Review Summary: Sonic Firestorm will inevitably be DragonForce's last interesting and fun album.
Dragonforce " Sonic Firestorm
Dragonforce is power metal. Period. Everything about them just exudes the qualities of this genre, and boy, do they do it well. I can"t believe that I originally only gave this album a four star rating, now that I have listened to it again and again I realize that this album really is a power metal classic and is quite possibly the best record in this subgenre. Now, onto the rest of the review of this wonderful piece of music.
Before I start delving into the songs, let me make a quick comment about the guitars in this album. They are insane. Anyone who plays guitar should quickly go to a record store or an online store and buy this as soon as they can. The riffs are great, and the solos are the highlight of this band. They"re mind blowing and incredibly speedy. Now, onto the tracks"
My Spirit Will Go On is quite a monster. If I had to pick one word to describe the intro to this song and album, I would definitely have to say "badass". The clean riff over the low chugging riffs just makes we want to bang my head. The faint choir in the background also helps create a creepy atmosphere. This goes on for a short moment and then the rest of the band enters with insane speed and precision. The vocals enter in about a minute into the song, and they"re great and definitely give power metal a good name. This song contains some great drumming, fast riffs, and some lyrics that you really want to sing along to during the whole song. The solos, of course, impress me immensely. They"re right up there with Children of Bodom and should impress any musician.
Fury of the Storm is all about shredding. The guitarists never let up during almost seven minutes of pure, unadulterated madness. Every time I listen to it I"m still so impressed by it. The vocals are about fighting a war, very power metal-esque, but it fits the song. The chorus is extremely catchy, another great part to sing along to. After the first chorus there is a brief solo that leads you into the second verse. It"s only a taste of what is going to come, and it sounded great. At about 3:30 we reach the solos, and be prepared to have your mind blown. It"s constantly changing and never stops to impress. The backing riff also sounds great; it"s certainly headbangable. Listen to the guitars at 4:30. My jaw drops to the floor every time I hear it. I"m so glad that the guitar solos continue on for almost three minutes, because it never gets old. This is a highlight on the album and probably my favorite Dragonforce song.
After gasping for breath after the second track, Fields of Despair quickly enters with some blast beats (I forgot to mention that Dragonforce has an awesome drummer.) and more swift riffing. This song is shorter than the other two songs we have heard already but still contains the elements that this band shows so well. The vocals are the highlight of the song for me; they really show off how talented the singer really is. On the last song he didn"t get to shine because of the guitars, but now he gets to bring back his skill. There is also a pretty cool keyboard interlude about half way through the song that reminds me of Children of Bodom. After that we have another shred solo, and then the song ends. Another great listen.
Dawn Over a New World takes a different approach to the past three songs. It starts out with a beautiful piano intro and the vocals enter with a great presence, the best the album has in my opinion. Some people might think this song is a little cheesy, but I really like it because it is a good halfway marker. It"s also nice to hear something different in an album because if this wasn"t here I would start to get angry at the repetition. There is also another awesome solo but it"s more melodic than fast. I, also, love this song.
Now we have reached the second half of the album and it starts off with the song Above the Winter Moonlight. If you are more into the speed metal part of this band, you"ll like this song along more than the last one. The lyrics are a bit cheesy which might annoy some listeners, but I love the power metal lyrics so they don"t bother me at all. The rest of the song is loaded with speed solos and quick drumming. There is also the occasional piano break which is different from the other speed tracks. It"s another good song, but if you"ve listened to the other songs in the album it"s nothing you haven"t seen already. Even though this song is good, it"s probably the weak point of the album.
Soldiers of the Wasteland"s is the longest song on the album, and the intro has probably my favorite Dragonforce riffs in it. The intro sounds AWESOME with the keyboards being put as the lead instrument. This certainly redeemed this band from their last song. The vocals always sound top notch and continue on with their fantasy based lyrics. There is another sing-songy chorus but that"s not a bad thing. The solos always sound great and never let up with their hasty shredding. This song also includes an incredibly cool bridge and also finally shows off some cool but only occasional bass fills. But yes, the bridge is probably the coolest thing on the album right next to the solos in Fury of the Storm. There is also a long string of solos that always rocks. This song definitely deserves a five star rating, and anyone who disagrees is crazy.
My mind was blown by Soldiers of the Wasteland, so I"m wondering if the next song will match its greatness. Prepare for War enters quickly and reminds me of Iron Maiden because of the riffs. The riffs in this song are heavier than the last tracks which will probably appeal to most people who think power metal is for sissies. Like always, the song contains the short guitar bursts and catchy choruses but then goes into a slower section at three minutes. It"s a nice break again from the repetition and the keyboards dominate this part. The riff is calm and laid back while the guitars continue to shred. This song is pretty good because of the bridge, but the rest you"ve already heard at least six times before.
All good things must come to and end. In this case, we are ending with the song Once in a Lifetime. It"s a rather long song; it clocks in at over seven minutes in length. They keyboards and guitars continue to blaze along with their signature speed metal feel. The song really doesn"t get going until about 4 minutes until we have more great solos that give Fury of the Storm a run for its money. Other than the solos, this song doesn"t really do anything that great. It"s a good closer, but they could have picked a different song to end it with. Overall, this has been quite a journey.
Pros:
- The solos, of course
- The drumming and keyboards are top notch as well
- The vocals give you lots of places to sing along
Cons
- Above the Winter Moonlight could have been a little bit better
- Seriously, that"s it!
This review may seem like a whole bunch of ass kissing, but the album deserves it several times over. If you are a musician, you must have this album. If you are a fan of power metal, you must have this album.
