DragonForce's 'Warp Speed Warriors' - Album Review

Following the band releasing new albums every two or three years between 2012's The Power Within and 2019's Extreme Power Metal (which I reviewed here), the British-based power metal act DragonForce have been relatively quiet of late - at least on the new material front. A new DragonForce album has often been on the horizon, but playing touring catch-up following the pandemic-enforced disruption and navigating a couple of pretty major line-up changes in a short space of time likely made the band sit back and take stock somewhat. The Extreme Power Metal touring cycle was heavily affected by the pandemic, so this likely set the cycle for the next album back - but I also think that the band had to consider operatations going forward without long-time bassist Frédéric Leclercq - who contributed to Extreme Power Metal but left the band to join Kreator before its release. Despite not being a founding member of the band, having made his debut in the studio on 2008's Ultra Beatdown, he had increasingly become the band's main songwriter - with both 2014's Maximum Overload (which I reviewed here) and 2017's Reaching into Infinity (which I reviewed here) being dominated by his compositions. I really liked Leclercq's songwriting and it meant that DragonForce's sound had slowly diversified over the years. The more recent albums generally felt more dynamic and sophisticated than the high-octane speed-fests of the past - but I am not sure that power metal was ever truly where Leclercq's heart was, and his departure left founding guitarist Sam Totman, who has been the band's principal songwriter throughout their career, to really pick up the reins once again. Extreme Power Metal was very much a Totman album, then, despite a handful of Leclercq-penned pieces, so it is not a surprise that is had a more old-school sound. It was also the first album without long-time keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov, so the Extreme Power Metal tour saw a very different looking DragonForce treading the boards. Losing two long-time members in quick succession likely rocked the band and this is likely partly why new material has been lacking of late - but fans of the band cheered last month when their ninth album Warp Speed Warriors dropped. It is the band's second album as five-piece; as Pruzhanov has not been replaced, with Coen Janssen (Epica; Amahiru) playing all of the album's keyboards on a session basis again; and their first with bassist Alicia Vigil who has been playing live with the band since 2020. It is also the album that sees Totman really step up as the lead songwriting force again - as he has written every song here with the exception of the closing cover. I am not sure why none of the rest of the rest of the band chipped in, but frontman Marc Hudson has only periodically contributed as a writer and guitarist Herman Li, once a prolific writer, has not had a songwriting credit on a main album since The Power Within. This is very much the Totman show, then, so it harks back to the band's first few albums more than any other of their more recent releases. It also, worrying, starts to stray close 'meme'-esque territory - for want of a better term. Despite their antics live and over-the-top albums, DragonForce have never really gone for all-out silliness in the vein of a band like Alestorm - which they should be commended for. Warp Speed Warriors, though, does flirt with that vibe at times - and this is a path that I really hope that they do not fully embrace going forward.

That being said, though, there is still plenty to enjoy here. It is an album that really kicks in hard from the off, with the opening cut Astro Warrior Anthem being a real throwback to the band's early days. It opens atmospherically, though, with some synths and Hudson's opening vocal lines - but this slower intro is short-lived, as some dual guitar leads kick in and drummer Gee Anzalone speeds off. Not everything on this album is fast-paced, but there seems to be a big focus again on speed here. Despite the slower intro, this is a song which really roars out of the blocks and returns to the core sound with which DragonForce made their name. Hudson's machine gun vocal lines during the verses are accented nicely by shredded guitar leads, whilst the chorus is much more explosive overall - with a bigger keyboard presence and a bit more of an anthemic vocal approach despite the speed generally being maintained. DragonForce have always done faster tracks, even on their more recent albums, but I am not sure that any of them have been as blatantly a throwback as this one. It could have easily sat on 2004's Sonic Firestorm without sticking out and it is a longer-form piece, too, as many of the band's older tracks were. The arrangement is dynamic, though, with a few slower bridge moments changing up the pace - but once the main guitar solo section takes over the fast pace is maintained, with Totman and Li trading lengthy and shredded solos back and forth. DragonForce's guitar solo trade-offs are their USP and it is great to see that their melodic soloing approach is as strong as ever. As such, the song is one of the album's overall highlights and it is fun hearing the band operate in this manner again. Power of the Triforce is more of a mid-paced piece, although there is still plenty of energy throughout, and more akin to the band's recent albums in sound. It feels more overtly anthemic overall and made for being played live. It kicks off with part of the song's chorus, but the verses are much more stripped back sound-wise, leaving Vigil's bass and the keyboards to back Hudson's more heroic vocal performance. There is less of a focus on big guitar moments here, despite the occasional lead, and the track is crunchier overall - focusing more on Hudson's vocal hooks. The slower pace allows the vocal melodies to shine and the chorus is a hooky moment as a result. It is certainly an easy song to latch onto and it follows the vein of the band's other more recent singles. It is much shorter than the album's opening cut and it shows the restraint that the band have shown in more recent years to allow for hookier pieces. There is still plenty of high-octane guitar playing during a busy solo section, but elsewhere the arrangement is tighter and crunchier - with Hudson really shining during the aforementioned big chorus. Kingdom of Steel is a bit different again and goes for a sound which I am not sure that DragonForce have really attempted before. It opens slowly, with some dancing synths and percussive drumming - over which Hudson starts to sing in a more emotional and slower manner. It has the feel of a ballad throughout, but it is a not a typical DragonForce ballad as it feels more anthemic overall. Anzalone's drumming is punchy and his atypical playing gives the song a different feel, whilst the focus on cinematic keyboards really broadens its scope. It is the sort of song that I keep thinking is going to explode into something more intense, but it never does - and I quite like the fact that the band tried something different here. I am not sure that the song really grabs me in the way intended, but given that the band have often, and wrongly, been accused of sticking to one sound I like this slower-burn approach in principle. Hudson sounds great here, with his voice given more room to breathe, and the slower, more emotional guitar solo section is a bit different for the band.

Burning Heart gets back to something more typical, with the fast pace of the opening song retained - as Anzalone lays into his double bass drums from the off. There is no slow build up here, with the song exploding from the off, and it is again a hark back to the band's early days. There are plenty of blast beat-led sections to inject those moments of extreme metal influence which DragonForce often made use of, whilst there is also a big focus on guitar shredding here. Janssen's keyboards also take on a big role, with the slower pre-choruses popping thanks to his 1980s AOR-esque synths, but generally this is a fast-burning piece with a huge amount of crunchy riffing and guitar-led interludes. There are plenty of shredded parts between Hudson's vocal lines, although the chorus is generally left alone to allow his vocal melodies to really shine, and there is also another lengthy guitar solo section. This actually sees the band slow down a little, though, with a keyboard melody backing the solo section - and Vigil actually opens it with a melodic bass solo, before Totman and Li take over. The solo section does speed up as it moves along and the back-and-forth between the two players is as impressive as ever. Given how prominent the keyboards are throughout the song, though, it would have been nice to let Janssen let rip with a full-blown synth solo - but his contributions here are never-the-less important. For me, though, the album takes a dip with Space Marine Corp. I mentioned earlier that the band have flirted with meme-esque moments here and this is the song which largely does this. It is a mid-paced song overall, and parts of it feel like modern DragonForce, but there are guest spoken/chanted vocals here from Francis Ausley (Rattlehead; Giant Deathsnake) which are extremely cringeworthy. There is also a huge focus on rather on-the-nose gang vocals throughout - and Hudson also sings parts of the song in a rather strange way. The anthemic chorus is not too bad, but overall the song gives me the wrong sort of vibes. I have always admired DragonForce's ability to stay the right side of the silliness line. It would have been easy for them to stray into this territory earlier, but they have generally resisted doing so. From reading reviews online, this song does seem to have rubbed quite a few up the wrong way - so I am hoping that this experiment will not become a big feature of the band's sound going forward and it is easily one of my least favourite DragonForce songs to date. Following the brief atmospheric instrumental piece Prelude to Darkness, the band gets back on track with The Killer Queen - another fast-paced track which ups the heaviness overall. The opening riff is pretty thrashy, and there is a darkness to the song's opening moments, but when Janssen's synths kick in the track is typical DragonForce. There are lots of strong keyboard counter-melodies here, but the riffing throughout from Totman and Li is perhaps a little busier than usual - whilst the usual shredded guitar leads appear at regular intervals. This is another song which strips things back somewhat during the verses, though, with Vigil's bass really leading the way - whilst the band slowly grow around Hudson's vocals as the chorus is approached. Guitar and synth melodies fly around during the fast-paced chorus - and I do not mind the gang vocals as used here to toughen up parts of the chorus. The guitar solo section later really sees all of the leads earlier put to good use - but I actually think that the keyboard melodies throughout the song are more effective than many of the guitar leads. The solos are as good as ever, though, and the song is another strong cut on the album.

Doomsday Party changes the vibe again and it is another quite divisive track it seems. Unlike Space Marine Corp, though, I do actually quite like Doomsday Party. It is a bit different for DragonForce, but it does feel like a natural evolution of some of the mid-paced tracks on the band's recent albums - and it does not really stray into overt silliness. It is very synth-heavy, and certainly takes influence from bands like Amaranthe and Beast in Black (limited editions of the album come with a version of the song featuring Amaranthe's Elize Ryd on guest vocals), but the hooks are very DragonForce in nature - and the song overall does not feel out of character. The 1980s drum sounds are a bit on-the-nose, but everything feels suitably tongue-in-cheek for me - and the hooks are so big that it is hard not to get dragged along. The chorus is one of the album's most overt hooks for me and I can really see the track going over well live. It is the sort of the song made for the stage - and the funky bass playing of Vigil and the dancefloor synths of Janssen really make the song tick. There is still plenty of guitar crunch, though, and the trademark DragonForce guitar solos are present and correct - even if they feel more constructed and less shred-happy here. A short piano-led bridge section later provides a change of pace - but overall this is an upbeat party anthem which I sure will win people around eventually. The last original piece here, co-written by Janssen, is Pixel Prison - another speed-fest which is also big throwback to the band's early days. Blast beats and the opening guitar shredding set the tone early on, and the song is generally a high-octane piece - even if parts of the verses do slow things down a little with a piano backing. This just allows for a bit more of a dynamic arrangement, though, and generally the song really speeds off into the distance. What really grabs me about this track, though, is its chorus. The chorus melodies are very reminiscent of the band's past. The melodies are not a direct lift from any one particular song but they are very much of a type which the band used to make use of all the time. It has a very anthemic feel and it is another song that I can feel would go over very well live as a result. Elsewhere, Janssen does have a couple of standout keyboard moments, but again it would have been nice if he had a chance to really let rip with a big synth solo. The guitar solos are as good as ever, but given that Janssen has helped the band out for two albums in a row now, and co-wrote the song with Totman, a big synth solo would have been welcome. The song is another strong one, though, and it ends the album's original material on a high. There is one track left, though, and in DragonForce's semi-regular tradition of covering out-of-character songs they have tackled Taylor Swift's 2015 single Wildest Dreams. Despite how big Swift is, I am not familiar with the song, so I cannot compare DragonForce's version to the original - but the short, explosive song works well as an album closer. DragonForce have turned what is likely a country/pop track into a short burst of power metal - and it very much feels like it could have been a DragonForce song. The chorus is pretty hooky and the inclusion of lots of shredded guitar melodies behind Hudson's vocals throughout helps the song to feel at home on the album. I am generally not a fan of silly covers, and in truth I could do without some of the ones the band have done before, but I do not mind this one so much - it is short and it ends the album with a burst of speed. Despite a few quibbles throughout, I generally think that Warp Speed Warriors is another strong album from the band. It definitely lacks the more varied songwriting of Leclercq but I also like the many harks back to the band's early albums - and I do not think that many will be too upset with this focus on speed again. The sillier moments do grate, though, and I do hope that the band are not pushed down this route going forward. The world does not need more bands like Alestorm or Nanowar of Steel - and DragonForce should always aim to stay the right side of the line.

The album was released on 15th March 2024 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Power of the Triforce.