Making a walk to my day job a little more bearable in this scorching heat wave HOT FOG’s debut album “Secret Phantasies Of The Dragon Sun” definitely shows potential.
The opening sound effects in “Dawn Of The Falconer”, which consisted of thunder clapping, screamed all sorts of clichés so I was concerned whether the band would have a certain spark that make them stand out from the rest of the metal community. As the album progressed I found myself growing to like their sound; I would liken it to BLACK SABBATH meeting DRAGONFORCE especially where the vocals are concerned.
One of the particular highlights was the guitar work; so many original riffs and solos that fitted in with the songs perfectly. I found myself head banging along to these as I strolled to work through the burning heat wave; particularly during the track “Priest Of The Hill People”. I admired the acoustic work in the track “Secret Fantasies Of The Dragon Sun” as it gave you a short break from all the aggressive distortion.
The only criticism I would have about this record is that every track seems to sound like the end of a live track, with the fast paced guitars and thunderous drums, that personally didn’t seem to work for me. I seemed as if it was going from one track to another quite abruptly.
So overall a listenable album that certainly has potential.
Tracklist:
1. Dawn Of The Falconer 2. Epoch Of The Tyrant 3. Secret Phantasies Of The Dragon Sun 4. Tonight! (In The Night!) 5. Priest Of The Hillpeople 6. Agamemon’s Gambit 7. By Sanity Denied 8. Sword Mountain
Lineup:
Donny Newenhouse – Drums Mike Drake – Lead Guitar Tim Michell – Vocals, Guitars Lars Savage – Bass