Maximum Overload

By this point, Frederic Leclerq (the bassist) was writing most of the songs, and he was evolving the sound of Dragonforce. They saw that his songs were more successful, so they pretty much gave him control of this album and told him to go for it, and he did just that. This album builds on the last one, and allows Marc a better chance to exercise his vocals, and even gives an occasional keyboard piece to Vadim, the most underappreciated member of Dragonforce.

The main thing that sets this album apart is the heaviness. The songs are more thrash-y than previous Dragonforce records, since Fred was a pretty big fan of thrash metal, if it wasn't obvious by the fact that he left Dragonforce to join Kreator. If it wasn't obvious enough, Matt Heafy of Trivium is brought on for 3 songs, but frankly these songs aren't my favorites. The Game is the fastest Dragonforce song, and has some great lyrics about feeling hopeless and lost in life, but it doesn't exactly fit with a super-fast, headbanging thrash song, and Defenders is another prime example of this. Thankfully there's more than just these ones. Three Hammers has a good, triumphant sound, but it beat-switches into a thrash sound for the solo, before slowing down again for the ending, which in my opinion shows that Fred is good at balancing thrash metal with power metal.

Some other songs that stand out: Tomorrow's Kings has some good keyboard bits, and it reminds me of Zelda, more so than the explicitly Zelda-themed song released by Dragonforce that couldn't actually mention Link or Zelda because Nintendo would sue them. Symphony Of The Night is a Castlevania-themed song that may have a keyboard bit, I can't tell. It was the first of many, but at this point they've done more than enough Castlevania songs, and Marc needs to find another game to make a song about. City Of Gold has some of the best lyrics, and a decent intro. But my favorite song on here is The Sun Is Dead. It gives off a vibe of a post-apocalyptic future, and the melodies on this one are incredible. There's even a bass solo on here that ties the song together, and an organ-sounding keyboard bit at the end.

Unfortunately there are some problems with this album. One, the heavy direction they're leaning towards is a tad bit concerning, since Dragonforce isn't really a thrash band, and on the Matt Heafy songs, it seems like Fred is trying to make Dragonforce a thrash band, since he doesn't really like power metal. Fortunately, he left before the band went full-thrash, and messed up their whole sound. Two, the bonus edition songs would have fared much better on the standard track. Summer's End, the Japanese Track, should have replaced Extraction Zone, and You're Not Alone, the ballad, should have been on the normal album.

The album is a good improvement from the last album. My biggest complaint about The Power Within was that nothing really stuck out. Most of the songs on here stick out, and have something unique that sets them apart.

DragonForce is hit or miss for most people. Their overly-fast playing and the blitz of notes that's strung together loosely in the form of song is often overwhelming or just annoying for most, but my opinion tends to agree with their sound. Maximum Overload is really no difference from the rest of their discography, although their sound seems to be a little bit tackier this time around. The songs on this album mostly live up to their potential, but the hooks aren't as strong as expected for a DragonForce album and there are some directionless moments that anchor the band.

"The Game" and "Tomorrow's Kings" are generally pretty great opening tracks, with ultra-melodic guitar licks and supersonic rhythms as cheesy lyrics about overcoming adversity are crooned as best as they can be to keep pace. The former has a weird guitar solo that isn't quite experimental but it doesn't derail the song completely either. It sort of just happens. The riffs aren't usually anything mind-blowing and the drumming is the ballistic machine-gun-pounding that usually peppers DragonForce albums, but somehow the band's sound doesn't really get old. Even when there are some solos that follow a familiar template, it hardly draws away from the appeal.

The main complaints of this album come from some of the guitar work feeling lazy occasionally, although this isn't a consistent problem. Not every riff has to be super technical or be a demonstrating of incredible finger acrobatics, but some of the riffs on this album are just downright simple, which is absolutely unacceptable for DragonForce's standards. While the songwriting is usually up to par, the slow detour that "Three Hammers" takes is kind of strange and is a clear example of the riffs being lazily-composed. It's nice to see the band slowing down for a second, for sure, but they should at least try to do it with more style.

Most of the time on this record, the instrumentation and writing are there, but the vocals do leave something to be desired on quite a few different tracks. No matter how bad the band wants to try hiding it, ZP Theart leaving was the most detrimental thing that could have happened to them. His vocal abilities drove the majority of these songs, and even dressing up the guitar work in cleaner, slicker production isn’t enough to masquerade his absence. So while Marc Hudson does his job, it’s hard to say he does it well given the shadow he’s standing in. The rest of what constitutes this album is pretty solid, songs like “City of Gold” and the Johnny Cash cover are fine, (the bonus tracks are decent too) but it is hard to overlook the vocals. This album fares about the same as its predecessor, their first album without Theart.

I have always wanted to enjoy power metal, but I could never get into it for some reason. However, I have made an exception for Dragonforce. Dragonforce has become the only power metal band that I seem to enjoy. Just for that reason alone, I knew I had to review one of their albums. Let's talk about Maximum Overload by Dragonforce.

The instrumentation is phenomenal. After all, it's a Dragonforce album. However, I think what this album did better than all the other power metal albums I heard was catchiness. It's the same reason that I respect for Infant Annihilator, despite them being a completely different band. That reason being the fact that the music is extremely fast, but still has melody to it and still sounds like actual music.

The instruments they used are drums, guitars, bass, and keyboards. I'm normally not a fan of keyboards being used in metal, unless it's black metal. However, I feel like keyboards really fit in this album. They used a lot of medieval sounds with the keyboards and I love that. The guitarists are absolutely incredible. They use a lot of tremolo riffs and even more guitar solos that manage to keep you listening the entire time. The guitar solos use so many different techniques too. This includes things like tapping, sweep picking, tremolo picking, and a bunch more. The bass doesn't really play anything different from the guitar. However, I commend the bassist for also being able to keep up with the tempo.

The vocalist is an amazing singer. Of all the clean vocalists I have heard in metal, he is definitely the best, no doubt. I don't know anything about the techniques involved with clean vocals, so I won't pretend to know what he's doing with his voice other than sounding awesome. I'm more knowledgeable about harsh vocals than clean ones. Either way, whatever he is doing sounds amazing. The fact that he can sing so high at what sounds to me like perfect pitch is something I admire.

The atmosphere is very inspiring. It's not the type of music you headbang to. It's more like the type of music that I would listen to while standing on top of a mountain as my hair flows in the wind. The atmosphere is exactly what I expect when I hear the words power metal. Again, I listened to a bunch of power metal albums and I feel like this is the album that got that feeling down the best.

It's time for the outro. This is definitely an awesome album by an awesome band. The best parts of the album are the guitar solos and the vocals. My only complaint is that the drums are quite simple, even if they're fast. My favorite tracks are Tomorrow's Kings and Symphony Of The Night.

Dragonforce, aka the modern day Metallica; by which I mean they have been one of a handful of modern day metal bands that have brought in a mass new generation of metalheads in the last 10 years, like Metallica did to thousands of fans back in the 80's and early 90's. Thanks to today's marketing tools, Dragonforce's music was heard on more than just on their albums, but on video games like Guitar Hero, and online media resources like Youtube and Facebook. However just like Metallica, Dragonforce have unfortunately received their fair share of haters from within the metal community over the course of its time; proving that a lot of people suffer from tall poppy syndrome.

But enough of that, for the ones who do enjoy the excitement that Dragonforce has brought to the metal scene since their breakout sophomore album 'Sonic Firestorm', that displayed an onslaught of furiously speedy guitar riffs and insane two minute twin guitar solos, would be happy to know that they have returned to deliver their sixth full-length album 'Maximum Overload'. The loss of original vocalist ZP Theart a couple of years ago hasn't really hampered the band in the short term, with (at the time) unknown replacement Marc Hudson easily filling Theart's shoes with his performance on their previous CD, 'The Power Within'.

Something had to give for Dragonforce after releasing 3 similar sounding supercharged albums, which while being fantastic, started to become quite repetitive and a bit tedious by the time 'Ultra Beatdown' was unveiled. Whether Herman, Sam and the rest of the lads realised this themselves, or took note of what the fans were saying, 'The Power Within' was a welcomed change of pace; showing the metal community that Dragonforce were not just a one-trick pony.

The new album 'Maximum Overload' continues Dragonforce's newfound diversity, picking up where 'The Power Within' left off. Long time Dragonforce producer Karl Groom has been outed in favour of Swede native Jens Bogren, who has worked with a plethora of other bands including Turisas, Amon Amarth, Symphony X, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Paradise Lost and Australia's own Ne Obliviscaris and Be'lakor. His work with those bands and all the others has been top-notch and listening to the new CD, I can hear just how much influence and direction has actually come from Bogren himself.

At times throughout this release, I feel that I am listening to a Swedish metal band, as most Swedish metal bands have that particular sound or niche. I hear it to the extent that you wouldn't know you are listening to Dragonforce. Take the opening track "The Game" for example – You could have fooled me, but I thought I was listening to Amaranthe. Hudson sings just like Jake E. Berg, while Trivium member Matt Heafy guests on the track with harsh background screams. The overuse of the keys/synths and the guitar chords all resemble an Amaranthe track from anyone of their albums thus far.

After that initial shock with "The Game", the following tracks bring a sigh of relief as I can once again hear (just about) the classic Dragonforce sound. Back to their thunderous best, just with now compacted track lengths, Li and Totman hook up wonderfully on blistering tracks like "Tomorrow's Kings", "Symphony of the Night" and "Extraction Zone". One standout track that displays Dragonforce's newly acquired diversity and multidimensional approach to their song writing is the exceptional "The Sun is Dead". Hearing a melodic, progressive metal sound, there are constant tempo changes, supreme guitar work that isn't ego driven, emotional instrumental passages and a soaring melody – all of which I can't say I ever heard before on a Dragonforce CD. "The Sun is Dead" is simply brilliant and needs to be heard to be believed.

Going through the remainder of the album, I really can't fault any of the tracks, with more highlights including "Three Hammers", which starts out mid-paced but at the three minute mark a switch is flicked the Dragonforce of old rears its metally head; and also "City Of Gold", which is another homage to the classic Dragonforce sound. The cover track of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" has definitely been "Dragonforced", and if the song wasn't so popular and already covered a hundred times over, you'd make the mistake of thinking it was one of their own.

In the end I was quite surprised with the quality displayed throughout 'Maximum Overload', very surprised to be exact. While 'The Power Within' was a little ho-hum and safe, this new album delivers the goods in the best way possible. The album contains a great balance between their typical sound and speed that will satisfy the long-time fans, and also the newer elements that shows off their diversity and their ability to be able to write songs different than before. While the older albums were probably a bit too robotic in essence and development, 'Maximum Overload' rips that tag to shreds with a much more mature and evolved effort, led by heart and emotion rather than ego.

There are a few downsides to this newly infused style however – the first I feel is that Dragonforce has lost a part of its identity, with some of the tracks on this album ("The Game" especially) just not sounding like Dragonforce. Whether it is the doing of Jens Bogren and just how much of a Swedish metal influence he has put into the album, I don't know. But that comment brings me to my second point – Some of the tracks with a slower pace, shorter track lengths and changed style now makes them sound like a thousand other modern European metal bands, when before no one else sounded like Dragonforce; they were completely unique from any other band.

Despite those two downsides that I picked up, it doesn't take away the fact that 'Maximum Overload' is a fantastic release that surpasses 'The Power Within'. Dragonforce have learned that they don't have to play at a million miles per hour and execute two minute exaggerating solos to sell albums. 'Maximum Overload' sounds like a band growing up, exploring new styles and not afraid to evolve. This was a personal challenge to them and they have passed with flying colours.

Originally written for www.themetalforge.com

Stepping back for a couple years and then assessing the situation can bring an odd sense of clarity, particularly when dealing with music that tends to elicit an instant gratification or revulsion in any unwitting passers by. What stepping back from one of my favorite turn of the millennium power metal institutions has yielded is a sixth studio album that is the exact opposite of its predecessors, namely a grower. This is not immediately obvious since at its surface it appears to be nothing more than a compacted version of the video game steeped extravaganza of Ultra Beatdown with a different vocalist, but after stripping away that misleading first impression, what is found is a band that has injected some needed nuance into their sound to keep things fresh. To be clear, Maximum Overload is clearly an exercise in campiness and technical excess that goes with any Dragonforce offering, but what goes on between the showboating is where the difference lies.

That the shift in direction made here was not noticed by most is understandable, as things start off in an extremely predictable fashion, but doing what is expected is arguably the strongest ingredient in surprise. For its shorter length and thrashing riff assault, "The Game" kicks things off with a syrupy ride into archaic NES questing with synthesizers hazing and effects steeped lead guitars blazing and cliche chorus hooks like a leftover track from Ultra Beatdown. "Tomorrow's Kings" and "No More" are similarly geared to the magical world of keyboard and guitar effects, but a bit more methodical and vocally driven, as Sam Totman's songwriting was in a more elongated duration on Valley Of The Damned. It's the sort of songwriting that would pass for pop punk if the tempo was slowed, and all the peripheral gimmicks were stripped away, but this is a band that plants their flags on gimmickry like a power metal answer to James Bond and his cohorts at British Intelligence.

As noted previously, first impressions are a key part in how this album differs from the last five, and apart from a couple of similar excursions to the first three songs noted already, things start to get particularly interesting for the rest of the album. "Three Hammers" ushers in the combo breaker with a rarity in Dragonforce's world, a mid-paced mini-epic with a heavier feel. It's a bit more involved and asymmetrical when compared to the only really similar song in this band's past "Last Journey Home", and Marc Hudson's vocal approach is a bit thinner and cleaner, not to mention glass-shattering at times. "Symphony Of The Night" throws a truly jolting handful of sand into the gears of predictability with an assortment of Baroque period instrument sounds and Neo-classical progressions, yet somehow manages to make these sounds work in their stylistic box. "The Sun Is Dead" plays up the mid-tempo factor as well and manages to bring something of a longer-winded Stratovarius twist into the mix, whereas "Defenders" injects some occasional thrashing elements into the riff set yet again.

Ironically enough, as the album draws to a close, the surprises kind of taper off a bit and things veer closer to business as usual, yet somehow the approach comes off a bit fresher than it did during the opening three songs. Both "Extraction Zone" and "City Of Gold" throw in the occasional twist here and there, but they are largely defined by driving speed and effective chorus hooks, sugared over with the usual dueling lead displays in an abridged fashion. The closer and ridiculously fast rendition of Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire" seems more an afterthought than an actual part of the album, though as something of a closeted Cash fan, it is a curious if fleeting adaptation that occasionally enjoys a play in my car. There's an assortment of bonus tracks and extras on the deluxe edition, of which the highlight is the reworking of the Shadow Warriors tune "Fight To Be Free" (they removed the Engrish element of the original "Fight For Be Free", hopefully not for PC purposes) with all its campy goodness and infectious melodies.

Contrary to popular sentiment, Maximum Overload is a slight step up from The Power Within, though it's maybe a hair shy of fully recapturing the magic that was there when ZP Theart was at the helm. This is not so much a matter of the shred elements being downplayed a bit, which is actually a welcome change of pace, but more so just a matter of Hudson not quite being the distinctive presence that Theart was. Naturally he gets the job done and gels well with the arrangement, but at times his straight-up singing style tends to get buried in the sea of speed of instrumental flash and flair. But as a band, it's safe to say that Dragonforce is evolving, perhaps far more than some other big names in the business like Sabaton and Gamma Ray, and far from being a musical analogy to bulimia, this is a nutritious meal that is admittedly geared to a particular consumer. So eat in good health and rest up for the next course, which will hopefully see the chef refining his craft further still.

Dragonforce and I are on different wavelengths. I see the band as I would a strange clique I don’t necessarily understand but tolerate when we’re forced to intermingle. Power metal is excellent; I love the stuff. Dragonforce, though, is like the Call of Duty of power metal, while I’m more interested in the Dark Souls side of the spectrum, so to speak. They are about as subtle as a group of preteens on a Mountain Dew binge talking trash over Xbox Live, and I can’t help but see shitty internet memes and try-hard images flashing in my mind’s eye on a seizure-inducing backdrop as I sit through “Maximum Overload.” That title alone is a perfect description of Dragonforce’s busy, overbearing style and their sheer ability to circumvent having to write decent songs by taxing the senses and being loud and fast.

I’m not saying this to sound mean or insulting, believe it or not. The problem I have with Dragonforce is that the band does a lot without accomplishing anything significant—to power metal what Michael Bay is to film. “Maximum Overload” is about what I expected from Dragonforce in 2014. The album is mostly synchronized with the style and consistency of “Inhuman Rampage” and beyond, or as I like to think of it, about when the group pooped the bath. The most frustrating thing about “Maximum Overload” is that there are flickers of excellence sprouting up here and there next to the unrelenting fireworks of mediocrity going off everywhere with the frequent turd floating in the river.

The band is solid on paper, as always. The pacing of these songs is mostly hyperactive and rocketing towards the sun at a million miles per hour, which should surprise no one at this point. One would be nuts not to tip their fedora to the precision and the insanely technical meticulousness of Sam Totman and Herman Li, who are both extremely entertaining to observe as they rifle out turbo-charged riffs and dazzling solos and melodies. Mark Hudson is a solid fit for the group on vocals; “Maximum Overload” shows he’s warmed up to Dragonforce’s style quite well. It seemed after “The Game” and “Tomorrow’s Kings,” which are explosive and instrumentally dynamic, that Dragonforce had finally put the machine back on track.

Well, no. “Maximum Overload” is too long and too bland. They stick so much to the rapid assault that it completely loses its edge. The constant hyper-speed riffing and firing drums while Hudson spits out a lackluster chorus become a cloud of monotony, the one trick up Dragonforce’s sleeve. A song like “Three Hammers” which tries to stick to a more traditional power metal theme is pretty much Dragonforce confirming to the world that they haven’t a clue how to adapt to something that isn’t based on moving pointlessly fast. The occasional burst of blast beats and harsh vocals is admirable, but they are only secondary to the surroundings, scant as they are. The Call of Duty reference at the start of “Extraction Zone,” an awfully annoying and purposeless tune, sent my sides to another zip code. I can almost taste the Mountain Dew.

The “Ring of Fire” cover is needless and stupid—just a frenzy of the usual Dragonforceisms which barely emulates the original. I have the Super Mega Ultra Deluxe Version with +5 endurance that comes with more bonus tracks than I’d cared to hear, and frankly, they suck. Take Dragonforce’s vapid, dull approach to power metal and recycle it a few more times—there’s your bonus tracks. Overall, “Maximum Overload” is a Dragonforce album without the dumb fun or the sugary goodness of some of their other works. Instead, it’s a snapshot of a band that is out of ideas and whose creativity has mostly devoured itself. “Maximum Overload” is overloaded to the max, but for all the wrong reasons.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

DragonForce, perhaps the most successful & accomplished power metal band worldwide, never fail to deliver the most glorious and awe-inspiring music. How the band has succeeded in producing six breathtaking albums, I will never fathom. But 'Maximum Overload', released in mid 2014, brings the band to an entire different level.

DragonForce guitarists, Herman Li & Sam Totman, have spoken of the title, "Maximum Overload', describing the very nature of the music. And any individual who has the pleasure of experiencing this album, metal fan or not, will agree that this album is a maximum overload! Previous DragonForce albums have been glorious and breath-taking none the less, but this album can be so easily delineated as a new side of the band. The opening track, 'The Game', is a perfect representation of such overload, existing from beginning to end as a non-stop, unrelenting metal attack! The featuring of Matt Heafy from Trivium also adds a new element to the album, as Matt unleashes his brilliant scream voice within the intervals of Marc's lead vocals.

The bass line of 'Maximum Overload', especially in 'The Game', is of particular interest. In 'The Power Within', Fred's bass presence was certainly brought to a greater light. But 'The Game' features a crunchy, thick and rich bass line from Fred, a cool feature to witness. Marc's vocals, although not noticeably more practiced, are of extreme difference in comparison to 'The Power Within', his debut album. Marc now, and has for some time, sits in a comfortable position of the band, more so than his introduction into DragonForce in 2012. Tracks like 'Tomorrow's Kings' and 'City Of Gold' were a clean, diverse and, in retrospect, very pleasant tracks to listen to, in great depth and quick listening. 'You're Not Alone' however, seems like that DragonForce song every DragonForce fan has been waiting for. Personally, 'You're Not Alone' has to be a definite favourite (but in this album, it's difficult to choose favourites).

DragonForce have introduced to us a brand new face of their metal product. A common and warm familiarity can be recognised, but it's nice to experience the metal paradox unleashed unto us when listening to 'Maximum Overload'.

I hated The Power Within. It was a mediocre effort that showed the band at its lowest creative point, and the most unconvincing "we're gonna rise again guys, seriously, why don't you believe us?" lyrics ever.

Maximum Overload is a huge step in the right direction and, even though the songs still fall in the four-five minute range, all the songs are memorable and there's only one filler track on here. The big, fantastic dreamscapes are back, wars are won, and the dragons rose once more. This is the DragonForce I know and love!

The songs have a lot going on in them, and you can actually hear the keyboards on this one! They're right at the front of the mix along with the bass, and the ever-present squeaky clean production makes everything shine. Marc sounds much more confident this time around and you can tell he's having a blast, even if his voice is a little lacking in the bombastic department. While the songs are big and triumphant, the amount of music in them can be overwhelming at times, especially on "No More," which is just shy of 4 minutes and isn't one of the stronger songs. However, on songs like the speedy opener "The Game," the battalion-charging-anthem "Defenders," and the brooding "The Sun is Dead," this isn't much of a problem. In short, Herman and Sam actually gave a fuck on this album. And it shows.

The weakest link here is the abysmal cover of "Ring of Fire," which I refuse to acknowledge aside from this instance. Avoid it at all costs. I might've been a little more forgiving if they covered it in the style of the country genre, but they didn't. Yes, that mangled string of notes at the beginning is the song's riff.

If possible, get the deluxe edition of the album, since it comes with five bonus tracks and a "making of" DVD, as well as a live performance of "Cry Thunder." "You're Not Alone" is on the weaker side and isn't that memorable, but it would make a killer live song. "Power and Glory," "Chemical Interference," and "Fight to Be Free" (another Shadow Warriors song) are also standouts, and frankly, I'd love to see the latter two live instead of "Ring of Fire." "Galactic Astro Domination" is included as a bonus song, but it's missing something without the commercial.

Maximum Overload is a massive improvement from The Power Within, and is home to 14 awesome, catchy songs, notably "Tomorrow's Kings," "Three Hammers," "Defenders," "City of Gold," and "Fight to Be Free," but every song, maybe even "Ring of Fire," will get stuck in your head. It's worth it.

While "The Power Within“ saw DragonForce’s new line-up going for a calmer and shorter but also more emotionless and pale song writing, the sextet tries to go back to its earlier efforts with the much faster and joyous “Maximum Overload”. While I didn’t like the pale predecessor, I don’t like this nostalgic release either. It feels as if the best times of DragonForce are laying behind. With the departure of ZP Theart, the band seems to have lost a part of its soul even though new singer Marc Hudson isn’t really to blame. He introduced a more grounded and mature approach on the previous release but on this one, he pretty much sounds like an exchangeable clone of his predecessor which comes as a negative surprise to me. Still, the main problem lies in the uninspired song writing and the singer’s job has always been rather secondary in this band.

While the band’s earlier record included a lot of details and actually a decent musicianship behind its wall of sound, several new tracks sound dated and try to copy the band’s own classic. The new album feels like a half-hearted routine job. There is not one single goosebump moment on the entire release. Both “Defenders” and “Extraction Zone” for example sound like shortened and less enthusiastic versions of past efforts like “Through the Fire and Flames” minus the mind-blowing guitar solos that rather sound like standard European power metal pimped up with a few laughable electronic effects. Most tracks on the new record bore with vapid instrumental sections that one has heard before.

Other songs introduce a few interesting ideas that could have rated this release up but they weren’t pushed far enough to convince. The harsh metalcore vocals by Trivium’s Matt Heafy in the opener “The Game” may be controversial but at least the band is trying out something new here. Sadly, the rest of this schizophrenic hyper-speed bummer only consists of nervous instrumental masturbation that tries to be everything at once and therefore goes straight nowhere. “Extraction Zone” has a calmer electronic middle part that comes as a complete surprise but the rest of the song is forgettable and hectic European power metal standard material. A cover version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” may sound interesting to some but in the end, this song sounds like any other technical high-speed European power metal track with happy melodies and annoyingly high pitched vocals. One can say that DragonForce managed to make the song sound like their own but at the same time, it turns out to be just another exchangeable filler that follows the stereotypical signature sound of the band. By the way, don’t expect the limited edition to include some hidden gems, it just doesn’t and happens to be more of the same. By the way, fifteen or sixteen DragonForce songs in a row are not value for money but an intolerable dose of musical diabetes that even pales the few brighter moments on the release. Maybe I have grown too old to be impressed by this kind of music that left me speechless when I was sixteen years old or so.

That’s regrettable because there are still a few good songs on the record. The melodic mid-tempo anthem with fantasy lyrics entitled “Three Hammers” gives the listener a needed break from the usual hyper-fast song writing. Marc Hudson can in fact show that he can hit the highest notes without sounding too forced or like a faceless Michael Kiske rip-off. It’s a fact that the track somehow sounds like a copy of HammerFall or Stratovarius and won’t win a price for its originality but at least, this track stands out of the rest, has a logical concept and is written with heart and soul. It even includes a few choirs and goes back to grounded European power metal basics. Sometimes more is less. “Symphony of the Night” opens with keyboard sounds and a pumping bass guitar instead of the usual fast guitar riffs. What follows is an averaged power metal song that is saved by a few cinematic choirs and some mid-tempo passages in the middle section that gives the song enough space to breathe. “The Sun Is Dead” is maybe the most original track on the record. First off, the track has a clear guiding line. The vocals are more diversified and liberating than usual. The calmer and more laid back instrumental middle section even builds up some atmosphere. The keyboard work is great and for once on the record, the guitar solos are really performed with passion. Still, three decent tracks out of sixteen forgettable ones aren’t enough to save this record at the end of the day.

I didn’t expect to appreciate a more classic DragonForce release even less than the faceless “The Power Within” but that’s exactly the case here. Most of the time, this predictable and redundant release is giving me bulimia, diabetes and headaches at the same time. It’s just fast, joyous and repetitive for the sake of being a typical DragonForce album minus the more diversified and epic instrumental sections, the certain degree of fresh originality on the first three or four releases and a certain oomph in the choruses. This album is for absolute DragonForce fan-boys and girls only. Everyone else should skip this vapid rehash of past glory and quite desolate piece of self-parody.

For better or worse DragonForce has been one of my favorite bands for a long time and each album I've heard from them I can easily categorize. But then there's this one. I'm really not sure how I feel about it. There are some good changes and some bad changes but overall this album just feels average. I get a vibe that this album was written in two parts because after the intro to The Game to the solo section in Three Hammers nothing is memorable or enjoyable, everything in this part of the album is extremely average. But then, starting with Symphony of the Night to the end of the album it's all quality music.

Good changes include letting the bassist Frédéric Leclercq be included in the song writing. I'll say it now: the best songs on this album are the ones this guy wrote exclusively. The Sun is Dead and the bonus track Chemical Interference I think are the best songs and what DragonForce should strive for in the future (though with a bit more length). First off the bass guitar solo (never thought I'd say that in a DragonForce review) in The Sun is Dead is one of the best moments on this album. That song as a whole is fantastic and I can't to hear more from this talented man. Just the bass playing in general is great, normally I find myself singing the guitar solos or choruses of DragonForce albums but this time I constantly find myself humming every bass line on this album. Other good things include Symphony of the Night which is just pure nerdgasm material with its Castlevania based lyrics and the underlying organ. Defenders is great and probably the only song that uses the DragonForce formula which is weird because last time I checked the formula worked great, so why not use it for every song and get another Sonic Firestorm? Oh well, maybe next time. City of Gold is catchy and awesome and the Johnny Cash cover is cool.

Now for the bad... the first few songs are so painfully average I find myself just starting the album at Symphony of the Night. Song length really gets me. I'd never thought I'd see a DF song that was under 4 minutes but sure enough there it is. And it's so quick I can't take anything away from it. I really think eight 7 minute songs work well for DragonForce and I have no earthly idea why they can't write songs longer than 6 minutes without making them mid tempo bores like Three Hammers and Wings of Liberty from the last album. Maybe Sam has finally hit his limit. (More of a reason to just let Fred write the songs from now on). It's this beginning that really cripples the listening experience for me. Which is sad because I do want to enjoy this band.

Miscellaneous comments include the harsh vocals which I've never really have a problem with but I'd kind of like to see them go... forever. Marc Hudson still sounds great and I'm glad he's in the band. The other thing is the keyboard. I'd absolutely love to see more inclusion of the keyboard in future albums. But not with weird effects like on past albums. I think DF could benefit a lot from more Above the Winter Moonlight interludes and Symphony of the Night background atmosphere. But that's just me.

Overall this album is a short grab bag of quality. I don't know if these guys have another Valley of the Damned or Sonic Firestorm in them but if they do I'd much prefer it over this. I say let Fred and Vadim work their magic and see what happens. This isn't a bad album by any means, it's pretty good, but I've come expect much more from these guys and I'm really disappointed that they can't seem to make another album as good as their first two.

For years in the mid-2000s, many metalheads wondered one pressing question - what would it be like if Dragonforce wrote an album of short songs instead of their normal 8-minute epic monsters? Who am I kidding, most people didn't actually care. Well, they decided to answer that question that nobody was really asking anyway, with this new album, their second with new singer Marc Hudson. I think this is probably better than their last album, which I found to be the weakest of their career, but it isn’t great.

Part of the problem is just that it’s another Dragonforce album - you know what you’re going to get and the style is fairly goofy and substance-free to begin with: high flying leads, widdly-widdly riffing and harmonized choruses about fighting for freedom and being the saviours of mankind and all that good stuff. They never really change, the difference is just in the songwriting quality and memorability of the songs. After hearing the single “The Game” I was convinced this would be awful, as it’s a more modernized and radio-friendly take on the sound than I initially found comfortable - but it’s grown on me since then and sounds better in the scope of the whole album.

This one has some really good songs, like midpaced stomp “Three Hammers,” the shimmering power metal bliss of “Symphony of the Night” and the earworm closer “City of Gold.” It also just feels a bit transparent, as the short lengths of the songs tend to feel more like the band gave their style a liposuction rather than actually did some work on the songwriting. “No More” has a catchy chorus, but its scant three-minute length makes it kind of a blur, and “Tomorrow’s Kings” just doesn’t feel like it’s been stretched out to what it needs to be. The Johnny Cash cover is just pointless, too; who ever really needed that? It passes by in a blur and I really think they could have chosen a better song to cover.

As overlong and bloated as their old stuff could be, I liked the eight-minute epics on their past albums - it felt satisfying for what it was. Sure you got tired of it after like one listen - it was dumb, oversaturated and candified music, but it worked and was enjoyable when in the mood. This, despite the shorter lengths, still has that same oversaturated feel to it - they haven’t really made an album that’s all that much more substantial or easy to listen to. Instead they just kind of metaphorically stuck two fingers down their collective throat and forcibly threw up in an attempt to get skinnier. The fact that the special edition includes like six bonus tracks really doesn't help matters, either - though some of them are good, making shorter songs and then putting out an album with 16 tracks isn't really solving the problem.

I do think this lineup has the potential to create a great album like Sonic Firestorm, but it needs a bit of work - while there are great songs on here, none of them really make me forget classics like “My Spirit Will Go On,” “Soldiers of the Wasteland” or even a later-period song like “The Long Journey Home.” Marc Hudson’s voice doesn’t captivate me like ex-vocalist ZP Theart’s did, and about half the songs on this thing aren’t up to scratch with the band’s best. But a whole album of songs as good as “City of Gold” would be a formidable step in the right direction, I gotta admit.