The new golden boys of hyped up nonsense “DragonForce” bring their third offering to the table with “Inhuman Rampage” - and with it they certainly bring a refreshed, thundering production - with more “widdle” than you can shake a handful of fine English cheddar at. Thankfully, I’m not one of the DragonForce loony brigade who seem to be proclaiming this band as the second coming of Christ – and quite frankly I’ve never seen what the fuss is all about (other than the band have the knack of playing songs at a ridiculously high speed of course) so I shall try and conduct my review from neutral ground.
So, with a new high profile record deal we are certainly treated to top class production and this is evident right from the off – being equally heavy & bass laden as it is clear and intricate. Every drum beat, keyboard line and virtuoso cheesy guitar solo thunders out of your speakers at 100mph like a herd of rampant wildebeest. There’s definitely no faulting the music in that respect.
What I do have to fault is Dragonforce’s lack of progression from album to album. You may have heard from other sources that “Inhuman Rampage” really shows the band “experimenting and embracing new ideas”. This my friends, is a load of old cobblers. A few “pac-man” sound samples in opener “Through the Fire and the Flames”, a couple of industrial FX filters elsewhere, and the addition of trendy “pitchshifter” and “record scratch” sound effects do not, in my book, merit these sorts of accolades - and certainly isn’t progression of any notable degree. Make no mistake, this is more of the same hyperactive power metal that Dragonforce are known for – it’s merely had more money thrown at it.
Album openers “Through the Fire and the Flames” and “Revolution Deathsquad” are easily the album highlights, it’s just a shame such an effective payload is used up at such an early stage – my interest soon begins to wane after this.
With Dragonforce, the downfall is the song writing. Whilst the instrumental sections are a whirlwind of impressive technicality, things really do seem to hit bland central when the singing starts. From track 3 onwards, each chorus is quite easily interchangeable with the next, even interchangeable with just about any song from previous album “Sonic Firestorm”, just at a different speed with the words going up or down the musical scale - and with the vocals of “ZP Theart” being somewhat limited in tone, and for me, hugely overrated - this is what drags Dragonforce down.
Three albums into their career and this is growing stale and repetitive. I only hope they find some new ideas soon, especially if they want to carry on into the big leagues. If you are an avid fan of Dragonforce then you will most likely love “Inhuman Rampage” – if you couldn’t stand DF before then this album certainly won’t change your mind. For me, I was hoping for something a little less repetitive and a little more progression. Still, Herman Li has LOVELY hair.
Standout Tracks: Through the Fire and The Flames, Revolution Deathsquad.
