As I stated earlier this week, I purchased this album from DragonForce. This band is mainly based in the U.K., but the band members are from all over the world. Vadim, the keyboardist, is from Russia; Herman Li, one of the two guitarists, is from Hong Kong; ZP Theart, the singer, is from South Africa… you get the idea. All of the musicians seem to bring their various musical influences to the table to create what they dubbed as “Extreme Power Metal”. This self-given label is somehow very fitting, as the music is quite rooted in the power metal genre, yet they infuse it with speed and thrash metal elements (most notably the speed!!) and even some hyperactive video game music influence added. This makes for a combination that had many listeners jamming, yet scratching their heads wondering what to make of this band! From my viewpoint, picture what would happen if Helloween and Slayer got together and had a child delivered by Steve Vai. That child would be DragonForce! Well, with that intro out of the way, let me give all of you my review of their album, Sonic Firestorm:
My Spirit Will Go On – Has a great, ominous beginning… then proceeds to build in speed and intensity. A full-fledged aural assault commences at around 190 BPM’s. A great opening song!
Fury Of The Storm – Blastbeats for 16 measures of the the beginning herald a even faster song than “spirit”, if that’s even possible. One thing that’s great about this band is the anthemic, catchy choruses that dominate most of their songs, and this song is no exception. During the beginning of the solo section, they slow it down to half-speed, making you kick back and appreciate the dual-guitar showdown masterpiece. Then the band goes full-throttle, pausing only to make an a cappella sing-along during the closing chorus.
Fields Of Despair – This song is along the lines of “Spirit”. However, the keys are more prominent, giving a great melody line during the bridge before the chorus, and another great melody line during the instrumental bridge back to the main section. There’s an awesome interlude where the band just stops and lets the keyboardist weave his musical tapestry. At this point, I decided that all the reviewers that said, “All the songs sound the same! Whaaaahh!!” are just full of crap! They must have not gotten the album and, instead, listened to the samples and formed their half-baked opinions from there.
Dawn Of A New World – Continuing with my rant, I say to all the reviewers that said, “All they can do is play fast with no style anywhere else!” hasn’t been listening to the whole album. This is a beautiful power ballad, perfect for warriors coming home, or a football team celebrating victory.
Above The Winter Moonlight – I remember hearing that at least two of the members have been in bands with widely ranging styles and the band members themselves employ elements of different musical genres and styles in their playing. You can hear influences of these different styles if you listen carefully to this song. The funky, new age interlude in the middle of the song leading up to a chugging metal climax is a great dynamic. A good reviewer said this band needs more dynamics in their songs. I think they employ enough dynamics, thank you! This song is a perfect showcase of what this band is capable of; a mix of fast, slow, heavy, light and everything in between!
Soldiers Of The Wastelands – The longest track on the album, just shy of a whopping ten minutes. It certainly doen’t feel like it with the speed they’re playing at. A great keyboard melody from the beginning, the song rips through the verses and chorus at blazing speed, then slows down to a comfortable jam in the middle. Of course, they don’t keep playing at mid-tempo for long! The last third of this song features solos and little quips from everyone.
Prepare For War – From the beginning of the track, the band really does sound like it’s going into battle! A face-ripper of an opening, the song doesn’t let up from there, save for a mid-tempo middle section that sounds laid back and yet expansive… like it belongs in an epic Anime movie. A magnificent key change towards the end makes the track sound even more grandiose. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll play it again!
Once In A Lifetime – This song sets the tone for great closure to an epic-sounding album. The beginning has the video game influence brought on by guitarist Herman Li. Unlike most of the songs and like the opening track, this song doesn’t let up in speed at all. The keyboard/guitar solo has a similar video game feel, perfect for a furious chase scene, and has to be heard to be believed! All in all, a perfect end to an awesome album.
I listened to this album from beginning to end, as I try to do now with any new album. Afterwards, I felt as if I had just run a marathon! I can guarantee all of you that if you put this CD in your car’s player and hit the play button, no matter what your destination is, you’ll get where you’re going within a few minutes! I’m not kidding; it’s that fast! Anyone who loves bands in the speed, epic or power metal genres should give this album a spin. If I ever feel the need for speed, this band will satistfy that need very well!
Cheers!
Tags: DragonForce, Power Metal, Album Reviews
