Here's a little video made for Dragonsclaw. I hope it helps them get a record deal. The video was picked up by Blabbermouth.net and then a slew of other sites ran with it, so it's getting out there. Their album is really great and they deserve some recognition for their musical chops and fantastic song writing.
Dragonsclaw play the kind of heavy metal I grew up listening to, very reminiscent of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Helloween, Manowar, etc. A lot of modern bands tend to imitate that style but they never get it quite right. It's kind of like modern exploitation films, the originators were trying to make the best films they could under relatively limited budgets and at times, relatively little skill. Regardless of quality, there was a sincerity to them that made them appealing. When guys like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez try to do it, it always seems so contrived, disingenuous and phony mostly because they have access to so many resources. For the originators it was an expression, for the copycats its just a gimmick. Dragonsclaw buck the trend and manage to sound genuine and passionate in a sea of the contrived wannabes.
One of the reasons Dragonsclaw buck the trend is they've managed to retain and aggressive edge in their songs and performances that has all but dissipated from modern power metal in favor of mindless speed (Dragonforce) and/or cringe inducing, saccharine encrusted and ultimately unmemorable melodies (Lord). However the standout feature of Dragonsclaw is their songwriting craftsmanship. Dragonsclaw have a great ear for heavy metal melodies and write catchy choruses that could only come from people who live and breathe this music. They have developed an innate understanding of the genre; an almost instinctual comprehension of what works and why. Sure they don't re-invent the wheel but nothing feels forced or contrived, it feels honest; like a celebration of the genre rather than an imitation. It's because Dragonsclaw pay such careful attention to the craft of heavy metal song writing that their songs hold up against their influences, rather than come across like a cheap knockoff. A good comparison would be how The Hellacopters always came across more like a long lost contemporary of the MC5 rather than a bunch of yokels trying to sound like the MC5. The 'Copters "got it", a band like Jet didn't. Dragonsclaw get it, Lord don't. If you can't hear the difference, then I'd suggest you don't get it either. Just my opinion.
When it comes to air combat heavy metal anthems, Iron Maiden has a pretty captive market with classics like "Aces High" and "Tailgunner". As far as air combat heavy metal videos, no one has done it better than Maiden's "Aces High". I think Dragonsclaw are echoing their love of those songs in "Defenders of the Skies" so I tried to capture some of the vibe of that video too, just with less spandex and way less of a budget.
As the song is about air combat during the Second World War, I dug into the World War 2 footage archives. I found some incredible stuff there; especially the Frank Capra directed propaganda films. They're all public domain now, so free for D.I.Y artists to muck about with. I spliced a bunch of stuff from various sources together to create some dynamic action montages. I tried to tell little pockets of stories with each of them that visually punctuate the song's lyrics and moods. The whole thing is totally historically inaccurate and probably culturally insensitive to some, for those critics, I'd say: "I'm guilty... but lighten up. ". It's an entertaining video for the web and it's a great song for fans of the genre.
/Jeremy Belinfante
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