Review | Dragonsclaw – Moving Target

High Roller Records

Thirteen years is a lifetime in heavy metal, yet the Dragonsclaw return sounding hungry and mean. `Moving Target’ plants both boots in classic heavy/power metal while adding masculine poise and seasoned tricks. The headline is the band’s line-up with vocalist/founder Giles Lavery rallying longtime comrades Ben Thomas (guitar) and Aaron Thomas (bass). Rounding out the chamber are his band buddies of Warlord Mark Zonder (drums) and Jimmy Waldo on keys. That’s not window dressing as you hear these players shaping the songs in a joint venture.

Knowing the band from `Prophecy’ and `Judgement Day’, the first thing you’ll notice is the recalibration of their musical direction. Less of their rumbling speed/power metal, and more old-school heavy metal with a hard rock influences. It’s a shift that trading bite for contour. Locked on their hooks and melodies, they rejuvenated their style while injecting classic accolades. The hooks ride taller, the grooves breathe, the keys paint an atmosphere.

A PERFECT REMEDY FOR OLD SCHOOL ROCKERS

Opener ,,The Road Beneath Your Wheels” is all of the above. It is a gradual build towards what’s to come. The production is clean with guitars siting upfront, firing up the engine and Waldo’s pads and figures smouldering. When ,,Survival” kicks in, the record shows its anthemic, mid-tempo thrust with Zonder’s tasteful fills and accents creating that subtle and dynamic push/pull. The rhythm is key with the colours and texture tastefully added by Zonder. ,,Survival” is a mission statement and a gateway cut, the perfect remedy for old school rockers and metalheadz. The perfect track for a video release.

,,Cry Wolf” tightens the screws with a hypnotic refrain and keyboard undercurrents elevating the chorus without tipping into bombast. The single ,,Don’t Break the Silence Again” follows. It’s an earworm built on propelling guitars, keyed countermelodies, and layered vocal architecture. The group rolled it out with a video earlier, making this their early momentum builder, hook delivery device. Lavery flexes his vocals, and his soaring edge injects the right amount of drama and swagger. Bordering with Ron Keel’s raw register while balancing it with drama, his delivery is passionate and aligns with the pitching guitar solo. It warps you back to the late 80s instantly.

THE MOST MEMORABLE TRACK

,,Back on the Streets” is the first speed shift with muscular riffs, but a couple of phrasing choices that break the classic stance. They return to form on ,,Ghost Soldiers,” with its marching mid-pace and call-and-response guitar/keyboard lines raising the stakes towards one of the album’s most memorable track, ,,Shadowfire”. Dragonsclaw lights their booster engines for a fast, steaming track with a rousing guest vocal by Riot’s Todd Michael. He and Lavery trade lines and stack the chorus with stainless steel. There’s tremendous ardour radiating, and the song blends classic metal hooks with NWOBHM harmonies. Zonder shifts from overdrive, adding wonderful rhythmic chips lifting the riffs and the song’s intense traction.

,,(Tell Me) All Your Lies” with its urgent riff and clamping chorus nest immediately. Ben Thomas’ guitars are double tracked for densified bandwidth whilst leaving a lane for Waldo’s supporting chords. It’s modern-clean without while retaining and old-school grain. It’s well-rounded mix by Thomas Mergler and production by Thomas and Lavery is adding the right defining tone and tweaks, something conveyed by a cohesive output on the album.

Closing the album, Dragonsclaw bring forward the air-punching live tenant ,,Raise Your Fist”, sharpened by a guest solo from neo-classical shred avant-gardist Joe Stump and a vocal cameo from Alan Rueda. Ending on a high, the album bounces with spectacle.

DRAGONSCLAW – THE CONCLUSION

`Moving Target’ thrives on its marksmanship and interplay. Zonder injects standard drum patterns with subtle twists and turns. Unexpected tom replies, sudden cymbal rides, and delayed beats sneaked in. Underneath the syncopated dynamics he is rock solid and powerful, guarding the groove. Waldo supplies the glue, widening the sound with atmospheric pads and brief motifs that echo before dissolving in the refined undercurrents.

Guitarist Ben Thomas plays with discipline and taste. His solos are sharp, rich and expressive, while Aaron Thomas anchors with bass lines that shadow his riffs and colour harmonies, giving Lavery room to stretch into richer territory. Giles balances clarity with grit. He knows when to strike with power, when to hold back, and when to let the hook speak with soaring bliss. The choruses feel written toward his commanding vocal register and presence.

`Moving Target’ is the album that is anchored on the band’s impressive chemistry. Even if ,,Back on the Streets” doesn’t fully ignite, the weight of the album’s highlights like ,,Survival”, ,,Cry Wolf”, ,,Don’t Break the Silence Again”, ,,Shadowfire” and ,,(Tell Me) All Your Lies” truly cements this it as a triumphant return. With sharpened hooks, and performances locked in, the tracks build momentum toward the choruses made to last.

Dragonsclaw remind us why classic hard rock and heavy metal still matters.

Release date: 22 August 2025