In the here today, gone tomorrow mentality of the current music industry landscape, it’s very smart for international outfit All For Metal to issue a second full-length in Gods of Metal (Year of the Dragon) a mere thirteen months after their Legends debut. Already impressing this scribe with a mix of power metal, folk, and traditional influences, the group chooses to explore Japanese myths and tales with the dragon becoming the central character in these twelve tracks, setting themselves a bit more into an anthem template that should raise resounding splendor for all the faithful followers.
Far Eastern cultural themes and wind/stringed instrumentation adds more charm to the mid-tempo “Year of the Dragon”, as other songs push the straightforward power riff hooks and alluring vocal melodic charms that exist between the more muscular voice of Tetzel next to the soaring, multi-octave abilities from Antonio during “The Way of the Samurai” and “When Monsters Roar”. Just as important as the heavier and stirring material is the reflective ballad that tugs at the heartstrings – a song like “Path of the Brave” contains all the proverbial orchestration, cinematic sweeps, emotive lead break positioning and proper transitions that take you on the journey while you ‘keep our faith, destiny will find its way’ in the key verse/chorus moments. Supplemental narrative spots allow the subsequent musical festivities extra punch on impact – most will feel the stunted power gallops that make “Like Thor and Loki” another instant favorite, while “Welcome” has a lot of that Accept meets Judas Priest steel riffage that mighty metalheads treasure, drummer Leif hitting some speedy BPM’s through his persistent fill/double kick engagement. Even adding in the intro/outro, the record doesn’t possess any unnecessary excess, clocking in at a very reasonable 40 minutes playback.
A direct decision to go for a more powerful metal anthem template takes All For Metal into the lands of Sabaton or Powerwolf yet not forgetting about the classic, traditional metal that helped elevate Accept, Hammerfall, and Judas Priest to the hearts of millions. Gods of Metal (Year of the Dragon) concentrates on bigger, more uplifting choruses, larger earworms for musically memorable songs, and those finer details that should keep more listeners climbing aboard to the band’s train that continues to climb along the tracks.