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Drakkar: Cold Winter's Night EP

Power Metal

3.5/5.0

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Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 11.04.2018

With a few bumps along the way Italy's Drakkar has been consistently putting out music since 1996. The power metal band from Milan returns with their seventh release Cold Winter's Night, an EP with four songs. Available in digital and CD formats, the EP includes three new studio songs and a live version of Invincible from 2015's Run With The Wolf recorded at the 2017 Born To Fly Festival. If you get the LP version, you get their cover of Dio's Rainbow In The Dark as a bonus. The EP also introduces three new band members, guitarist Marco Rusconi, bass player Simone Pesenti Gritti, and drummer Daniele Ferru.

Drakkar

Of the new tracks, the opening title cut moves at the pacing of traditional heavy metal, with nice nuances of synths and plenty of crisp guitar work. Black Sails and Leviathan Rising are basically galloping power metal tunes. The former has sharp twin guitar riffage and bombastic drums, with a later slick guitar solo. The latter rips along with some speed until after the midpoint where the pace moderates. Guitar and synth solos follow this, then the pace hastens at the end. The live version of Invincible sounds not so much live but like it should sound, especially when it captures the mellow breakdown three minutes in. You do hear some crowd applause at the end. For me the wild card for these songs, and Drakkar as a band, has always been Dave Dell'Orto's vocals: he's a bit too rough and raw for my taste. Nevertheless, for typical European power metal, Drakkar delivers the goods with their Cold Winter's Night EP. Although short, if you like the band, you'll want to get the EP.

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For typical European power metal, Drakkar delivers the goods with their Cold Winter's Night EP. Although short with four songs, if you like the band, you'll want to get the EP.

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