Review DYNAZTY “Game of Faces”

After releasing “Final Advent” in 2022, Swedish melodic metallers Dynazty have finished work on their next longplayer. “Game of Faces” is the title of their ninth album and the first to be released on Nuclear Blast.

“Game of Faces” features eleven new songs, all of which are equipped with very solid melodies and well-forged hooks. Slowly but surely, the masters of catchy melodies have grown and evolved their sound with each release. Produced by the band and mixed by none other than Jens Bogren, the new album builds on a powerful sound that already benefits from the opener “Call of the Night”. Well done vocal melodies and a good portion of heaviness is what the fans expect and what they get with this album.

The title track is next and sounds a bit more modern with its pounding beat. One of the lead singles is “Devilry of Ecstasy”, a blueprint for melodic metal from Scandinavia. Swedish bands in particular have a great sense of melody, and with Dynazty adding enough guitar power, the songs hit the sweet spot.

Dynazty aren’t reinventing the genre, but their latest effort has enough good stuff to please fans of bands like Powerwolf and Battle Beast. While those bands also count on some visual effects, Dynazty rely more on the simple leather outfit and put the emphasis on their music.

One of the most important assets is the vocals of Nils Molin. He has quite a wide range and can also handle high notes. The rather dramatic “Dark Angel” is a song where his vocals come to the fore. Also worth mentioning is the throbbing “Sole Survivor”, another song with melodies that you can’t resist and will have you tapping your toes.

With “Dream of Spring”, as we all do during the gray and dark winter season, the five-piece from Stockholm has recorded an anthemic mid-tempo song that adds a slightly different shade to this sound collage.

Dynazty’s latest longplayer is a masterfully crafted melodic metal album. It’s a logical continuation for the band as they continue to refine their sound.