If ever there were an argument that power metal belonged on mainstream rock radio, Brit speed demons
DragonForce are it. Since 2004, this sextet, built around the twin-guitar pyrotechnics of
Sam Totman and
Herman Li, have continuously delivered music that is every bit as accessible and harmonic as it is technically impressive and massively heavy.
Reaching into Infinity is the band's seventh studio album and it marks the recording debut of new drummer Gee Anzalone. Perhaps more than anything they've previously recorded, this 11-song set vies for a place at the top of the rock charts.
On 2014's
Maximum Overload, bassist
Frederic LeClercq shared writing duties with
Totman for the first time. While the musical muscularity was abundant, the usual attention to detail wasn't. The album had a disjointed, somewhat rushed feel as the pair had to learn to write together and apart for the same recording. That's been resolved on
Reaching into Infinity, and what's more, the entire band gets into the act. After a brief, atmospheric instrumental intro,
DragonForce roar into "Ashes of Dawn" with a brutal riff, cresendoing keyboards, and pummeling triple-timed drums. When
Marc Hudson begins singing, he pushes the band over the top, soaring over the driving, hook-laden mix until the instrumental break where the guitars go nuts. "Judgment Day" kicks off with black metal blastbeats and death metal riffing, but the melodic hook is pure crunchy pop-punk, despite its monstrous attack.
Hudson is backed by a choir that recalls the '70s stadium rock of
Queen without descending into camp. The guitar and keyboard solos are among the most insane on the record.
DragonForce deliver a wealth of ideas on this date, but they execute on every one. The sprawling "Astral Empire" offers an anthemic chorus, a burning bass solo, and furious drumming while
Hudson's athletic singing keeps it anchored in melody. While the theatrical crash and burn on "Curse of Darkness" simultaneously recalls vintage NWOBHM and
Anthrax, the syncopation, shifting time signatures, and sheer speed reflect only the band's trademark. "War!" is where
DragonForce allow all the aggressive elements in their collective persona to collide with their more melodic inclinations. We're talking thrash vs. symphonic prog. vs. hard rock vs. death metal vs. power metal. The 11-minute "Edge of the World" is an homage to
Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son." Its structured, similarly suite-like sound evolving from a ballad, and moving through a panoply of metal styles -- including a few moments of growling dirty vocals à la
Benediction -- before transitioning into a crunchy riff-laden choogle and circling back to its power ballad beginnings. While
Reaching into Infinity doesn't break any new ground, it offers the sound of a band geeling and firing on all cylinders; it raises the bar for power metal and offers a new plateau. Based on this set -- with their back catalog as further evidence --
DragonForce should be, arguably the biggest metal band in the world. ~ Thom Jurek