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ßÛ°    °Û²
   °  ÛÛ    ÛÛ     Artist: Helcaraxë                              ÛÛ    ÛÛ
   ²   Û°° þÛ       Album: Red Dragon                              Ûþ °°Û
   þ    Û²ß Û        Year: 2012                                    Û ß²Û   °
         Û  ²   Rel. Date: 2015-02-06                              ²  Û
        ±   ±       Genre: Death Metal                             ±   ±
         ÛÜ °       Label: Regimental Records                      ° ÜÛ
      °   ÛÜ  °    Source: CD                                    °  ÜÛ
      °      Û²      Type: Album                                 ²Û        °
      ²       Û   Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo            Û   °     ²
      ²       Û                                                  Û   °     ²
      Ü       þ                                                  þ   ²     þ
            °Û                                                    Û° ß
            Û  Red Dragon is clearly inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's  Û
            Û  The Hobbit, but the story is told with a great      Û
            Û  deal of subtlety -- you won't hear the word         Û
            Û  "hobbit" here, or even "dwarf". Instead, the        Û
            Û  lyrics distill the tale down to its essence,        Û
            Û  concentrating on the perilous journey, the battle   Û
            Û  with the dragon, and the ensuing tragedy of greed.  Û
            Û  The whole album is arranged as an unbroken piece    Û
            Û  of music, with each track flowing seamlessly into   Û
            Û  the next; if you're anything like me, this may      Û
            Û  have you playing it two or three times through      Û
            Û  without a break. Fortunately, Red Dragon delivers!  Û
            Û  The band's blend of heavy metal melodicism and      Û
            Û  death metal rhythm is perfect: the epic lead work   Û
            Û  is the first thing most will notice, but Helcaraxë  Û
            Û  backs it up with plenty of crunch. The songs here   Û
            Û  are a bit longer than on the last few albums,       Û
            Û  which gives the band space to pack in even more     Û
            Û  variety, but nothing's the least bit dragged-out,   Û
            Û  and the full running length is a comfortable 45     Û
            Û  minutes. Likewise, this album puts more emphasis    Û
            Û  on melody than their earlier work, but not so much  Û
            Û  that it suffers as a death metal album. There are   Û
            Û  plenty of crushingly heavy parts on offer,          Û
            Û  including a few which rival the tracks on           Û
            Û  Ruination of the Heavenly Communion. The            Û
            Û  production is fitting, too: clear yet substantial,  Û
            Û  allowing each instrument to make its mark.          Û
            Û  "The Thief" opens things up with a quiet,           Û
            Û  introspective two-part melody above a wandering     Û
            Û  bassline. The introduction of heavy guitar and      Û
            Û  harsh vocals shatters the mood, continuing into     Û
            Û  the galloping aggression of "Circle of Firelight".  Û
            Û  "Orcrist" speeds things up again with a flurry of   Û
            Û  headbanging sections and some guitar/bass work      Û
            Û  which brings early Amorphis to mind, before "AÛ
            Û  Fortune in Riddles" breaks things up with a short   Û
            Û  instrumental interlude. "Into the Fire and Sky" is  Û
            Û  a perfect example of the band's craft, alternating  Û
            Û  between crushing moments and soaring, catchy        Û
            Û  solos. Both build together into a crescendo worthy  Û
            Û  of old Amon Amarth, until "Skin Changer"'s          Û
            Û  vicious, shout-along vocals and jangling guitar     Û
            Û  lines bring things back to earth. "The Old Forest   Û
            Û  Road" combines twisted, start-and-stop riffing      Û
            Û  with snarled vocals to create a dark, oppressive    Û
            Û  atmosphere, allthe more impressive given how       Û
            Û  relentlessly epic its surroundings are. The         Û
            Û  thrashing section in the middle is killer! The      Û
            Û  varied mood of "Dungeons" goes from somber to       Û
            Û  pained to triumphant in the span of just five       Û
            Û  minutes, ending in one of the best leads on the     Û
            Û  album. "Red Dragon" is simply monolithic -- the     Û
            Û  riffing, drum fills, and solos here are beyond      Û
            Û  great, skilled yet heavy as hell, and the vocals    Û
            Û  are the best on the record. Then the mood changes,  Û
            Û  and you realize that the dragon has only begun to   Û
            Û  wake...! Afterward, "The Arkenstone" delivers one   Û
            Û  last dose of reality, slowing things down in an     Û
            Û  epic prelude to the record's closing lament. Along  Û
            Û  the way are a thousand twists and turns, but take   Û
            Û  heed of Beorn's warning: it's death to leave the    Û
            Û  path!                                               Û
            Û  Red Dragon might be Helcaraxë's masterwork: it's    Û
            Û  more unified yet more varied than anything they've  Û
            Û  recorded to date, and the result is endlessly       Û
            Û  listenable. I can't help but miss the slightly      Û
            Û  heavier atmosphere of the last album, but this one  Û
            Û  won me over immediately -- Red Dragon should        Û
            Û  please old-school death metal heads as well as      Û
            Û  those looking for a more melodic touch, and fans    Û
            Û  of viking metal ought to sit up and take notice.    Û
            Û  Highest recommendations.                            Û
            Û                                                      Û
            Û  Standout tracks: "Into the Fire and Sky", "Skin     Û
            Û  Changer", "Red Dragon"                              Û
            ²                                                      ²
            ±                                                      ±
            °  1.  The Thief2:37  °
            °  2.  Circle of Firelight                       3:28  °
            °  3.  Orcrist                                   3:32  °
            °  4.  A Fortune in Riddles                      1:37  °
            °  5.  Into the Fire and the Sky                 4:46  °
            °  6.  Skin Changer                              3:08  °
            °  7.  The Old Forest Road                       3:50  °
            °  8.  Dungeons                                  6:08  °
            °  9.  Red Dragon                                8:35  °
            °  10. The Arkenstone                            4:53  °
            °  11. Oakenshield Lament                        1:38  °
            °44:12  °
         °  ±