No one said that a great band needs to release a new reformulation for a defined Metal genre. No, no one needs to rewrite anything, and can create good music into any Metal genre that already exists. It’s obvious that a creator has more chances to become great than a band that just follows a formula that already exists, but’s no one is stating that if you can’t create something different from the usual, you’re not good at all. As an example, if only the creators are important, no one would hear to GAMMA RAY, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, ANGRA or any other on Power Metal subgenres. And the work of the Austrian sextet DRAGONY matters a lot, as depicted on “Hic Svnt Dracones”, the band’s latest full-length.

Ok, as this is their 5th full-length, their musical work is widely known: a Symphonic/Melodic Power Metal full of charming melodics and epic elements, in a vein similar to RHAPSODY OF FIRE and TWILIGHT FORCE, with very good ambiences, and some Neoclassical Hard Rock influences can be heard on many moments (especially on the guitars). Excellent choruses and choirs, fine instrumental parts and everything working as a clock, so the fans will have no deeper complaints about it, because the band’s music is full of energy and identity. Frank Pitters again is with the band (as he is since their first album) as producer, having Jacob Hansen on the mixing and mastering, and the sound quality of the album is into a model usual for Symphonic Power Metal releases: clean, defined and with instrumental tunes that allows the understanding of the melodies. And the female vocals of the special guest Ambre Vourvahis are providential when they appear.

The sextet delivers a very good musical work on the album’s 12 songs. It’s hard to point to a set of songs as the best ones, because from the instrumental song “From the New World (1584)” to “The Untold Story (Albion Online)”, all of them are excellent, as heard on “Dreamchasers” (excellent keyboards parts, bass guitar and drums playing and the amazing touch given by the female vocals), “Silver & Blood” (a weighty song with fine contrasts and excellent guitars), “Dragon of the Sea (Sic Parvis Magna)”, “Ill Met by Moonlight” (fine epic parts improved by very good keyboards), “Perfect Storm” (what great epic appeal), “Hic Svnt Dracones (Here Be Dragons)” (a long song filled with all the elements that are usual for the band, and what lovely catchy melodies), “The World Serpent” (a heavier moment, based on aggressive guitars), “The Einherjar (What Dreams May Come)”, “Twilight of the Gods” (excellent melodies once more), and “Beyond the Rainbow Bridge”.

Can one say that “Hic Svnt Dracones” is a perfect release? No, and sometimes it seems that their best is still to come, but one can say that DRAGONY’s music is excellent and deserves applause.