Review Summary: If you like hearing the same empty, emotionless 10,000 mile an hour song seven times in a row topped of with a laughable power ballad, than this is a no-brainer. Have a nice day.
I have a saying that I have had for quite a while now. One that applies to everyone in every band, everywhere, and I would like to share it with you right now:
"You are only as good as you are live."
Let me explain. In a studio environment, you can perform a solo, lick, vocal line, or drum fill as many times as possible to get it right. When you're on a stage, however, you can only do it once and what you get is what you get.
So what does this have to do with DragonForce? I'll tell you what. They SUCK live! They are sloppy and the guitarists don't stay on track with the drummer, which is usually essential for playing live. The singer often sounds off key and strained and he uses falsetto vocals not as a tool, but as a crutch. Even the studio versions of the songs found on this album have some of the same problems, if to a lesser degree. I wonder why?
Now, on to the album itself. The single, the reason most people know DragonForce, is, as much as I hate to admit it, tolerable. But tolerable moments are rare here. It's the absence of memorable material. After all, what makes you a good guitar player? Not using pure speed but playing things that make your audience want to listen to it again. There's none of that found here.
The album's complete lack of dynamics also makes listening to it very tedious. There's no variation in the songs and they pretty much all sound the same. Hearing the same song over and over despte them claiming to be completely different pieces of music will prove to be very tiresome. And by the time you've listened to two or three songs, you're exhausted.
Now I have seen many arguments take place in the comment sections of Youtube videos as to the authenticity of DragonForce's playing. One especially ridiculous one included some jackass comparing Herman Li's guitar skills to the chops of Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo. If you know who Michael Romeo is or have heard him play, then you know how just how ridiculous this comparison is. This is a review of a DragonForce album and nothing else. I'm not going to turn this into a Symphony X worship session, so let's leave it at that.
