Review VICTORIUS “World War Dinosaur”

Victorius has been providing melodic power metal since 2004, and with “World War Dinosaur”, the five-piece band from Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, is launching a new album. It’s their eighth studio effort and they continue to do what they do best. Power metal with almost sugary-sweet melodies blast out of the speakers as soon as you press the ‘Play’ button.

The opener, “Kingdom of the Strong”, leaves no doubt that this is a band that knows how to craft a good melody. Dramatic, fast and furious, all of these elements are embedded in the opener, and its addictive catchiness is unbeatable. Whether or not you are a fan of this kind of music, you cannot escape the fascination of a good melody, and “World War Dinosaur” is full of them.

The same goes for the title track, which has a more moderate pace and a chorus that you can sing along to from the first listen.

Victorius mostly pushes the pedal to the metal, but has also included throbbing songs like “March to War” on the album. These tunes provide a welcome distraction from the dominant high-speed metal assaults. “Evil Mean Megalodon” follows the same principle as “March to War”, while the growls are a surprising yet fitting addition to the album’s dramatic setup.

Thematically, “World War Dinosaur” is the next story from outer space. This time, cybernetic dinosaurs are at war with ninja legions from space, and the songs narrate this cinematic outer space adventure. I have to admit that I smiled when I focused on the lyrics, but dragon-and-knight stories are not much different, although they are perhaps more established in metal.

“World War Dinosaur” is as colourful as the artwork of the album indicates, with a vivid and eye-catching design that is sure to stand out. A powerful production with up-tempo songs and melodies so sweet that no dentist would recommend them, these are the defining features of Victorius and of “World War Dinosaur”. Victorius’s eighth album certainly fulfills the expectations of fans, but there are more than one band with the trademark sound mentioned.