Eric Petersen has been a busy man. In addition to his main band, Testament, he’s produced this well-rounded black-metal project. Dragonlord is Eric Petersen on vocals and guitar, Jon Allen (Sadus) on drums, Steve DiGiorgio (Death) on bass, Steve Smyth (guitarist from Testament) and local boy Lyle Livingston (Psypheria). Direction? Judging by the epic intro of “Vals de la Muerte” and the bombastic delivery of “Unholyvoid,” these boys have been influenced by the black-metal hordes. Fans of Dark Funeral, Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and Hecate Enthroned should embrace Dragonlord’s CD like Nosferatu cherished those flasks of blood. Dragonlord creates epic songs with drastic bridges, augmented by Petersen’s production efforts and Daniel Bergstrand’s mixing skills. If this album doesn’t incite random acts of sadism, it’ll surely awaken the nocturnal and feral instincts buried deep within.
(SN&R)