Five whole years since the speedy blasts of Extreme Power Metal, the fastest 6-stringers in the world (probably) are back with a new album. As ever, it’s bursting with bonkers flurries and overflowing with cheese, but is that cheese starting to get a bit stale?
Well, yes and no. While there are some formulaic (for DragonForce) songs on here, there is some welcome quirk and the whole thing is well produced enough that their trademark insanity just rattles through your eardrums with ease. “Astro Warrior Anthem” could be just another DragonForce blast, but the additional production make it that bit bigger. Similarly the layered vocals in “Power of the Triforce” (yes, it’s a Zelda nerdfest) add just that little bit of punch. In fairness if another band was to release this it’d be damn impressive. DragonForce just have that bit more to live up to as they’ve been making guitars weep for over two decades now. The fact that I’m tapping my toe and nodding my head after only a couple of listens through says that they’re still doing it right.
But what about the songs that are a bit “different”? First up is “Kingdom of Steel” which kicks off a bit like an 80s power ballad or charity song, then just… soars. I’m surprised it was placed so early in the tracklist, but it’s a great number and with the “Woah-oh-oh” chorus I can see it going down well live. “Burning Heart” is formulaic, but “Space Marine Corp” is just wonderful. It’s all about death, destruction and my chopper being bigger than your chopper… but set to the catchiest, bounciest riffage that DragonForce have ever unleashed. I’m sure this isn’t what Rick Priestly had in mind when he was drafting the original Warhammer 4oK rulebook. If it had been then the Marines would have had bonus rolls for boogying.
Also in the novelty category is “Doomsday Party” which is obviously a nod to KISS and their “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” disco track “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”. OK, so it’s a madcap metal song with disco undertones, and it’s fun. Again, this one just has to be added to the setlist. I expect spangly suits and afros at the next tour (the next proper one that actually escapes the boundaries of England and has more than three dates).
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
As far as “old skool” goes in DragonForce terms, “The Killer Queen” fulfils this in spades, managing to zip along at 300mph on and off for almost six minutes, even if the start of each verse reminds me of a Helloween track that I can’t quite pin down. “Pixel Prison” is another lengthy ode to geekery which sits more in the power than speed metal camp. Nicely epic, but I prefer the punchier stuff earlier in the album. There’s also a version of “Wildest Dreams” which is apparently a Taylor Swift song.
There are a few bonus tracks as well, most of which are alternative versions of earlier songs which feature guests: “Astro Warrior Anthem” with Matt Heafy and Nita Straus, “Burning Heart” with Alissa White-Gluz, “Doomsday Party” with Elize Ryd, and an instrumental version of “Power of the Triforce”. They’re all fine enough and a little different from the originals, I guess.
Heading into this outing, I was wondering what DragonForce could do to keep me entertained. It seems that “throwing in a curveball” is still something they’re capable of doing and it worked. The run-of-the-mill material is there, but at a mininum. Instead it’s surrounded by a great bunch of hugely entertaining speed metal silliness that will definitely appeal to the DragonForce faithful… and may have a few deniers refusing to admit they enjoy.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Header image by Travis Shinn
Warp Speed Warriors is out on March 15th
Check out all the bands we review in 2024 on our Spotify and YouTube playlists!
DragonForce: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | youtube
