Drama of the Ages

When a genre of music is continuing to change and evolve, there will likely be some artists who stubbornly refuse to change with the times, artists who prefer an older style and faithfully re-create it. You've seen this in jazz with all the Wynton Marsalis-inspired Young Lions who rehash the hard bop and post-bop sounds of the '50s and '60s; you've seen it with all the punk revival bands that were formed in the '90s and 2000s but rejected emo in favor of late-'70s and early-'80s punk. And you've seen it with the numerous power metal revival bands that came along in a post-Nevermind world but are a stylistic throwback to the glory days of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Savatage, and Queensrÿche. The power metal revival movement of the '90s and 2000s has been a largely European phenomenon, but there are also some noteworthy power metal revival acts in the United States, and one of them is Jacob's Dream, whose 2005 Drama of the Ages with a very '70s and '80s outlook. This 70-minute CD is totally oblivious to post-'80s, post-Nevermind developments in metal; there isn't a trace of Slipknot, Godsmack, Limp Bizkit, Powerman 5000, or Nothingface to be found. Instead, hard-driving yet melodic offerings such as "Forever Winter" and "Keeper of the Crown" turn to old-school headbangers like Priest, Queensrÿche, Maiden, and Ronnie James Dio for inspiration, and like the power metallers who have inspired them, Jacob's Dream realizes that being aggressive and being highly musical and intricate are not mutually exclusive. Drama of the Ages doesn't pretend to be the least bit groundbreaking, but it's a likable and solid (if highly derivative) example of what the U.S. has to offer in the power metal revival department.