/guitarist Lord Tim formed the band in 1989 and is the only original member of the band. A plethora of line-up changes later and the band have finally released their second album, after their 1999 effort Resurrection. If Tim and the band (the current line-up consists of Stevo on drums, Dakk on bass and Stu on guitar – ex-guitarist Dale Corney contributes a couple of solos as well as co-writing a handful of tracks) wanted to make a serious assault on the metal scene and the European market in particular, then A Rise To Power shouldn't hurt their cause at all.

The title track is a barnstorming opener and the epic sets the pace for the rest of the album. "Netherlife (Black Roses Die)" continues the Dragonlance theme previously seen in Resurrection's "Legend of Huma", while "The Other Side", about the pitfalls of success, is a change of pace lyrically from the rest of the songs. This could be a prime candidate for a breakthrough hit, but that could also be said for a few other songs on the album as well.

An undoubted highlight is "Traumatised", a searing thrash masterpiece that features Lord Tim showing what a versatile vocalist he is. "Life Is Black" is also something of a hidden gem on the second half of the album. The only real problem with the album is that some of the tracks smack of being generic power metal ("Insanity's Fall" and "Stormchaser" are examples of this), but thankfully the band makes up for it with a great guitar solo or a crunching rhythm section reminiscent of an idling Harley Davidson.

One can't review the album without mentioning the awesome bonus tracks, though. "Wasted Years" is as good as, if not better than, those songs by more established artists found on the Iron Maiden tribute albums released a couple of years back, and "Queen of the Reich" has never sounded better since Queensryche first recorded it all those years ago. It's mind-boggling how good Dungeon would be if they were just a cover band!

A Rise To Power is a gem of an album – slightly flawed, yes, but the performance of the band more than makes up for what in the end are some slight misjudgements. With a stable line-up Dungeon has the potential to be Australia's most successful metal band, and if it all works out for them then historians will pinpoint 2002 as being a pivotal year for them.
 
Damn straight! I actually thinki they are one of the more unique power metal bands in the world at the moment!!
 
you captured the album pretty well there dude .. ;)

a Great bounch of guys , and unreal musos of there time ,
and without anyw doubt , this album has it all , Everything your heart desire , not just a great live performance of flowless and endless talent and energy , but the album itself is a winner , and i wouldn't be surprised if it ever became a modern classic , for it is a HUGE leap over Ressurection , wich in my opinion is a there ground breaking classic first album , something very trditional , wich in tern makes ARTP as an epic of it's own .....
if you like to listen to a good Metal , then this one i very much recomend , and while you are at it , grab Resurrection .... :D