Artist: Dragonforce Title: “Inhuman Rampage” Label: Roadrunner Records Release Date: 6/20/2006 Genre: Sonic Power Metal Rating: 8/10
“Faster than a speeding bullet” seems to no longer solely define pop culture’s “Man Of Steel”; as now it stands incredibly true of the UK’s Sonic Power Metal sensations DRAGONFORCE! You really cannot explain the band all that easily, while the music holds its core origin in Melodic Power Metal, they mix elements of Thrash much like Annihilator did in their early years. The end result is very simply a brand of Metal that requires you wear a seatbelt as you listen. Normally with fast paced Metal you owe it all to consistent rhythm runs on the guitar while the drummer does blast beats of quick syncopations that are similar. With Dragonforce, the shredding is the combined might of Herman Li and Sam Totman who don’t just play quick rhythms but instead choose to push the limits of science with their leads during the solo breaks and across the length of the bands songs. Underneath their riveting riffs is the drumming of Dave Mackintosh, a quality player thundering along with some great double bass on practically every song. Playing this band too loud in your stereo might cause heart palpitations based on Dave’s playing level. Vadim Pruzhanov on keyboards adds an interesting high tech video game/progressive feel to the band. They are clearly musicians who enjoy not only pushing the envelope on what they can do and how fast, but to have fun as they do. As you listen to the album there is a good chance that you will feel that this approach as well. Continue reading “Inhuman Rampage” by Dragonforce→
Artist: Dragonforce Venue: Club Avalon (New York, NY) Opener: Sanctity, Protest The Hero Date: 5/2/2006 Label: Roadrunner Records
Testing the limits of super-sonic Power Metal comes the one and only Dragonforce! The band was set to perform in New York late last in 2005 at the legendary Punk club C.B.G.B.’s but that set of US appearances was cancelled. At the time, Homeland Security had discovered that guitarist Herman Li was on their most wanted list. This would of course be a case of badly mistaken identity but it is nice to know that the agency is checking into traveling musicians a lot more than those that would really bring the Country harm (thanks people…..sigh). Barring that dilemma, I have to be honest about the venue of choice. The club while considered legendary and lamented by many in its pending closure is really too small for a band that is getting the attention that Dragonforce has been finding. When it was announced that the new location for their US invasion would be the Club Avalon (the former Limelight to all you old schoolers) tickets sold out almost immediately. I found this to be fantastic because while Dragonforce is a Melodic Power Metal band they perform with such a blinding speed and skill that it offers fans of the genre a very different dynamic to enjoy. The evening would be kicked off by Roadrunner Records own Sanctity and they were not too bad. I was not crazy about their sound that night and felt it was over loud and a little muddy in the mix. Musically there seemed to be potential so I look forward to seeing them another time. There was also a Dillinger Escape Plan type of Math meets Metal Core band called Protest The Hero. I’m not the biggest fan of this kind of stuff but I gave them credit for trying to show the audience a different aspect of Metal. Dragonforce falls more into the Melodic Power genre, so that was what a large part of the audience was interested in – so being won over to something like this is often an uphill climb. Continue reading Dragonforce @ Club Avalon (5/2/2006)→
