Volturian – Red Dragon
Release Date: 20th May 2022
Label: Scarlet Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Melodic Metal, Dark Pop, Gothic Metal.
FFO: Metallica, The Birthday Massacre, Omnimar, Depeche Mode.
Review By: Mark Waight
Red Dragon is the much anticipated second album from modern metal band Volturian. Red Dragon is a cutting-edge masterpiece highlighting all that is currently happening on the scene with artists pushing the boundaries and experimenting with different music styles under the Metal banner. The genre truly is in a period of change which can only be good for the future of Metal, with fantastic bands like Volturian setting the standard.
Volturian are Frederica Lanna (vocals), Frederico Mondelli (guitar and keyboards), Massimiliano Rossi (bass) and Andrea Zannin (drums). With all songs written by Frederico Mondelli and sung beautifully by Frederica Lanna the “Two Freds” make an awesome pairing.
Red Dragon consists of eight full length tracks plus shorter intro and outro instrumental tracks. Rebirth is the electronic intro track that prepares you for the musical journey you are about to take. Stay is a super cool track with some beautiful vocal work from Frederica, a nice guitar solo from Frederico and finishes with some great drum work by Andrea. Harley is heavy on the bass from Massimiliano and contains some great haunting vocals from Frederica. Empty world brings everything together with some lovely harmonies and some excellent keyboard work. Torn Asunder has a real dark pop feel about it and could even feature as a cool dance or summer poolside tune.
Burn It Up has a modern gothic metal feel to it with its melancholy vocals and wailing guitar sound. Distant caress is a much slower track and really highlights Frederica’s vocal skills, it is sung with such emotion and vulnerability you will not fail to be impressed. Bury Me is my favourite track on the album and is a perfect demonstration of modern metal at its very best. Freeze is a much more traditional metal song with a much heavier feel to it and more emphasis on guitars, bass and drums. Descent is the electronic outro track that brings down the curtain on a great new album.
Red Dragon by Volturian is a fantastic album that is maybe not for the purists but to me really demonstrates that a healthy creativity culture is currently at work in Metal and the future looks very bright.
(4.5 / 5)
