Missing the Mark

Classic rock is a genre of music that no longer needs time to make it authentic. Bands now can make any recording sound like it was recorded in the seventies to create that “vintage vibe.” This authenticity is what Swedish quartet The Dagger shot for with their Century Media debut The Dagger. Although The Dagger has been on the scene since 2009, this debut album is all about that ’70s heavy metal sound. Lots of guitar solos, tons of high pitched vocals and even an organ all come together to bring us a sound that is similar to Wolfmother or early Alice Cooper.

The first song on the album, “Ahead of You All,” has the feel of an early Ozzy song. Organs lace the whole track while guitarist David Blomqvist lays down the solos. With stuff like this, being able to reproduce the sound of those early guitar gods is a must and Blomqvist nails it. His tone is straight from that era of guitar player. By the time we reach the second song on the album, “Call of 9,” the listener is treated to what could easily pass as an Iron Maiden tune. The song has the exact same sound and even has some of the vocal delays and harmonies as Maiden’s. Singer Jani Kataja delivers on the vocal front – lots of range and feel that help bring this album to life. He is The Dagger’s biggest weapon.

The third song on the album, “Ballad of an Old Man,” is by far the best song the album. Running just about the five-and-a-half minute mark, it brings back the heavy metal ballad. The whole song is perfectly crafted as an ode to those great classics. The soft start to the full band build to the epic slow solo -it has all of the ingredients.

Despite delivering on a few tunes, overall The Dagger is just okay. It is deficient in the one thing that made classic rock “Classic Rock” – great songs. Without great songs, classic rock is just rock music that’s old. Bands like Thin Lizzy wrote tunes that have been time-tested for decades. The Dagger may make a classic eventually, though, if they keep building on what they have created with their debut.