Album Review: Dragonforce - Extreme Power Metal

Has a metal band squandered their moment in the spotlight quite the way Dragonforce has? With their success as one of the definitive tracks of the rock video game era, they should have been set up for career growth, and a position as one of the bigger metal bands in the mainstream. But between a change in singers, and a lack of great songwriting (perhaps more a bad selection of singles - there were some great songs on "Maximum Overload"), they are rarely talked about anymore. They're almost afterthoughts.

And now they do something that always irritates me. They have named their new album "Extreme Power Metal". Not only does that name sound cheesy and stupid, but it makes a promise Dragonforce is not going to be able to keep. Other than some guitar solos that are played in a blur, there will be absolutely nothing about the record that is extreme, and trying to pass it off as such makes them look foolish.

Opener "Highway To Oblivion" gets closer to the old Dragonforce formula, with chugging guitars played faster than my hands would ever be able to move, and high pitched vocals trying like hell to make a catchy melody fit over the top of all of that, a couple fleeting seconds of video-game music sounds included. As cheesy as it is, that's what Dragonforce is known for, and it's where their charms lie. Those first couple of records took power metal by storm because they were something unique, and they had good songwriting to balance out the histrionics. Their downslide started when they got away from what they are good at. It's nice to hear them find themselves again.

As you would expect from the title, "Cosmic Power Of The Infinite Shred Machine" is a song centered around several lengthy, flashy guitar solos. That might be fun for them, but you should listen to "The Last Dragonborn" instead, because that is killer power metal. It's got both folk and asian instrumentation detailing the background, but it's the hook that is undeniable. It sounds thundering, epic, and like a chest-beating warrior's hymn. Ok, I'll admit I don't care for the fantasy lyrics that make up so much of power metal, but it damn well works here. I don't think this song could be written about mundane life and be as effective. This is the Dragonforce I love. "Remembrance Day" fits this same mold.

We get a fair amount of that on this record. "Razorblade Meltdown" is another big winner that delivers the high-octane power we expect, but also hooks that are stronger than what they're usually able to corral at their speed. What I'm not as fond of are the more 80s influences on "Troopers Of The Stars" and "Strangers". I've gone on before about not understanding the obsession with that decade, and Dragonforce isn't winning me over on that argument. They aren't bad songs by any means, but I would prefer them to sound a bit more modern. Oh well.

By the time the record is over, I'm left feeling that this is the best Dragonforce album since ZP left the band. The strong material is still strong, but this time even the stuff I'm not quite as high on is better than usual. The low(er) points involve minor nit-picking. There isn't anything here I would genuinely complain about. It might be a bit late for Dragonfoce to recapture their momentum, but this record makes a strong case they're not going to fade away. I wasn't expecting it to be anything but another Dragonforce record, but "Extreme Power Metal" is more than that. It's the best Dragonforce record in a long time.

And the record ends with a cover of "My Heart Will Go On". Yes, the Titanic song. I find it absolutely hilarious. Then again, I love metal covers of super cheesy pop music. Exit Eden doing "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" is awesome, and Steel Panther doing "I Want It That Way" is the highlight of their career. So Dragonforce have given us a fun little nugget to end on. Kudos.