DRAGONHAMMER is an Italian Power Metal band who have over twenty years of experience creating sonic landscapes to fit their stories. Featuring a lot of Symphonic Metal elements, especially with the vivid orchestration, they've come to exemplify the crossover with everything from massive string/horn sections to delicate tones fading out as the story concludes. Second Life arrived via My Kingdom Records on November 4, 2022. As with many Power Metal sagas, this one opens with an instrumental, "Prelude To Conquest." This is the "get ready for battle" track that inspires the urge to march into foreign lands for the glory of your cause. That track leads to "Kingdom Of The Ghosts," as fast-paced track with a great guitar riff and a killer rhythm. The drum work is everything you want from your Power Metal, fast, full of fills, and a driving force that you know will keep the music on point.

DRAGONHAMMER use clean vocals throughout and love to layer in backing vocals and chorales/chants wherever they deem it necessary. "Diamond Of Peace" has a slower rhythm, allowing the backing vocals to play a bigger part in the song, different from the underlying choir from "Kingdom Of The Ghosts" towards the end of the song. The string section and horns play a larger part in this song as well, giving it that more Symphonic Metal feel. One of the few things you will not see on this album is the 10+ minute epic song. "Into The Warrior's Mind" is the longest track at just under seven minutes. It still has the epic feel to the rhythm and overall tone, just not the length. Killer double bass work and a bass line that is spectacular support this song all the way through. This one goes for a Cinematic Metal tone as well, adding yet another element to the composition.

Moving down to "Fallen Brother," we get the power ballad. War does not come without consequences. This is the track that honors the fallen, working to immortalize their sacrifice so that it may live to tell a tale of victory and conquest. The orchestration is excellent in this track, inspiring the listener to revere the fallen and give the living the courage to go on, in spite of their grief. Many of the songs, like "Sickness Divine," are lessons in heavy. They show that DRAGONHAMMER can deliver tasty riffs and bombastic rhythms. "The Rising" shows their ability to slow things down and retain their heaviness without having to be constantly at top speed. The silky-smooth vocals, the harps layered in, and the tone of the song allow for plenty of power even though the tempo is much slower. These guys can put a lot of emotion into a lighter composition just by using the orchestration to enlarge the sound.

The title track is the last lyric song. "Second Life" is a fast, upbeat song that has a lighter tuning and a lot of character. The guitars are airy and heavy at the same time. The vocals are victorious and inspiring and the rhythm is more melodic. This is a great wrap to the story lyrically and the "Ending Legacy" is the perfect way to wrap the album thematically. This is the closing instrumental, and it opens with keys and harps and horns. It is a stirring, vibrant piece that puts the victory to music, giving it a proper soundtrack. DRAGONHAMMER decided to go big for this album. The orchestration is exquisite, the rhythms are excellent and the guitar work is incredible. Vocally, they hit all the hallmarks of Power Metal, powerful leads, big backing vocals and huge choirs to give a massive backdrop for the soaring musical themes. This is an album you can picture in your mind, complete with soundtrack, score, and action scenes.