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Draconian Age

    
       
       
       
     
             
Numenor are a power metal band from Serbia forming in 2009 releasing three E.P.'s - 'Opus Draconis' (2011), 'The Forgotten Legends' (2011), and 'Servants Of Sorcery' (2013) - with their first full length album 'Colossal Darkness', emerging in 2013. The bands sophomore album 'Sword And Sorcery' was released two years later in 2015, with 'Chronicles', a 2017 release. The bands unique sound of heavy/power metal combined with black metal is an intriguing and interesting blend, and one that sets the band apart from many, if not all, their contemporaries. The bands fourth album 'Draconian Age' was released in 2021.    
             
Featuring a heavier sound than their previous release 'Chronicles', 'Draconian Age' is a rabid romp of black metal driven heavy/power metal, with the vocals switching from growling black metal to raspy power metal. You just really don't know what's coming next with this band - and that's exactly what makes 'Draconian Age' such an intense listen. The album scorches by in just thirty three minutes, with all ten songs on offer clocking in at under four minutes each! Opening song 'Make The Stand' features Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kursch, in a singing duel with Numenor's Despot Marko Miranovic. The pace of 'Make The Stand' is lightning fast, the contrast between the two vocalists incredible, and the head bang ability astounding. If there was ever a song to announce the arrival of your new album, 'Make The Stand' is it. An immediate sit up and take notice moment, the album moves swiftly on with the galloping power metal pomp 'Numenor'. A self titled anthem, 'Numenor' is heavy/power metal with power metal vocals. Yes, the vocals vary throughout the album, but that is the niche of the band.    
             
In 1875, composer Edvard Grieg wrote an orchestral piece of music for the 1867 play 'Peer Gynt' by Henrik Ibsen. And by now I bet you're all thinking "what!". But when I tell you that piece of music is titled 'In The Hall Of The Mountain King', you'll all be going "ohhh!". 'In The Hall Of The Mountain King' has been used by many artists, bands, and film makers over the years, most notably Helloween, Blacksmith Legacy, Savatage for their 1987 album 'Hall Of The Mountain King', and perhaps most famously, by Alton Towers theme park. Numenor's interpretation 'Hall Of The Mountain King' has a keyboard intro and outro, with the song following the pace of the original piece - but with a menacing black metal growled vocal style. And suddenly blazing pace lights up the album in the mighty shape of the ferocious 'Feanor' - the power metal gallop in full swing. Vocals switch effortlessly between the two styles, with 'Feanor' sending mosh pits into overdrive. And for the first time, the blistering pace relents just a little, dropping the album directly into black metal territory with 'Mirror, Mirror'. Like the difference between chalk and cheese, 'Mirror, Mirror' is the heaviest, and most melodic song on offer - two terms not normally used together. A brilliant piece of musicianship from Numenor, surprising the listener at every turn of the album.    
             
'Arkenstone' launches a furious tirade of power metal pomp, with just a sprinkling of the black metal vibe. The pace is head bang-able, the hooks infectious, and the chorus break so addictive. I cannot stress enough the heaviness that's emanating from every song on offer. It's just savage. Growling vocals abound with the vicious 'Where Battle Rages On', blending the bands two styles of metal perfectly. Fans of power, black, traditional, and even death metal will all be attracted to this album, and may even be inclined to begin listening to a different genre. Oh man, the pace is incredible - 'Twilight Of The Gods' turning up the heat and scorching past at an electrifying speed. And amazingly, the chorus is so sing a long able it's almost unreal. Numenor are definitely pulling out all the stops with their fourth full length offering...    
             
...it may only be a half an hour long, but by crikey are Numenor delivering. The most black metal driven song on the album 'The Days Of Final Frost' is a savage onslaught of epic proportions. Ears are gonna bleed, bones are gonna fracture, and faces are gonna melt under the extreme battering 'The Days Of Final Frost' is dishing out. Law enforcement agencies all over the world are likely to charge the band with GBH! And without warning the final song is here. But what a fantastic journey it's been to get here - raging thunder, blistering pace, and a savage barrage of astounding heavy metal. The final hurrah 'The Last Of The Wizards' is a change to everything that has gone before, with keyboards playing a much more prominent role. Vocals are still varied, the upbeat and energetic rhythms push 'The Last Of The Wizards' along at a mid to high tempo'd pace. What a great ending to a great album.    
             
Overall, a fast paced and savage battering of black metal driven heavy/power metal.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
Chronicles      
           
"a powerful and rampant blast of energy, featuring two differing vocal styles, 'Chronicles' is a hard hitting and heavy, power metal album" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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