Now don't get me wrong: I've got nothing against Christianity as a formal, organized religion (although some Christians, yes, I've got a problem with). However, Dragonslayer appears to be a Trojan Horse for militaristic, fundamentalist propaganda of the ickiest stripe. Nothing on the liner notes provided by Century Media give any indication of the ideology packaged within, and certainly one would not wish to overtly promote the "message" from within a mainstream marketing niche. If anything, the name of the band and the inclusion of ex-King Diamond/Mercyful Fate drummer Snowy Shaw would appear to indicate nothing more radical than the usual Scandinavian power metal stuff; bands like Mob Rules, Rhapsody and the inevitable Hammerfall come rushing to mind.
But peel away a few layers of this onion and you've got an appeal to the worst instincts: song after song depicts some kind of thinly veiled allegory of Good vs. Evil, where blood-stained martyrs willingly sacrifice themselves to the cause (9/11, anyone?). The truth outs itself in the song "H.M.J.," which is sort of Black Sabbath's "N.I.B." from a white light perspective: The initials stand for -- I kid you not -- "Heavy Metal Jesus." These Gothenberg metallers have talent to spare, and wincing through the lyrical content is a musical quality that nearly transcends the breast-beating, crypto-fascist machismo. However, unless you're into white metal and that Narnia stuff, you might want to pass on this disc. Truth in advertising, please.
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
