Dynazty

A Swedish melodic hard rock and metal outfit with a knack for pairing classic NWOBHM sonic architecture with European-style power and progressive metal bombast, Stockholm's Dynazty emerged in 2007 and quickly became notable players in the crowded Scandinavian heavy music scene. Established by guitarists Love Magnusson and John Berg, the group eventually expanded into a five-piece with the additions of drummer Georg Härnsten Egg, bassist Joel Fox Apelgren, and powerhouse vocalist Nils Molin. 2009's Bring the Thunder served as the band's introduction, but it was 2011's Knock You Down and 2012's Sultans of Sin that caught the heavy metal community's attention, with the latter LP arriving in the midst of the group's almost-successful run on that year's Melodifestivalen, Sweden's annual Eurovision qualifying music competition. The group inked a deal with Spinefarm Records for their fourth studio effort, 2013's Renatus, which saw Dynazty leaning harder into the power side of the metal spectrum and featured a re-tooled lineup (Berg was replaced by new six-stringer Mikael Lavér and Jonathan Olsson took over bass duties from Apelgren). Three years later the band returned with the aptly named Titanic Mass, which added symphonic elements to the mix. The band relocated to AFM Records for album number six, 2018's hard-charging Firesign. ~ James Christopher Monger