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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Addicting CD. Best to date., October 1, 2008
This review is from: Ultra Beatdown (W/Dvd) (Spec) (Audio CD)
This is by far Dragonforce's best CD to date. Insane musicianship, great production and catchy choruses (YES, they're cheesey as hell, but they ARE catchy!)
I read a lot of negative stuff on these guys saying that they can't write decent songs (which I totally disagree with) and that the guitarists enhance their parts in the studio with multiple layering and Pro Tools gimmicks, but I have never seen any discussions on the drumming. How in the hell can a drummer play that fast and precise??? I used to be a thrash metal drummer (albeit not a very good one), and I simply cannot fathom the thought of any human being able to play a double kick that fast and handling intricate fills that quickly and perfectly. If anything, I think that the drumming is mostly computer programmed (even more so than the guitar parts)!
I also read a lot that they cannot pull this stuff off live. That may or may not be the case, but also remember that the Beatles stopped touring in '66 because they new that they couldn't re-create their studio stuff in a live atmosphere as well and no one held that against them. I have tix to see them live in November, so I guess I'll find out then.
All in all, I think that these guys are great for the metal community in general. Wouldn't you all rather see a long haired teenage kid in a Dragonforce t-shirt than sporting some lame rap or Emo band nonsense? Returning and keeping the faith!!!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING, November 8, 2008
This review is from: Ultra Beatdown (W/Dvd) (Spec) (Audio CD)
DragonForce had humble beginnings with "Valley of the Damned." After that came Sonic Firestorm, a much speedier and longer album that set what DragonForce would basically do for every album thereafter (but still kick @$$ while doing it). So, then it was Inhuman Rampage, which was same old, same old, and then Guitar Hero brought DragonForce to the world's attention. This is their first album since that, and I have to say, it just might be my favorite since Sonic Firestorm.
The album starts off with "Heroes of Our Time," the single from the album. The first time through, you might think "Oh, great, they stuck with the Verse Chorus Verse Chorus 3-minute-solo Chorus formula," but then it surprises you at the point the solo would USUALLY kick in with a soft singing part and THEN the solo.
Next up is "The Fire Still Burns," which is... I guess, as much as I don't wanna say it "typical DragonForce." Not to say that that's bad, but... Eh. Maybe the weakest track.
Track 3 is "Reasons to Live," which starts off with a really cool techno-like sound, and a really random Pac-Man sound bite. Pretty catchy chorus, and possibly the slowest DragonForce solo you will ever hear. Well, til Herman Li ruins it with his cocaine-infused fingers. But still, a good track.
"Heartbreak Armageddon" has a catchy chorus too, but the lyrics mention TWO of the other songs on the album ("Long Journey Home" and "Fire Still Burns" [not in direct reference, but c'mon, how many times can you mention fire in one song, let alone an entire album?]). Halfway through, the song turns into a slow ballad-like tune, and then kicks back into a shred-fest. Also of note, the keyboards don't sound as much like the guitar as in previous albums. In fact, aside from this and a few other tracks, the keyboards are used more for mood-setting than noise.
"The Last Journey Home" is probably my favorite song off the album. It opens epically, and keeps up that epic tone by SLOWING IT DOWN. ZOMG IMPOSSIBLE. Yes, most of the way through, the song maintains a fairly normal speed compared to most other bands, so it's not quite slow enough to be a ballad. The whole song really is just pure epicness, at times, I feel like making some crappy Final Fantasy AMV to compliment it(oh, wait... I am). Really, I love this song.
"A Flame For Freedom"-- THIS is the ballad. Per usual, it's the shortest song on the album (well... aside from the bonus track "Strike of the Ninja," but I'll get to that), and something nags at me like I feel like I've heard this song before... It sounds just like "Dawn Over a New World" from Sonic Firestorm! Yeah, I know, most DragonForce songs sound the same, but dammit, these two sound like THE EXACT SONG!! Hell, they're even just 10 seconds short of each other!
"Inside the Winter Storm"-- I was really looking forward to this song. I thought it would be like some sequel to "Above the Winter Moonlight," one of my favorite DragonForce songs, and really, it's not too bad of a song. But, I dunno, it just kinda feels like it's missing the "winter mood," ya know? Yeah, there's a gust of wind sound effect half-way through, but it really doesn't add much. The bridge shortly thereafter would have been better in "The Long Journey Home." Said bridge is very reminiscent of "Soldiers of the Wasteland," though.
"The Warrior Inside" is the (regular edition) album closer. And I gotta say, WTF?! The beginning sounds like a circus! Seriously, what the crap is that about?! It's even used again a little later! Otherwise, pretty standard DragonForce here.
"Strike of the Ninja" is the first bonus track, and OH MY GOD. AWWWWWWWWWESOME!!! The first DragonForce song ever under 5 minutes, too!! Well, technically, it's a cover of the DragonForce side band The Shadow Warriors, but still, hot damn! That's seriously mind-shattering! The song itself is basically half a DragonForce song and sped up juuuust a little bit, and the guitar solo has some tapping that would make Eddie Van Halen crap his pants! Well, maybe that's a bit of an extreme way to put it, but still, really cool track. Worth paying the extra money for this alone.
"Scars of Yesterday"-- Oh, geez, what an emo-sounding song title... *FACEPALM* But don't let the title fool you, DragonForce holds no stops here-- So many random video game sound bites! Such speed and energy! And that's just in the intro! Now THIS is an album closer! I feel sorry for you suckers who cheaped out and got the UNspecial edition. Losers. Actually, after the intro, it's more pretty standard DragonForce stuff, but the second solo after the first slow one really lets loose! And this is another example of the keyboards sounding less like the guitars. But the final 30 seconds... Oh, my God, the use of MORE video game sound bites there are awesomely hilarious!
All in all, a very good album. It may not change any DragonForce haters (just listen to the crap you like, all right?), but for fans, it's a definite pick-up.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Could have been better, but shows Dragonforce still evolving and pushing the envelope, October 1, 2008
This review is from: Ultra Beatdown (W/Dvd) (Spec) (Audio CD)
I like this album, I'll be happy enough to hear the songs at the Astoria concert on Friday (yay!) but this is not yet going to replace Inhuman Rampage or Sonic Firestorm at the top spot.
There are a lot of good reviews of this album here already. I'd like to second a couple of things...
1: Sure enough, these guys seem to have a bag of words like "Warriors, Eternity, Victorious, Freedom, Fire, Storm" and so on, and juggle them up to come up with their lyrics and song titles. I can live with it for now, but for how long can this continue?
2: Ah yes, the drumming. Another reviewer mentions that we all talk about the guitars, but what about the drumming? The drumming - real or machine or whatever it is - is just great on this album.
What I like about Dragonforce is that despite the blazing speed of it all and the general madness that is power metal gone mad... there are still tunes you can hum/sing/massacre, catchy hooks and melodies that would not be out of place in a pop song.
I also love the production and construction of Dragonforce songs... They begin powerfully, move through the song part to the monster solo/instrumental bits with grace, and end with a bang or a flourish.
This album sees Dragonforce trying a few more styles, getting a bit mellow in places, and some of the songs try several different moods along the way. This patchwork quality (which only works if you are writing "Bohemian Rhapsody") is where the album can come a little unstuck sometimes.
What's good here is the production has progressed still further, and the Dragonforce sound is fantastically slick, powerful and clean. The highlights of Ultra Beatdown for me are some of the ripping instrumental sections, choice examples appearing in "The Fire Still Burns", "The Journey Home" and "Inside the Winter Storm".
The fact that Dragonforce have managed to make four decent albums and keep evolving is a wonderful thing in this day and age. I just hope these guys manage to bring a little more sophistication to their songwriting without losing the madness and magic!
They are still one of the most amazing bands on the planet and just inches away from being the most powerful force in the universe.
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