Quick Reviews: New Years Day & Dragonforce

A couple of albums worth noting this week that I don't have a whole lot to say about.

New Years Day - Half Black Heart

I liked their last album quite a bit, even though it was a bit crazy. There were elements I found weird and difficult to listen to, but half of the record was remarkably good at blending super heavy modern metal with pop choruses. They were being daring, and even though it didn't always work, it was never boring. So you would think the band narrowing their focus, and delivering an entire album of good songs would be just what I want, right?

Well, no, actually. The funny thing is that by focusing on consistency, the songs aren't allowed to venture off to where the sparks of cool ideas might be found. The album sounds a bit too one-note to have the same impact, and at times it's hard to tell one song from the next. It's all good stuff, and I enjoy the album, but it feels like the band is playing it safe, when it was their boldness that appealed to me in the first place.

I often wonder if higher highs or more consistency makes for the better record. In this case, the answer is clear; "Half Black Heart" is a good listen, but a less exciting one.

Dragonforce - Warp Speed Warriors

I talked about it in a Singles Roundup, but let's get it out of the way early; the cover of "Wildest Dreams" that closes the record is the worst song I've heard all year. It's absolutely terrible, and shows me that being a good musician sometimes means you're a terrible artist. In fact, that cover is so bad it's changed the way I hear Dragonforce's original material. Instead of being cheesy fun that I discard because I'm looking for something more serious, I hear the limitations of just how ineffective Dragonforce is even at the things they're trying to do.

Once I heard Marc Hudson trying to sing "Wildest Dreams", the flatness of his voice, the utter lack of anything even approaching an emotion, became all too clear. Dragonforce speeds through their songs because they know they have to hide how hollow they are. They can't convey emotion, half of their songs are about things like space stations and axe swinging, so there's almost nothing here for me to feel any sort of affection for. Even when there's a decent hook, which isn't as often as it should be, the band sounds like they're just going through the motions of hitting notes.

As I said before, Taylor Swift gets a lot of flack for not being the most talented vocalist, but she sounds like she gives a damn. Dragonforce doesn't, and if they can't sound like they care, then I have no reason to care either. That's simple music math.