Power metal feels in so many ways like a dead genre. Which is not to say that the genre bears no more fruit or lacks in popularity, but simply that the genre feels like it’s at the end of its evolutionary cycle. All the riffs have been shredded, all the vocals have been operatic and grand, all the songs about fantasy and striving for some great and noble purpose have been written and celebrated around whatever grand campfire.
It follows then, that to make a true mark on the power metal genre in any form, the premise must be both totally unique and flawlessly well executed. Powerwolf is the standard-bearer for this kind of revolution, but they’re hardly alone.
Exhibit A, Ryujin and their eponymous album, which intends to inject some life into the ‘samurai metal’ splinter genre that the band had previously championed under the name GYZE. Part of this is the infusion of melodic death metal tenets woven into the fabric of the music. Combining this with the inclusion of indigenous instruments and unique guitar tones accomplishes the goal of being totally unique against a staid landscape. But is the execution on par?
Sometimes the answer is yes! Four cuts in, the album shines brightly with “Raijin & Fujin,” as brisk and speedy and vital a power metal banger as has been written in years. It boasts a six minute run-time, but never feels dry or dead-ended, moving between cinematic set pieces and fiery solos with easy aplomb.
The album isn’t just a technical demonstration, though – it varies the songwriting to such a degree that the listener is taken immediately from a song that would sound at home in the heart of DragonForce’s storied catalogue (but with way more shamisen,) to a melodramatic and ultra-corny but completely compelling power ballad in “The Rainbow Song.” Every stereotype of cloud-parting-sunshine-metal-ballad that’s ever existed is wrapped up in this cut, and despite the obvious saccharine ridiculousness, the song is an instant singalong classic and brings an easy smile to all around.
Skipping down to the title track (and continuing the great metal tradition of synergy between band, album and song name – the song “Iron Maiden” on the album “Iron Maiden” by the band Iron Maiden…see also Black Sabbath,) and we see again an accomplished side of Ryujin, this one mixing in a completely clean guitar tone with some pentatonic-scale backgrounds and a real flavor for what we’ve come to think of Eastern-sounding music. It is in these longer songs where Ryujin excels most, as they explore the space with confidence and yet still manage to keep the songs on the rails.
The issue though, is that there’s not enough of these songs to propel the album into greatness. We’ve pretty much discussed the best moments the album has to offer, and what remains isn’t bad by any means, but never becomes something more than the baseline of a hundred different flavors of power metal (even if “Saigo No Hosi” seems like it might be a karaoke favorite.)
Ryujin’s new record could have been truly great if they’d pushed the envelope with Eastern influences on each cut, rather than selecting just a few to parse them in. There’s great talent here, but too many cuts (“Dragon, Fly Free,” “Scream of the Dragon,” “Gekirin” to name a few,) never blossom into something we all haven’t heard before. It’s a shame, because it causes the album to fade into the pastiche of the genre(s) around it, thus taking attention away from the select moments that truly soar.
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