After the very good “On Dragons Wings” EP in 1988, DRAGONNE from Los Angeles started recording the second album, which was never completed, under the working title “On My Back“. The album is now released for the first time and it is a good chance to see how the band evolved after its debut EP.
It is evident that the sound has changed toward a heavier and less melodic direction, compared to the EP. There are songs that move close to the glam/sleaze kind of metal style of that era, a couple of songs (such as “Dance of Death”) that bring in mind METALLICA and some other tracks (“Ride the Lightning” for example which is pretty good) that sound like a mixture of the two styles – or a soft version of METALLICA if you’d like. It seems that the band did not know what style to follow and perhaps that was the reason for the split-up.
On the other hand, there are some tracks such as “Soldier Boy” or “Affair of the Heart” where the band remembers its melodic side and the days of the EP, and these songs show the real potential and quality of the band. Very nice songs, full of easy-listening melodies with catchy choruses, and it’s truly a shame that the band did not record more songs in that style.
Overall, the unreleased album of DRAGONNE has some really good songs, but it is mostly addressed to the glam/sleaze metal audience, and not the fans of classic US power/heavy metal like the EP of the band did. Nevertheless, DRAGONNE is a band that is definitely worth being discovered, especially by those interested in the underground US metal scene of the 80s.
