Review: Dynazty – Final Advent

AFM Records (August 26th, 2022)

Reviewer: Jason Hopper

There are few bands that can reinvent themselves with the success that Dynazty was able to achieve. Evolving from the hard rock genre into the realm of power metal, the band continues the trajectory set forth by 2014’s ‘Renatus‘ with new album ‘Final Advent‘. For fans of the last four albums, I am happy to report the band has another winner on their hands.

The band have mastered their formula as is shown on this release. 2020’s ‘The Dark Delight‘ was my favorite album by the band. While this album does not top it, but it is not for lack of trying. This is an incredibly strong release sure to please long-time followers and hopefully new recruits. This band need to be mentioned with the same high regard as bands like Hammerfall or Primal Fear, at least here in the States.

Let’s talk about some songs that make this album unique from the others. I like when the band shakes things up and does something different from what came before, and here we have three examples of that. The opening riff to ‘Instinct’ is quite a shock. With guitar tones that feel like they belong on a Rob Zombie album, the chugging guitars make way for verses that are devoid of guitar, letting the bass and keyboards carry the melody line. The chorus kicks in with an explosion of melody and power that will send chills up your spine. The song structure here is just perfect and I love the mix of grungy guitars taking a temporary backseat only to come roaring back at just the right time.

Fourth single ‘Yours’ is one of the more “lighter” tracks the band has recorded since their reinvention. It’s power balladesque vibe slows the album down at just the right time, after three hard hitting tracks. Singer Nils Molin continues to show his impressive vocal chops with a song about dedication that’s dripping with emotion and power. It’s amazing to think he sings in two popular touring bands (the other being Amaranthe) and his voice shows no signs of wear or hindrance.

Finally, there’s ‘Achilles Heel’. A rich, atmospheric rock groove with a foreboding bass/keys presence and underlying Gregorian chants. A song about physical or metaphorical loss, the music matches the message perfectly. A special mention to the lyrical content developed by Mr. Molin. He comes up with story complexities that are more than just about the typical power metal tropes of power, victory, and crushing your enemies.

While I think this album is on par with their last few releases, with this being their fifth album since their reinvention, the sound they built for themselves needs a little more variety. The three songs I listed above are my favorites on the album because they offer something a little different than what came before. There are other great hard-hitting tracks on this album, but if you mixed these five albums together and put them on a playlist, I would have difficulty differentiating which song is part of what album. I found more variety with ‘The Dark Delight‘ which is why it ranks higher than ‘Final Advert‘.

Side note – The promotion for this album has been bizarre. First single ‘Advent’ was released nine months ago followed about a month later by ‘Power of Will’. Both songs were released last year and now the album is finally getting released at the end of Summer 2022. Any early momentum from those singles must have been lost in the range between singles and album release.

If you are into melodic power metal and this album is your introduction to them, then congratulations on picking a fantastic release. For everyone else, if you like what has come before, then you will certainly get exactly what you would expect from the band. For some, that’s good enough. For me, I do love the album, but was hoping for one or two more songs off the power metal pathway.