Line Up :
Jani Kataja – Vocals
David Blomqvist – Guitars
Tobias Christiansson – Bass
Fred Estby – Drums
I have been having an affair with Scandinavian rock for a number of years now, so I was quick to stick my hand up to review the debut self-titled album by Swedish band ‘The Dagger.’ There is a hell of a lot of bands at the moment that are mining that ‘classic’ metal sound from the seventies and early eighties, ‘The Dagger’ prove that it’s not a bad thing.
While this is the band’s first release, they actually formed in 2009 which gave the lads of ‘The Dagger’ plenty of time to write the ten songs that make up their debut album. This album eschews the trend of digging too deeply into Doom influences and instead goes for that good-old-fashioned-horns-up-metal.
On this release you’ll hear shades of ‘Angel Witch, Diamond Head, Praying Mantis and Iron Maiden.’ It’s classic metal delivered by seasoned musos, who have previously played with Dismember, Grave and Necronaut – don’t expect slabs of old school Death Metal on this. ‘The Dagger’ reminds me of the bastard child of two of Sweden’s other great active bands in Spiritual Beggars and Diamond Dogs. The tunes have the heavy riffs of the Beggars but the melody and vocal delivery of the Dogs.
The Dagger channel Crusader era Saxon on ‘Call of 9’ and ‘Ballad of an Old Man’ positively reeks of Rainbow. ‘Skygazer’ chugs along, driven by a liberal dose of Deep Purple. ‘Electric Dawn’ could be off Sad Wings of Destiny. By now you can see where this album is going; even so, you’ll love every minute of it, there isn’t a crap song on here.
If you like to strap on studded wrist bands, pull on denim and shrug on a battle jacket then give The Dagger a go. They’re not doing anything new but the album is chock full of New Wave of British Heavy Metal inspired goodness, and that is not a bad thing.
Tracklist :
- Ahead of you All
- Call of 9
- Ballad of an Old Man
- Skygazer
- Electric Dawn
- 1978
- Dogs of Warning
- Nocturnal Triumph
- Inside the Monolithic Dome
- Dark Cloud