Siege Perilous – Becoming The Dragon

Siege Perilous
Becoming The Dragon
Label: Crunchtronic Records
Out: 27. März 2026
Playing Time 44:54

Forged in the fires of fantasy and history, Siege Perilous is a Colorado-based power metal band dedicated to telling stories as grand as the battles and legends that inspire them.

Inspired by an Unleash The Archer show in Denver in 2021, singer Shaughnessy McDaniel, guitarist Scott Hancock and drummer Mark Girard formed the band Siege Perilous. Through live performances, the band has earned a reputation for epic, story-driven metal that blends myth, history and cinematic sound design. Their first EP, ‘Betrayal of the Dracolich’, was released in October 2022. After several singles, the EP Creation’s Call followed in 2024. Their debut album, ‘Becoming The Dragon’, released in March, is a concept album – a cinematic journey that accompanies the ‘child of prophecy’ on his journey.

It’s not often that an album intro is called an ‘Overture’. At more than two and a half minutes long, this is understandable. Musically, too, the track stands out positively from other intros. After strings and bells, electric guitars take the lead melody. Later, they alternate with additional string passages. ‘Ancient Rite’ starts quietly with acoustic guitars and a beautifully catchy melody. But then it gets heavy. Hard riffs and powerful vocals kick in. On ‘As The Dragon Falls’, Fabio Leone (Rhapsody of Fire, Vision Divine, Angra, among others) can be heard as Shaughnessy McDaniel’s duet partner. Driving melodic Power Metal that could well have come from the Rhapsody universe. In contrast, ‘Child Of Prophecy’ is more of a bow to Iron Maiden. With ‘Shattered Mirage’, we then dive into a dark, hard sound. At first, however, we hear the sounds of battle as well as thunder (or cannon fire?). ‘Chieftain’ is very complex, with a driving rhythm and a thrilling chorus. Although I find the constant repetition of one word in the chorus a little annoying. However, the guitar solo makes up for it. In ‘Cut Down’, we hear classic Heavy Metal that tends towards Speed Metal. For the power ballad ‘Echoes Of Home’, Siege Perilous was able to recruit another guest vocalist – Kristin Starkey (Temperance, Twilight Force). The song is a tribute to Jim Steinman/Meat Loaf. It could also be an epic, bombastic ballad from Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia project. A magnificent vocal duo can be heard here. The title track, ‘Becoming The Dragon’, follows shortly before the end. This is epic Power Metal again, with driving drums and fast guitar solos. A bass solo can be heard in the middle. The album concludes with the almost eight-minute-long monumental epic ‘Eschaton’, which thrives on many melody and rhythm changes. However, the song does not come across as ‘overly intellectual’ like a lot of progressive rock works but captivates with many beautiful melodies and gentle transitions.

With ‘Becoming The Dragon’, Siege Perilous follows in the big footsteps of bands such as Avantasia, Iron Maiden and Blind Guardian. And the musicians do this extremely well. A magnificent, epic, sometimes bombastic sound, strong vocals and very good musicians make this debut album well worth listening to.

Siege Perilous – Becoming the Dragon: https://youtu.be/nzbb6lX-BhM?si=cvRgH6wxhGov-JMZ

Album Lineup:

Shaughnessy McDaniel – Vocals
Scott Hancock – Guitar
Cody Martinez – Guitar
Ryan Flanagan – Guitar
Eric Fischer – Bass, Violin
Mark Girard – Drums

Live Lineup:

Shaughnessy McDaniel – Vocals
Scott Hancock – Guitar
Ryan Flanagan – Guitar
Eric Fischer – Bass, Violin
Mark Girard – Drums

Titelliste:

• Overture (Instrumental)
• Ancient Rite
• As the Dragon Falls (feat. Fabio Lione)
• Child of Prophecy
• Shattered Mirage
• Chieftain
• Cut Down
• Echoes of Home (feat. Kristin Starkey)
• Becoming the Dragon
• Eschaton