DRAGONFORCE
VALLEY OF
THE DAMNED
SANCTUARY
Today's music scene has found innovation through combination. Formerly, groups would try to evolve or improve a certain type of sound into something new, but now many musicians seek to breed new music from different genres. London, England's DragonForce is among them.
Combining
the best aspects of speed metal and power metal, DragonForce plays a unique,
precise blend that brings listeners along through their melodic tales
of the fantastic. Frantic drum lines and galloping guitars rush
through DragonForce's world over the nine tracks of their debut release,
Valley of the Damned.
On songs like the title track and "Black Winter Night", DragonForce exhibits a tight, fast sound that is just entertaining. While they do invoke visions of hair metal bands past, the shear speed at which they play sets them apart. There is no silly atmospheric effects, no pointless solos that go nowhere, just solid metal. For a little bit of balance, the band put "Starfire" in the middle of their album. A power ballad, "Starfire" is punctuated by simple yet pretty piano/keyboard lines that lead to some of the best bass work on the entire album and to a classic guitar solo.
Valley of the Damned isn't perfect. The vocals are, at times, lost between the twin guitars and throughout most of the tracks, the bass line rarely pops out. The bridge of "Disciples Of Babylon" degenerates from a nice piano to a weird merengue/funk guitar solo that seems to have little place in the song. But these are small complaints that do not deter much from the experience DragonForce has put to record.
The band is made up of guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, singer ZP Theart, drummer Didier Almouzni, and keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov. They hail from locals all over the globe - Hong Kong, England, South Africa, France and Ukraine. Perhaps it is their multi-culturalism that has helped spark their daring foray into metal, perhaps it was just a love for fantasy and Iron Maiden. Regardless, a trip to DragonForce's Valley of the Damned should not be missed.
On songs like the title track and "Black Winter Night", DragonForce exhibits a tight, fast sound that is just entertaining. While they do invoke visions of hair metal bands past, the shear speed at which they play sets them apart. There is no silly atmospheric effects, no pointless solos that go nowhere, just solid metal. For a little bit of balance, the band put "Starfire" in the middle of their album. A power ballad, "Starfire" is punctuated by simple yet pretty piano/keyboard lines that lead to some of the best bass work on the entire album and to a classic guitar solo.
Valley of the Damned isn't perfect. The vocals are, at times, lost between the twin guitars and throughout most of the tracks, the bass line rarely pops out. The bridge of "Disciples Of Babylon" degenerates from a nice piano to a weird merengue/funk guitar solo that seems to have little place in the song. But these are small complaints that do not deter much from the experience DragonForce has put to record.
The band is made up of guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, singer ZP Theart, drummer Didier Almouzni, and keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov. They hail from locals all over the globe - Hong Kong, England, South Africa, France and Ukraine. Perhaps it is their multi-culturalism that has helped spark their daring foray into metal, perhaps it was just a love for fantasy and Iron Maiden. Regardless, a trip to DragonForce's Valley of the Damned should not be missed.
----Scott Olivenbaum