DragonForce: Inhuman Rampage
Warning: Extremely cheesy 80's hair metal ahead. Anyone who describes themselves as extreme power metal automatically gets points in my book. Most of them look like something straight out of the 80's with big hair, tight black leather pants, Ibanez guitars, and solid state Marshall growl. If you can get past all that, this band is alot of fun to listen to. If that's not enough to convince you to at least give them a test listen, they have a keytar player. Limozeen baby!!
Musically, this band is the home of speed guitarist duo Herman Li and Sam Totman, who are masters of phrasing to the extreme of Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai. Both of them like octave wah, long harmonizing tap solos, and dueling sessions to the tune of 3 minutes or sometimes longer. For someone who appreciates things like that, these guys will blow you away.
Lyrically, DragonForce is total cheese. When you have a lead singer with a name like ZP Theart, how could you not expect amazing lyrics like:
On a cold dark winter night hidden by the stormy light
A battle rages for the right for what will become
In the valley of the damned a warrior with sword in hand
Travels fast across the land for freedom he rides
Honestly, I'm speechless. Hands down, these guys are masters. Amazingly all of their lyrics are clean and often epic in nature. That's not something you get out of todays emo slanted pop music culture. It's a breath of fresh air from typical death/nu metal. ZP's voice tone is no different than any other 80's band you have ever heard, so there isn't much to expect in terms of talent. It's clean, high pitched and always right on target; analagous to Stryper or Poison. No screaming here.
If you are too cool for cheesy lyrics, or you think 80's style shredding guitar solos are lame, then you need to take a dive off the popular culture bandwagon and demount your musical high horse. No matter how cheese their lyrics are, or how extravagant their harmonizing guitar solos are, I simply cannot say no to DragonForce. These guys are definately "F-ing metal."
If you need some excellent late night coding music, you like 80's music or malmsteen style playing, or you simply marvel at tap solos played at ridiculous speeds then DragonForce is for you.
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February 17th, 2007 - 02:01
Wow. I have been listening to a couple DragonForce songs, and I’ve got to say, I really like them! I was reading a few reviews on Amazon while listening to DF, and I’ve got to say, this guy’s words are perfect:
“Dragonforce has recently become one of those bands everybody talks about and has an opinion on. Regardless of whether you like them or not, this simply means that a whole lot of people have listened to their music. Judging by the sheer number and DIVERSITY of people who have written to express their views on this band on Amazon, Blabbermouth and other boards around the Internet, people with all sorts of musical tastes have listened to their songs. And that also means that Dragonforce can potentially reach out to a greater range of audiences – some of whom probably never realized they liked metal. UK’s Metal Hammer magazine probably hit the nail on the head when they said “[Dragonforce] has the capacity to be bigger than Star Wars”.
If you want to know what the fuss is all about, you should buy this album. If you are a head-banger, you may find your expectations of what metal is all about re-defined. Even if you are not a professed metal-head, this band’s songs have real cross-genre appeal. In any case, this would be money well spent.
Basically, the people commenting on this band have very different views on the songs. Some turn their noses up at the songs, dismissing them as light-weight and silly video game soundtracks. Others love the catchy melodic elements, the soaring harmonies and the epic, heroic atmosphere. But everyone agrees on one thing: the technical prowess of Li and Totman on dual guitars is phenomenal. The virtuosity is obvious to anyone (even non-guitarists). The first time I heard these guys, my jaw dropped to the floor in awe. I literally burst out laughing and shook my head in disbelief at how fast, accurate yet completely melodic they could shred. These guys could share the stage with Malmsteen, Van Halen, Wylde, King and co – and not be outclassed. They really are that good. And then you realize there are TWO such shred-masters in the same band – and you can barely imagine how fantastic they are together trading solos. The video for ‘Operation Ground & Pound’ sums it up: Li and Totman are playing a Street Fighter-like video game where their avatars are having guitar duel on screen. That’s how the solo exhanges feel.
Some dislike ZP Theart’s vocals. Personally, I love it. Numb from years of the migraine-inducing, throat-destroying growling of death/black/nu-metal, I find it so refreshing to experience bright, ‘clean’ vocals again. It’s like a breath of fresh air after leaving behind the smog of the city. Goodness, with Theart you can even hear the words clearly – surely a rarity in modern metal ! Theart has a great vocal range, hitting all the high notes sharply and unflinchingly. More importantly, he has that heroic tone that complements the sword-&-sorcery, “we’re gonna kill all the Orcs and win this battle, brothers” lyrics perfectly. The backing harmonies from the rest of the band are uplifting. It all adds up to one of the better vocal elements of metal for years (disagree if you still prefer growling – or enjoy nails across the blackboard). The singing reminds me distinctly of Halford, Dickinson and Dio.
Yes, people continue to say the songs are light and ‘cheesy’. I have to agree that the songs are rather formulaic: speed, speed, and more speed – with mind-boggling guitar solos thrown in for free. In a way, the songs really DO sound the same. But that doesn’t mean they are not memorable. The hooks and riffs are really catchy, and you will find yourself replaying them again and again in your head long after you press the ‘stop’ button on the CD player. Instead of thinking of the 8 songs as 8 similar tracks, I see the whole album as a cohesive whole – a symphony of metal in 8 distinct movements. Viewed in this light, the whole musical style makes strong sense. It is a heroic journey through the world of Robert E Howard’s Conan in one CD. Enjoy the ride.
Is the music too ‘cheesy’ and too knowingly parodaic? Not for me. Yes, they do have the frenetic energy of video game music – but that is exactly what the band cite as one of their main influences. Not surprising. Along with the vibrancy of the game-like tunes, you also get a hefty dose of game-like humor. Yes, you do feel like the band are taking the p!ss – having a little chuckle at those who take metal too seriously. But that doesn’t mean they are not metal to the core themselves. In fact, when has metal ever failed to stand for fun? From their song-writing, to their videos, to their on-stage antics, Dragonforce make it plainly obvious that they want their audience just to have a wonderful time and plenty of fun. What’s wrong with ‘happy’ sounding music? Why would I pay money for music that only makes me UNhappy? We don’t get enough fun from metal nowadays – just endless darkness and contrived ‘evil’ atmospheres. In their fun-loving attitudes, Dragonforce are really direct heirs to bands like Van Halen and Anthrax. It shows in their music. You only thinks it’s ‘cheesy’ when you’re outside the loop. Once you understand the fun, it’s like someone explained why a joke you didn’t get was really hilarious – and you’ll find yourself grinning from ear to ear and having a great time.
Because of their style, Dragonforce really does have genuine cross-genre appeal. The power, guitars and relentless drumming will excite metal-heads. The tunefulness and soaring choruses will attract those who prefer rock and pop. The musical virtuosity will certainly impress any music lover who can respect maestros from Paganini to Hendrix to Satriani. Friends normally with different musical tastes from mine have invariably stopped to listen when I play Sonic Firestorm or Inhuman Rampage – and ask what band was playing while tapping their feet enthusiastically. OK, maybe diehard satanists will be put off by their positive and bright outlook. In Middle Earth, Dragonforce would be playing the anthem for mighty, heroic Gondor, not the evil, foul doom-merchants of Mordor.
I have been a metal man for 3 decades now. I confess I am signifiantly older than any member of Dragonforce. Over the years, I have listened to end enjoyed almost every genre and sub-genre of metal: from classic, to power, to glam, to thrash, to black/death, to grunge (yes, grunge), to nu-metal and Slipknot. It was a long, enjoyable voyage through some great music. Listening to Dragonforce for the first time, I remember thinking: this is where that whole voyage was leading up to. This was what metal music has meant to me all along. If the 80s was sailing through warm sunny oceans, the 90s was a terrible destructive storm … and Dragonforce feels like briliiant beams of sunshine now brusting through the clouds at the end of the storm. Enough of the darkness and growling and blasphemic BS. Music should be enjoyable. Rock should be liberating. Metal should be fun, not painful. In that sense, Dragonforce stands for everything I have always felt enjoying music should be about.
Pop in ‘Inhuman Rampage’ into your CD player and play it loud. If you are feeling bored or depressed, it will lift your spirits and make you smile. If you are happy already, it will make you want to call your friends and have a party. If you are driving, it will turn your journey into a game of “GT4″ on PlayStation. If you just like melody, energy and fun – it will have your feet tapping and head banging in no time. Best damned albums (Sonic Firestorm and Inhuman Rampage) I bought this century.”
Thanks a million Duvall-man! This is a sure buy for me soon! Peace!
February 17th, 2007 - 16:15
Wow, that review was way better than mine =). I agree heartily with the writer. The more I listen to Dragonforce the more I smile. Their music does something to me.