DragonForce – ‘Extreme Power Metal’ (earMUSIC)

By Jonny Bakes

I’m sure everyone will remember when DragonForce exploded in popularity back in 2007 when ‘Through the Fire and Flames’ featured as the end credits song of ‘Guitar Hero III’. At the time, for many people this was the most difficult song they had ever come across with the fast noodling of Herman Li shocking those who hadn’t yet explored the extremes of metal. Young JB was definitely one of those people and that probably explains why, to this day, I still have a real soft spot for power metal. It’s often cheesy and can be a little bit silly, but it’s near impossible to stay in a bad mood while listening to it, so it remains a staple in my record collection.

If you haven’t really kept track of DragonForce over the years you’ll notice a distinct difference in the vocals after the departure of ZP Theart back in 2010 to be replaced by Marc Hudson who has fronted the band ever since. Don’t fret, however, because musically DragonForce have been pretty stable for the best part of 20 years. If power metal is what you’re after then you can guarantee you’ll find that on any DragonForce album; they’ve found a formula that works for them and they’ve stuck with it. With only 2 years passing since the release of their last album, let’s see what Power Metal delights await us this time…

I think to really appreciate this album, we need to start from the very top. I know you wouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but this isn’t a book, so I’m going to delve right in. From the title, ‘Extreme Power Metal’, I could tell that this album was going to be something over the top, and the cover art definitely enforces that opinion. Just look at it, it’s ‘80s as fuck! It’s got everything you can think of that just screams the 80s, there’s mech suits, laser instrument weapons, a flying sports car (that resembles the Hoff 9000 in Kung Fury) and of course some form of steel dragon and I don’t mean that band from Rock Star. And how about the track list? There are some tracks on here that look like they’ve been pinched from the Gloryhammer scrapbook. It doesn’t get much more over the top than ‘Cosmic Power of the Infinite Shred Machine’!

So, without even listening to the album I already had it down as an over the top ’80s influenced power metal album – and you’ll never guess what I found when I started listening to it… it’s an over the top ’80s influenced power metal album! Of course, it wouldn’t be a DragonForce album without plenty of shredding and noodley solos from Herman Li, and it has these in truck loads. In conjunction with this you have the obligatory melodic vocals and high -itched wails of Marc Hudson. Combine both of these with the powerhouse DragonForce rhythm section blasting through every track and you’d have yourself a pretty standard album. But this isn’t a standard album, so there is also a significant amount of synth going on with some solid helpings of 8-bit sound effects to really drive that home, and for good measure some bagpipes as well. I know they’re not ‘80s but they’re definitely over the top!

Two of the tracks have already been released in advance of the album accompanied by equally outlandish videos. First up was ‘Highway To Oblivion’ which for some reason conjured up images of Christmas during the first few bars, but then we kick into some Herman Li shredding and it all kicks off! It’s got some serious speed to it and is incredibly catchy as all good power metal songs should be! Next came ‘Heart Demolition’ which was accompanied by the spoof ’80s video game advert for ‘Extreme Power Metal’. This has lashings of 8-bit sound effects and manages to achieve the right blend between metal and synthwave elements to keep any fan happy. If you enjoyed these, then there’s no doubt that you’ll enjoy this album!

Now, I don’t want to dwell too much on this but we need to talk about THAT cover at the end of the album. When I saw ‘My Heart Will Go On’ on the tracklist, I thought to myself that it couldn’t possibly be a cover of Celine Dion’s classic from Titanic. I was wrong. Being completely blindsided by this, my first reaction was to burst out laughing, but damn did it put a massive smile on my face! And I must say, I’m impressed that they managed to make a very DragonForce cover of the song. It’s as cheesy as a French deli counter, and I love that!

So, there were go, I’m not sure what else I can say about this album. It’s DragonForce, but more over the top, more geeky, still just as cheesy – and God damn catchy! If you’re getting bored of serious music and need something to freshen you up and put a smile on your face, this’ll do just that!

‘Extreme Power Metal’ is released today (Friday 27 September). You can get your copy HERE.

DragonForce tour in November, with dates as follows:

Saturday 2 – Edinburgh, Liquid Rooms
Sunday 3 – Hull, Welly
Monday 4 – Leeds, Stylus
Tuesday 5 – Manchester, Academy 2
Wednesday 6 – Birmingham, Institute
Friday 8 – London, Forum
Saturday 9 – Norwich, The Waterfront
Monday 11 – Southampton, Engine Rooms
Tuesday 12 – Cardiff, Tramshed
Wednesday 13 – Northampton, Roadmender
Thursday 14 – Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northumbria Institute

www.facebook.com/dragonforce