Various - The Attack of The Dragons

Year of Release: 2000
Label: Adrenaline
Catalog Number: ADR 0015
Format: CD
Total Time: 50:00:00

One of the original ideas of Italian label Adrenaline is to issue tribute CDs as double albums for the price of one in order to introduce new bands to an unsuspecting public. On one side that public gets a cover version of a well-known song and on the other disc they get an original song by that same outfit. The label already did this with tribute albums for Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Metallica, U2, and now there's this one for Queen!

Although based in a pool of progressive, gothic, new age metal, Florida based Seasons Of The Wolf stick close to the original of "We Will Rock You." The same can be said for Evil Wings who tackle "Killer Queen" as close as they can, even becoming a close Brian May double during the guitar solo. Almost sounding like a male Bonnie Tyler, the singer of Spanish outfit Avalanch has difficulty in singing "Save Me" without an accent. As an owner of his own NightSong Recording Studios, Jesse Jones has taken the opportunity to illustrate the possibilities of his studio by means of his version of "Now I'm Here."

When you have great keyboards in your band why not look for a Queen song which heavilly features keys as well? That's what Aztec Jade must have thought, so they settled for "The Show Must Go On" in the end. Knowing what the band is capable of by means of their album Paradise Lost this version certainly will be a highlight during their live set. Whilst most of the bands on this tribute album are rock bands I was rather surprised by the soulful, poppy approach on "You're My Best Friend" by Marci Geller, even introducing brass and getting close to Fairground Attraction. Whilst we all know what a funky bass riff "Another One Bites The Dust" holds, it's no surprise to get a version from a Living Colour clone here. Hotrod Otis is just that, adding funky vocals to the original.

Vighilia attacks "Innuendo" from a darker angle than the original. The great female vocals sometimes get close to that of Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders) whilst in the middle section of the song the band creates a laidback atmosphere followed by almost pure flamenco. Vighilia is certainly a band to look out for! Putting all of the emphasis on the groove of "Dragon Attack," Graffiti Circus builds its own improvisation around bass and drums in order to create a stunning danceable version. Let's hope the name of this next band will not happen for a long time, as The Last Band On Earth delivers the goods like a new Lynyrd Skynyrd. You can expect a countryrock version of "Fat Bottomed Girls" (now where is Charlie Daniels when you need him?). It becomes clear that the singer of Spread Mind doesn't feel at all at ease with "One Vision" and probably enjoys his own compositions better. From the guitar and keyboard parts one does hear there is some talent hiding in the shadows. The album closes with the all-time Queen favourite "Bohemian Rhapsody" brought to you by German a capella band Maybebop. Imagine the Flying Pickets or Wallstreet Crash handling the absolute Queen highlight and you're almost there. Because of the length of this song being 6 minutes I thought I'd be bored to bits once I got to the end, but how wrong I was, as I pressed the "repeat" button instead! There's even a voice doing the Brian May solo!

The Attack Of The Dragons is a nice initiative and a splendid way to get to know a great selection of upcoming talent by means of both cover versions and original compositions. Two CDs for the price of one : what can be wrong with that?

[As it happens, the promo version contains only the first disk of the set, and thus we haven't reviewed disk two -ed.]

Tracklisting:
We Will Rock You (Seasons Of The Wolf) (2:52) / Killer Queen (Evil Wings) (3:14) / Save Me (Avalanch) (4:20) / Now I'm Here (Jesse Jones Project) (3:51) / The Show Must Go On (Aztec Jade) (3:54) / You're My Best Friend (Marci Geller) (3:00) / Another One Bites The Dust (Hotrod Otis) (3:06) / Innuendo (Vighilia) (6:27) / Dragon Attack (Graffiti Circus) (4:09) / Fat Bottomed Girls (The Last Band On Earth) (4:19) / One Vision (Spread Mind) (4:49) / Bohemian Rhapsody (Maybebop) (5:59)

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Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin VA

Added: September 17th 2000
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.adrenaline.it
Hits: 2278
Language: english