DragonForce's 'Extreme Power Metal' - Album Review

If modern metal has a band that is the closest thing to being a meme that can be, the multi-national power metal five-piece DragonForce must surely be in the running for that title. Power metal, even back in the 1980s, has always been an over-the-top and cheesy genre; but DragonForce managed to take all of the genre's tropes and up the ante on them - creating a sound that was crazier, faster, and heavier than any power metal band before or since. In many respects, DragonForce are their own genre. Mixing blast beats and tempos often found in thrash, AOR-esque keyboard arrangements, and soaring anthemic vocal melodies; DragonForce are almost the ultimate mix of extreme metal and melodic metal - with the trademark guitar pyrotechnics of founding members Herman Li and Sam Totman becoming their USP. The band's initial run of albums, from 2003's Valley of the Damned to 2008's Ultra Beatdown, saw the band constantly attempting to beat themselves at their own game. Those original four albums, which co-incidentally were the four to feature original frontman ZP Theart, are probably considered by many fans to be the band's golden age - with many of their most-famous songs coming from these records. Since 2011 however, with the hiring of current frontman Marc Hudson, DragonForce have matured somewhat. Starting with 2012's The Power Within, the band seemed to want to branch out sound wise and push their formula further. While the Hudson era and the Theart era are not exactly night and day - I think it is fair to say that the band have been experimenting with more progressive influences recently. This is down to, in part and in my opinion, the increased songwriting presence of bassist Frédéric Leclercq who, on 2014's Maximum Overload (which I reviewed here) and 2017's Reaching into Infinity (which I reviewed here) in particular, has really dominated proceedings. Totman had always traditionally been the band's main songwriter, but the past few years has really seen Leclercq take the reigns - and DragonForce's albums have diversified as a result. I was quite shocked then to read earlier this year, not long before the release of the band's eighth album Extreme Power Metal, that Leclercq had left the band to join the German thrash legends Kreator. I wondered what this meant for Extreme Power Metal, and when I got the CD I was interested to see that Totman had written the vast majority of the album - with a few Leclercq efforts. In my opinion, this is no bad thing. As much as I have enjoyed the diversifying of the band's sound recently, it is comforting to listen to a DragonForce album that returns to their old-school sound - which Extreme Power Metal largely does. Leclercq's few contributions help to keep things fresh, and he is featured in full throughout the album despite his departure, but it is also great to hear Totman's riffs and lyrics once again. Totman, Li, Leclercq, Hudson and drummer Gee Anzalone all seem to be having a blast here playing this over-the-top material. It is also the band's first album not to feature keyboardist Vadim Pruzhanov, who left the band in 2018 after sitting out the entire Reaching into Infinity touring cycle. The album's keyboards are instead handled by Coen Janssen (Epica) who, as you would expect, does a great job throughout.

Despite feeling more like an old-school DragonForce album, the songs here largely stick to the more concise arrangements found on the band's more recent efforts. Lead single Highway to Oblivion kicks things off in a relatively low-key fashion, with pulsing keyboards and Hudson's voice gently spilling out of the speakers. The band's albums usually kick off with a bang, so this slow start comes a bit out left field - but it is not long before the song ramps up with a heroic twin guitar harmony and then a riff that sounds like something Iron Maiden might have come up with before increasing the speed tenfold. This is the DragonForce of old, and it is great to hear so many songs here that fall back on the band's old speed trope. It did get a bit tiresome when that is all the band seemed to be focused on, but it helps the album stand out among the band's recent discography. Anzalone, now on his second album with the band, showcases his talents throughout with plenty of ludicrous double bass footwork, and Hudson shows perfect control to deliver the wordy lyrics at the speed that he does. Anyone who loved 2004's Sonic Firestorm album is sure to love Highway to Oblivion, with the endless guitar leads and a soaring, epic chorus. All of the songs here feature back-and-forth soloing between Li and Totman - and this track is no different, with the two trading licks and shredded patterns with ease. Cosmic Power of the Infinite Shred Machine follows, and opens with a great old-school synth soundscape from Janssen before Anzalone takes off with more double bass drumming. Despite the song's title, it is not as fast and furious as you might expect. The steams along at a decent pace, but compared to many of the songs here it feels a little restrained. Strange, whammy bar guitar riffing joins the synths in the intro, and the rest of the song is largely characterised by a slightly heavier sound with a strong focus on tight rhythm guitars and the occasional burst of jagged synth. The stand-out performer here however is Hudson, who showcases every side of his voice throughout the track. The verses see him delivering the lyrics in a somewhat richer tone, before exploding into the chorus with a barrage of high notes and harmonies. The latter portion of the chorus is largely sung in falsetto, which adds to the song's somewhat heavier edge. The soloing is not as in-your-face here either, with a lengthy keyboard-led section being the song's main instrumental moment. Janssen's work in Epica is much more classically-inspired, and it sounds like he had a great time playing with these synths throughout the recording process. Solos do come later, but it is the keyboard playing that stands out the most for me. The Last Dragonborn is actually a Totman/Janssen co-write, and it is one of my favourite songs here. It is a mid-paced, groove-based track with some excellent Oriental-inspired keyboard melodies and a tight, succinct rhythm throughout with the guitars and bass teaming up for the strong grooves. Despite how fun it is to hear the band going back to their old sound, this recalls the best moments of their more recent albums. When I first listened to the album it was one that instantly stood out to me, with Hudson again really impressing with his rallying cry-esque vocals - particularly during the heroic chorus. Due to the pace, the soloing is also a little more paired back too - with Li and Totman teaming up for some well-chosen phrases that really compliment the song's steady chug.

Heart Demolition is one of three Leclercq efforts on his last album with the band so, unsurprisingly, it is also a track that recalls the band's more recent work. There is a strong AOR tinge to the track, but with the classic DragonForce sound still present. The opening guitar leads again recall Iron Maiden, but the verse actually strips everything back and leaves Hudson singing against a simple, sombre guitar melody. Leclercq is certainly more of a progressive songwriter than Totman, so the song jumps around a lot with quite a lot of stylistic changes. The stripped back sound does not stick around for long, as everything soon ramps up with some of those old video game guitar sounds that were all over the band's early albums - and culminates in a soaring chorus which is where the AOR influence can be heard the most. The use of gang vocals, which is something not commonly used by the band, also reinforces a 1980s sound - and in fact actually makes me thing of the sadly now-defunct band The Morning After who I followed during my teenage years. Troopers of the Stars gets back to the band's old school sound, although also at times seems to introduce a slight punk tinge - something new for the band. Gang vocals are also used here, this time in a greater capacity, with some sections almost-entirely sung by the whole band - in a way that recalls classic 1970s punk. The rest of the song sounds like old-school DragonForce however, with Anzalone laying into his double bass drums and Hudson delivering a soaring chorus with plenty of melodic oos and ahhs in the background. It is also old-school in the way that Li and Totman are never far away from breaking into a lead or a solo, with plenty of guitar heroics to be found. While never exactly restrained, this song certainly feels like one where they have really allowed themselves to let it all go - and the results are sure to put a big grin on any guitar lover's face. Razorblade Meltdown is another highlight for me, and it is a song that has grown on me a lot over my repeated listens to the album. It opens slowly, with Janssen teasing some of the song's main melodies on his piano, before it explodes with another fast-paced guitar pattern with Anzalone doing a marathon behind his kit. The pace never really lets up at all throughout the song, and as a result it really sounds like a song that could have been on Sonic Firestorm, with even the vocal melodies similar to something that Theart might have come up with. It is just a pure burst of epic power metal, with Jassen, Li, and Totman all taking the chance to solo and shred their instruments to piece; and one of the album's best choruses. It is just a real winner of a song that old-school fans will totally love. Strangers is another Leclercq tune, and reminds me a little of Seasons from The Power Within. It is a bit more of a mid-paced, anthemic piece with less of an emphasis on heaviness and more of a focus on overt-melodies. I assume that Leclercq must be a big AOR fan, as his songs on this album really contain a big chunk of that sound - perhaps more so than his previous efforts. Pompy keyboards are all over this song, with the chorus being driving by some big Survivor-esque keyboard melodies, while the tight harmony guitar leads elsewhere ooze class. It is another excellent song here, and one that shows that the band will miss Leclercq's songwriting going forward.

Fans of Leclercq's however have one more song here of his to enjoy with In a Skyforged Dream which, perhaps ironically, is actually more of an old-school sounding track. The pace throughout is nice and fast, with some somewhat thrashy guitar riffs (which perhaps bodes well for his new employers) thrown in for good measure occasionally to up the heaviness. Despite these tougher moments, the song more than anything just sounds like DragonForce with Anzalone barely letting up the pace and the keyboards creating a really melodic backdrop for everything to sit on top of. This is another song that has grown on me over my many listens to the album, with the chorus again impressing. The band have always had a knack for crafting really catchy choruses, with very few of their songs not containing one that is at least up to scratch. This song contains another soaring effort with some excellent melodies from Hudson - with the whole band again harmonising well with him to create a big sound. It is another excellent song on an album that rarely misses, and showcases again Leclercq's songwriting talents. Speaking of misses however, Remembrance Day is probably the album's only truly weak song as it just never really seems to get going. After Hudson took on a lot more of the lyrical responsibility on Reaching into Infinity, I was surprised to see that he had only co-written one song here - and Remembrance Day is it. I like the bagpipes during the intro, as that is something new for the band's sound, but apart from that the song sadly sounds like filler. It is a mid-paced song, but lacks the driving grooves and epic melodies of The Last Dragonborn to make that sound really work. The lyrics are also a lot more serious and heartfelt than the band's usual offerings, which clashes a bit with the over-the-top nature of their sound. For me the song just does not quite work, but to only have one weak track on the album overall is certainly nothing to be ashamed of from the band's perspective. The album's final song is a DragonForced-up cover of Céline Dion's My Heart Will Go On, which works just about as well as you might expect. I got a bit tired of their cover of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire on Maximum Overload, but My Heart Will Go On is much better - and their version does the song justice in my opinion. The original song is quite epic and overwrought, with DragonForce taking this and speeding everything up. The song's chorus is an extremely powerful moment, and it loses none of its power in the band's hands - despite the huge hike in tempo and the layers of soaring backing vocals that harmonise with Hudson. Good covers are always very enjoyable, and this is probably the best of the few that the band have done yet. It fits in with the band's style nicely, and their take on it retains the song's original spirit but forces it into a power metal guise. Overall, Extreme Power Metal is another strong album from the band and one that shows that an old-school DragonForce album is still something that there is an appetite for. I definitely already prefer this album to Reaching into Infinity, and it is definitely up there with both The Power Within and Maximum Overload in the band's recent canon. Hudson has now performed on as many albums with the band as Theart did, and his performance throughout is perhaps his best yet.

The album was released on 27th September 2019 via earMusic. Below is the band's promotional video for Highway to Oblivion.