Customer Reviews

Inhuman Rampage

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

it's possible purchasing this album was an error in judgment. I owned _Sonic Firestorm_. I really didn't need another Dragonforce album. Yet the addictiveness of the previous album carried on and I couldn't resist the (perhaps somewhat masochistic) temptation to get more Dragonforce songs. _Inhuman Rampage_ is everything I expected, yet somehow it still surprised me. This album is even MORE power metal than the last album! If you don't think that's possible, well...that's reasonable. i didnt think so, that's for sure. Nonetheless, when an album wails the power metal idiom this hard it would be appear mistaken to conclude otherwise. This is the reductio ad absurdum of power metal, but it is _not_ a parody -- for it is keeping with the general method. It's basically just faster and more uninhibited, with a surprising lack of pretense (well, any band that has a song called "Operation Ground and Pound" is either totally handicapped or pretty down-to-earth, and in this case i favor the latter) At only eight songs, this is one of the most physically exhausting albums ever (and that's just for the listener, I mean -- not to mention the band itself, whose stamina is superhuman). Dragonforce plasters the listener for seven songs straight with every power metal stereotype amplified a hundredfold, nigh-ceaselessly 256 bpm with double-bass pedals like the pulse of 500-lb hummingbird wings, guitars grinding with grand gestures, and vocals that just might summon all the warriors in the world. I like to describe their songs as continuous choruses, because the verses, bridges, and, yes, choruses, are so power metally straight through and through -- with their perfect cadences and melodic aptitude -- that, for example, on "Through the Fire and the Flames", after the first verse you think you've hit the chorus twice before you actually have. pretty much all the songs are like that. Also absolutely delicious are the mightily crunchy seven-string guitar riffs that appear two, maybe three, times throughout the album. Delicious touches like that, and the greater variety that appears in the solo/interlude sections of songs (sometimes all-out berserker shredding, sometimes complex fugues of bass, keys, and guitars, sometimes just totally sweet midtempo clomps). A lot of people will say Dragonforce is uninteresting, which is reasonable. Others, on the other hand, will denigrate them because they are too over-the-top, or that they lack taste. Respectfully, if you buy this album and complain about such things, you were terribly ignorant. You should not be listening to Dragonforce if you want tasteful metal. You should listen to Dragonforce if you want the fastest, most relentless, over-the-top power metal there out there - performed by a band that actually writes damn great songs while they're at it. (btw, the eighth song actually does slow things down a lot - a very nice power metal power ballad. by then you kinda need it!)

Alright, just so you know, this album review comes from a power metal enthusiast. Rhapsody, Kamelot, Shaman and Helloween are among my favorite bands, which should provide some credentials to what I'm about to write. I love melodic power metal and I definitely appreciate the fantasy realm in which these bands live. I love shredding guitar solos, pounding double-bass rhythms and of course, the high-pitched falsetto whail.

Then there's Dragonforce. I had originally stayed away from them because power metal bands are sprouting up in everyone's backyard these days. But the hype grew. I heard "Fields of Despair" (off "Sonic Firestorm") on Pandora, but I still stayed away. And the hype continued to grow.

Finally, I saw the video for "Through the Fire and the Flames", and at no point in it's edited 5-minute run did I stop laughing. The entire song, from concept to delivery, was hilariously fast. I'm sure you've already heard this: Dragonforce is fast, big deal.

No, you don't understand, it IS a big deal. They're not only fast, they are relentlessly fast. These guys must lift weights with their fingers and calves alone because the endurance they must have is staggering. Songs like "Operation Ground and Pound" and "The Flame of Youth" have the drum rhythms of the most intense black metal bands, but with the melodic command and consistency of melodic power-metal bands like Brainstorm. Every single nook of every song is filled with blitzkrieg finger-picking, impossible drum breaks and video game sound effects. It doesn't take much time for the average listener to be out of breath.

That, however, is the only thing that separates Dragonforce from the rest of the crowd. With songs averaging at 7 minutes long, you can't really listen to more than one at a time. Additionally, some tend to blur together (I can't differentiate between the choruses in "Through the Fire and Flames" and "Operation Ground and Pound").

Despite these flaws, the album is exhilirating and definitely a welcome addition to your low blood pressure. You won't be able to stop headbanging ... for 10 - 12 minutes, and then you change it to something a little less over-the-top.

As a guitarist, I can appreciate Herman Li's innovative guitar-playing insanity, but, like I've said, only for a few minutes. If you like laughing at music (Luca Turilli, Helloween), and at the same time appreciate melodic speed, then go ahead and get Dragonforce's entire three-album catalog. Otherwise, slow it down a little.

See also: Angra - Holy Land, Helloween - Rabbit Don't Come Easy, Rhapsody - Power of the Dragonflame

Believe the hype. I never hype up bands. But I will hype up this band until the day I die. EVERY good review about this band, specifically this album, is 100 perecent TRUE. After hearing this album, you pick your head back, put it on your shoulders, and then go ram your frickin' body through a granite wall. This is probably the fastest album I've ever heard (other than origin or something) and it amazes me how fast this band plays. And it's not just masturbating and seeing how fast they can play before the friction causes their flesh to burn: they actually make coherent lead, riffs, and melodies that somehow are understandable when going through your head about 56565656565 miles an hour. This album is so fast that my cd player caught on fire and then later on my cat did because he realized that he will never be as cool as this album.

I feel very very bad for my other music. I'll never play it again. Dragonforce has indeed ruined every cd ever, past, present, and future. Actually, I feel bad for every item I own, even my house. My house SUCKS compared to this cd. Their next release might beat it but I think the world might end then because if this cd is already god then what is the next cd going to be?

By the way, it's obvious that i'm exaggerating but I AM NOT being sarcastic. This is seriously one of the greatest metal albums ever or album in general. If you don't like this then you have no soul. I'm so sorry. Just get this album. Tracks 1 through 7 are in your face fast attacks with the last track being a pretty ballad feature slower, but no less specatular, guitar playing.

Dragonforce...i love you. Not in a gay way. Oh i'm not done yet. Keep reading, woman.

Yes, you may hate power metal. But you won't care when you hear this. The vocals are not over the top like most power metal bands, the singer sings at just the right pitch with very few actual falsetto yells. He sounds like the journey singer more than he does an opera singer. Oh and the drums are insanely insane too. THe lyrics are DEEPLY rooted in fantasy based elements but somehow they take these corny subjects and make them moving and emotional with the vocals and crushingly awesome with the instruments.

If had a g/f, she would break up with me because I would be like, "sorry, baby butt cakes, but we can't make love. I'm listening to Dragonforce".

she would reply, "freak"

but i don't care. I got this album!

I am new to Dragonforce. I bought Inhuman Rampage after reading a short write up in Guitar One magazine. Their music can be summed in the CD's opening track "Through the Fire and the Flames".....FAST, technically scary guitar and keyboard pyrotechnics, soaring vocals, anthem like hooks, stop on a dime tight rhythm section and epic songs (every track is longer than 5 minutes). They've got chops and sound a lot like a breeding of Dream Theatre and Helloween. They supposedly are into video games and video game music, so they do have tons of effects on their guitars in an effort to replicate some of those sounds. At times (especially the last song, Trail of Broken Hearts, the only ballad on the album) sound like the end to a Final Fantasy game.

On my first listening I sat with the lyrics and thank god, because as strangely hum able the singing is, there is no way I could recall a single line. Like some Dreamtheatre and unlike Helloween, Dragonforce's songs are not catchy. The song content is also so similar that if you are not paying attention, they bleed together, a lot like Evanescence's Fallen album (They sound nothing like Evanescence).........One Giant Speed Metal Song broken into tracks for our convenience. One of the key elements of Good 80's Metal is variety. Slayer figured that out, it took a few albums, but they learned that Speed isn't everything. I think, and hope, that Dragonforce also matures in this way, because there are moments on the album that are awesome, when they don't just play fast, hold chords while the double bass kick drums carry the momentum, but groove. They have the energy that has long been missing in metal and they are happy. Their music isn't miserable self-reflection on how crappy their lives are......sure they sing words like eternal pain and death and fire, but like Helloween, it's cheerful and fun. There is no political slant, no nuclear holocaust, just epic quest lyrics that sound cool when sung but are completely forgotten except for "FAR AWAY......humtherest".

Should you buy it? There is no one doing what they are doing right now. If they are supported, they will naturally grow into a really cool band that will produce some amazing music, hopefully young players will be inspired by the guitar playing and start soloing again. Start playing melodies again. But should you Buy it? I would, I did, its challenging, exciting, fun, humable (if not memorable) , and raises the bar. I would be elated to have a guitar student ask me to show them some Dragonforce licks, instead of Green Day. This not mediocre music. Check them out. I'll be buying their other album Sonic Firestorm soon enough. I hope this helps.

I think we've at least established one thing about power metal's new multi-cultural phenomenon: they play incredibly fast. Yes, the guitar prowess displayed on this album - especially during the soloing parts on "Through the Fire & Flames" - are intense and employ various techniques to create odd blips and noises that often remind one of video game music. But let me also remind you that speed does not equal talent. Many of the reviewers of this album seem to forget that. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman are incredibly gifted guitar players in their ability to play fast, but the best guitarists are the ones that are versatile. While Dragonforce's guitarists are skilled, they don't have the same dexterity as many of metal's greats like Chuck Schuldiner and Trey Azagthoth. However, Dragonforce is also special in their ability to play fast AND maintain a sense of direction throughout. Even when it seems like the band is moving at 100 miles per hour with no relenting, there's always a defined melody that keeps the song intact and going strong until the final chords sound. Every guitar duel has purpose and adds to the song, standing apart from other virtuoso guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen and Michael Angelo Batio, who play fast but often sacrifice melody and direction for pure speed. Who cares if you can shred like no other if there's no purpose?

That aside, this album is very enjoyable. ZP Theart's soaring vocals fit well with the epic proportions of the lyrical content and are a good match for this formidable sextet. I don't think I have to cover the guitars anymore in this review, as I've already covered it enough in the first paragraph. To sum it all up: they play fast and have an innate sense of direction, but there's not much variety in the general soloing and sometimes it comes off as gimmicky more so than showing off technique. Former bassist Adrian Lambert isn't listed among the main members of the band in the booklet (instead placed in the "additional musicians" section), but neither is his replacement Frédéric Leclerq (as he joined only for live shows), which leads some people to wonder if he was ever even a permanent member. The bass is nearly uncatchable during most of this album (apart from the various bass solos and rare moments when the guitars quiet down), and he's definitely doing a good job keeping up with the rest of the band. Keyboardist Vadim Pruzhanov provides some strange noises in addition to the token ambience and medieval-esque interludes, many of them adding a new age feel to the primal metal throughout. lastly, Dave Mackintosh is quite the drummer, able to keep up with the intense speed of the album without skipping a beat and improvising well when necessary, as well as pounding out slow, rhythmic sections for the slower parts, like the beginning of "Trail of Broken Hearts".

Bottom line: Dragonforce is a "force" to be reckoned with, showing amazing skill and talent in their field; while it may be more gimmicky than their previous, more power-metal oriented albums "Valley of the Damned" and "Sonic Firestorm", they deliver satisfying heavy metal. The only downside is that the songs often begin to sound the same and when it's all over, there isn't much that really sticks out in your head. But despite that, this album is a good buy for anyone who's looking to hear something fast but also melodic and driving (a rarity in the faster side of metal) without resorting to brutal death metal. Also, check out similar bands like Dragonland (who use a similar formula but aren't nearly as fast) or Blind Guardian (an old favorite).

Track Selections: "Through the Fire and Flames", "Body Breakdown", and "Trail of Broken Hearts"

8.5/10

Inhuman Rampage is every bit of what Sonic Firestorm is. They are both super fast, super intense, no nonsense exhilarating Heavy Metal. The guitarists are so talented it is mind blowing. Valley of the Damned is not bad, but not as good as Inhuman Rampage or Sonic Firestorm. They had to work out some kinks, and then delivered the goods with their next 2 albums. If you like your metal fast and intense, Dragonforce is for you!

I first heard about DragonForce from one of my good friends. I'm very picking with music, but when I heard DragonForce, I was blown away. I have their first two albums "Valley of the Damned" and "Sonic Firestorm." They became my favorite band overnight. I purchased this album with high hopes. DragonForce was good, but now they're even better. This album breaks the barrier. It is so intense and fast that it actually flows smoothly. The lyrics are just outstanding, the guitarist's are crazy, the keyboarder is amazing, and the drummer has some real talent. Now, if only they could do some conserts here int eh U.S.....

This ablum really is fantastic, you will be blown away.

I was never a metaller when I was growing up in the 1980s. All my friends were into Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Manowar and so on, but yet I couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Said friends went far beyond the call of duty to get me to understand why True Metal was a concept worth fighting for. And they failed miserably. I guess I just wasn't ready or receptive enough to the idea. No matter. Even if it has taken me over twenty years to fully appreciate the Majesty Of Rock and the Mystery Of Roll, I get it now thanks to Dragonforce.

To the uninitiated, the Dragonforce experience will seem daunting. Take a nice, well scrubbed classic rock song with a proper tune and a chorus even the most tone deaf of milkmen could whistle. The kind of tune that would charm the panties off your Fleetwood Mac loving mother and make your dad-rock father suspicious that someone has been performing immoral acts with his Dire Straits CDs. Make sure that the lyrics are meaningless AD&D themed twaddle that Thrudd The Barbarian (yet alone Conan) would dismiss as hackneyed. Get the [...] son of Ronnie James Dio to sing them, ensuring that every lyrical clanger is crystal clear to even the most casual of listeners. Add two guitarists and a keyboardist incapable of playing a simple riff without tweedle-deeing all over it at break-neck speed and alarming precision. Then get a drummer who would certainly fail an Olympic drug test to drum as fast as (in)humanly possible over the resulting confusion. And there might be a bassist there too. Perhaps. Play said song for six or seven minutes at 78rpm with a truck driver gear change for the last chorus, repeat to fade.

None of this should work. These ingredients should result in an unlistenable mess, but somehow they don't. Admittedly the first time you hear Inhuman Rampage you may beg to differ, but give it time. By the third or fourth listen, the solos will start to show their nuances and the drumming, while frenetic, starts to appear, well, oddly sensible. Of course Mr Drummer needs to blast beat for six minutes continuously! How else could he play? By the sixth or seventh listen, it's much, much too late. You see, Dragonforce have three not so secret musical weapons in their armoury.

One, they fully understand the evil concept of earworms. If you make a tune catchy enough the poor unfortunate listener will wander around all day with your tune playing on an infernal internal loop. Given what Dragonforce sound like, that's no mean achievement.

Two, everything sounds bland, boring and slow after Dragonforce. I listen to music on my MP3 player on shuffle and believe me, Dragonforce in the middle of my usual mix of indie, alternative and electronica is the aural equivalent of a pneumatic drill in the nads.

Three - Dragonforce evidently love what they do and their enthusiasm draws in and captivates the listener. Every twiddle, every bomp and every keyboardy flourish has been lovingly crafted, cogitated over, considered and executed with evident care for detail. Their music may be fast to the point of parody, the lyrics stupidly banal tripe and I doubt very much they were wearing trousers when performing these solos, but goddam it, these guys are good. You need one Dragonforce album in your life, so you might as well choose this one. That or Sonic Firestorm.

Finally, a word of warning. Dragonforce are something to be sampled in small doses - a bit like fine Belgian dark chocolate. Listen to 'Operation Ground And Pound' or 'Cry For Eternity' in isolation and afterwards you'll feel ready to knock seven shades of poo out of any marauding orcs that may be lurking outside your suburban semi. Listen to the whole album in one sitting and you'll find yourself cowering like a sissy girl while six hairy men laugh at your inability to handle True Metal.

And don't drive listening to this stuff. Just don't.

Picture Dream Theater....on crack. The instrumentation will make your jaw drop, and the pure cheese factor of the lyrics will make you bust up laughing. Take it for what it is, and I dare you to find an album that's more entertaining to listen to. And as an added bonus; if you sing along to this album at the volume level it deserves (which is at least 80db)...your neighbors will think Steve Perry is being tortured next door.

It's true people, this is the CHEESIEST metal album ever. And it's too bad because the talent of the musicians in this band this could have been so much better but apparently the band has never heard the saying "too much of anything isn't good". The guitarists know how to f*cking shred and solo there's no doubt about that and I love the unrelenting speed they play at, however, varying things up a bit wouldn't have hurt. The drumming is also top notch, quite intense for power metal. But overall the album is ruined by the gratuitous use of keyboards and the cheesy beyond cheesy vocals/lyrics. After listening to this I feel I should be in a lame fantasy novel or playing a live action game of D and D. The keyboards are so damn cheesy and ridiculous they border on J-pop! *shudder* The singer is also just about as silly, I've heard some comparisons to Bruce Dickenson and that just makes me laugh. Bruce owns this guy any day of the week. If anything this guy is like the K-mart version of him but that's it. Everything about this album is over the top and if that's for you then be my guest and pick this up but I find this annoying most of the time. If I'm going to listen to uber fast music I'll stick to grindcore or thrash. Sorry but I can't give this higher than a 75%.