D.C. COOPER — D.C. Cooper (review)

Album · 1999 · Progressive Metal

3/5 · 2021-08-02
lukretion

D.C. Cooper, the iconic singer of symphonic progressive metal band Royal Hunt, released his first, and so far only solo album in 1999, shortly before being unceremoniously fired by his main band. For the occasion, the vocalist teamed up with an excellent line-up of musicians, which includes Tore Østby (Conception) and Alfred Koffler (Pink Cream 69) on guitars, Günter Werno (Vanden Plas) on keyboards, and the rhythm section of Pink Cream 69 (drummer Kosta Zafiriou and bass player Dennis Ward). Koffler and Østby also took up songwriting duties, together with the US-born singer.

Unsurprisingly given the impressive line-up, the quality of the songs contained on this album is high. The music sits somewhere between the melodic hard rock of Pink Cream 69, the symphonic prog of Royal Hunt, with some hints of heavier classic metal in a couple of songs (Queensryche, Judas Priest). The songs penned by Østby are slightly more progressively-inclined, while Koffler keeps things simpler and closer to the hard rock canon. In either case, most compositions are structurally straightforward and follow a standard verse/chorus/middle eight/chorus cycle, with the obligatory solo thrown in after the middle eight. Apart from these guitar solos, there is very little added emphasis on instrumental virtuosity, including a restrained use of keyboards (which is a pity as this gives the excellent Günter Werno little room to shine).

Taken together, the simple arrangements allow the spotlight to be put firmly on D.C. Cooper’s vocals throughout the album, as it should be given that this is a solo project. D.C. is in top form here and showcases his great range and unmistakable phrasing. He is one of those rare prog metal singers who manages to sound expressive and at ease both when he sings in the high range and low range. His work in arranging the backing vocals is also impressive and at times the songs on this album succeed in recreating the rich choral arrangements that are often present in Royal Hunt’s music.

The album flows away pleasantly and in a handful of tracks it reaches very high quality levels. This is especially the case in the first half of the record, where songs like “Dream”, “The Angel Comes”, “Until the End” and “Within Yourself” can be included among the best work D.C. Cooper has ever sung on in his career. I am particularly fond of the two tracks penned by Østby, “The Angel Comes” and “Until the End”. The Norwegian guitarist never ceases to amaze me. He is a highly underrated talent, both as a guitarist and a songwriter. “The Angel Comes” is a magniloquent piece that has pomp but also a very strong dark undertone, pushing the song almost into Kamelot territories. “Until the End” is an extraordinary and emotional ballad that D.C. Cooper sings straight from his heart, definitely the best track on the album. “Dream” and “Within Yourself” are more upbeat pieces that bring to mind the work of Royal Hunt (especially the latter).

The rest of the album does not quite reach these levels of quality and, especially towards the end, sags into a few duller episodes. “Three Generations” is perhaps the least exciting track of the album, with melodies that are too plain and unimaginative, and ultimately fails to trigger any sort of emotional response from the listener. “Easy Living” is another dull moment: this track is a Uriah Heep’s cover that frankly does not add much relative to the original and feels slightly out of place on this album, with its 70s vibe. “Take Me In”, “Forgive Me” and “Whisper” are also pretty forgettable, albeit the latter has some interesting Judas Priest vibes (D.C. Cooper came close to replacing Rob Halford when he parted ways with Priest, and on this track one case see why). The closing track, “The Union”, is another Østby-penned piece and is the most progressive track of the album, stretching at almost 9 minutes and taking on a slightly more complex structure. Despite these credentials, the song is not particularly impressive as it is slightly too fragmented and disconnected to work well as a “prog epic”. It does feature a great guitar solo, though, and some nice female backing vocals.

In summary, D.C. Cooper is a good album of solid symphonic hard rock. There is nothing particularly innovative or boundary-pushing here, but this is not the sort of projects where one should seek for these type of qualities. This is a project that showcases the considerable qualities of one of the greatest prog singers of our time, and as such is fully succeeds in its objectives. The album loses a bit of steam in the second half, but its first half is gold and contains some of the best songs D.C. Cooper has ever sung upon. Recommended, especially to Royal Hunt’s fans.