Dragonforce - Maximum Overload (2014)

It's been more than a decade since Dragonforce debut album and the game are still on. Dragonforce may not be change completely but they ain't the same young kid with ultra high adrenalin in their music. They no longer some kids need to show off their speed and skill. Starting at least yesterday's album, The Power Within, the band has starts to grow in significant mature melodic power. For starter, they no longer want to do it by them self, they are hiring a pro. Producer Jens Bogren (Opeth, Paradise Lost, Symphony X) is the lucky guy needs to manage this hyper boys. As the result, the band seems like just reach their second puberty. The album has now sailing to heavier sounds, there are still much cheesier power metal.

You may want to hold the breath for several moments, as we race the beat from opening track "The Game", "Tomorrow's Kings" and "No More". All these three combined the classic Dragonforce over-clocked power metal riffs, duo killer guitars in almost every notes, video game influenced keyboards mimicry, and hell level drum beat. The Game itself starts without much intro, it is a darker power metal from Dragonforce, with Matt Heafy, perhaps behind the mic for the 'growling' backing. Tomorrow's King, required no introduction as it is Dragonforce in blood with its tech-qie intro and duo melodic prelude. The most classic should be in No More, where Herman and Sam in sync for most of the guitar parts. Not to mentioned Marc Hudson is growing stronger ever since his debut in previous album. Only then "Three Hammers" hammered the pace down to what we called Dragonforce's "mid tempo" song. "Symphony Of The Night" is kind of Blind Guardian type with its folk rhyme situation. Jump to "Defender" this time we got post-Andy Derris Helloween type of power metal song. "Extraction Zone" back to ultra fast beat, but with bite of progressive texture in it. For a regular package the album finished with Johny Cash cover of "Ring Of Fire", maybe be well listen while watching the movie as well.

And here we bid farewell to drummer Dave Mackintosh, he will always remember as drummer of Dragonforce, a title that everybody in the business will know what it mean. He will replaced by Gee Anzalone.  Marc Hudson vocals seem works to its maximum since all song is seem trying to reach the edge of his throat. For first half of the album we can definitely feel the continuation of Dragonforce power metal music, very much the same we heard for past decade. Then the other half may offer something new, Dragonforce did try to differs their stuffs. What Maximum Overload speaking is, there still area that can be explorer by their style. This album combined most what we expected from the name Dragonforce with slightly new experiments. It is lesser 'epic' than The Power Within where there are still massive of song written to fill the epic power metal field, but Maximum Overload is darker and heavier, lending to the dark side of something.

Favorite track: No More, Symphony of the Night, Extraction Zone

Metal Harem class: ********* nine stars out of ten

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Dragonforce - Maximum Overload (2014)

01. The Game (feat Matt Heafy)
02. Tomorrow’s Kings
03. No More (feat Matt Heafy)
04. Three Hammers
05. Symphony Of The Night
06. The Sun Is Dead
07. Defenders (feat Matt Heafy)
08. Extraction Zone
09. City Of Gold
10. Ring Of Fire (Johny Cash cover)
11. Power and Glory (bonus track)
12. You’re Not Alone (bonus track)
13. Chemical Interference

Marc Hudson – Vocals
Herman Li – Guitars, Vocals
Sam Totman – Guitars, Vocals
Frédéric Leclercq – Bass, Vocals
Vadim Pruzhanov – Keyboards, Vocals
Dave Mackintosh – Drums, Vocals
Produced by Jens Bogren