Some artists have such big impacts with a certain album or song that it is almost impossible for them to attain the same sort of success ever again. Truth be told this trait isn’t all that uncommon, some examples I would give would perhaps be Mastodon or Behemoth. They both hit peaks and whilst they have remained popular their current output is a little lacklustre. I mean even some people would say the same about Maiden, Slayer, Priest, Metallica or any other huge gods of Metal. The fact of the matter is we all have our own opinions.
Pushing my own opinion forward I would struggle to think of a more culturally important modern Power Metal act than London’s DragonForce. Formed in 1999 as DragonHeart before a name change in 2001. The band have put out eight full length records, including the one we are here to talk about today, 2019’s Extreme Power Metal. When I was a teenager the bands classic 2006 Inhuman Rampage album was marvelled at for it’s insane guitar wizardry and was likely also the first taste me and many others of my generation had of Power Metal, hence the importance. Yet after the hype the band went on a lull eventually losing singer ZP Theart. Whom was replaced by Marc Hudson, however since then the band have somewhat failed to garner the same success that they once held so high, can this new record see the tides turn for the classic Power Metal troupe?
If you don’t like Power Metal then first off why are you reading this? And secondly you’ll hate this album. I wouldn’t even say this is like dipping your toe in the water, in fact the album’s title could not be a truer statement. Opener Highway To Oblivion is every bit as cheesy, over the top and cringe worthy as one might expect. Hudson’s vocals come in like a soothing ballad only to then be cut into by Herman Li’s expert guitar skills. All of this is packaged together with hook heavy riffs and lyrics which will have to prancing around some LARPing loon within moments. Speaking of nerding out we have the exceptional The Last Dragonborn, a fantasy fuelled banger that is likely one of the best DragonForce tracks I’ve heard in years.
For the most part however the album is a little repetitive, of course we all know DragonForce’s signature sound by now and this is merely a treading of old ground. Yet despite this is feels a touch more invigorating than some of the bands other later work. It is a very conflicting release however and becomes somewhat of a struggle to really pick stand out tracks (with the exception of The Last Dragonborn). This is purely because nearly every song sounds the same and whilst most are catchy they pretty much follow the same structures of soaring vocals, rapid drumming and insane guitar work that is probably impossible to pull off live. Then we come to the concluding song, a Céline Dion cover. Do I need a Power Metal cover of My Heart Will Go On in my life, absolutely not. Does it work however, yes. That said I have no interest in it and it’s a bit of a shame when one of the more stand out tracks on this record is that song.
I must sound like I’m having a right whinge, but really I’m not. I’m rather fond of Power Metal as a genre and fonder still of DragonForce for whom I wouldn’t have discovered the delights of this ludicrous genre without. With that in mind however I must say that I feel this record befalls a similar fate to that of the latest Gloryhammer release, whereby it sort of says ‘we’re a Power Metal band, look how silly we are’. When the real truth is you don’t need to try to be obscene or funny, just play Power Metal and that’s enough. It is a similar story again with Steel Panther and the whole Glam image, but that rant is perhaps best left for another day. If you’re a big fan of DragonForce then you’ll love Extreme Power Metal, but for more passing fans such as myself it’s merely a good record with a couple of stand out moments, nothing to get overly excited about.
(7/10 George Caley)
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