April 2021 Feature Release – The Guardians Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month’s feature release for The Guardians has been nominated by Andi. It's the third album from English power metal outfit DragonForce entitled "Inhuman Rampage" which was released back in 2006.

https://metal.academy/releases/9475

I did my review, here's its summary:

Well, here we are, the album that began my metal path. Without it, my metal interest wouldn't have existed... unless it starts different. Inhuman Rampage!! Despite being out of my earlier epic power metal taste that includes this band, DragonForce is a band I would always love in my heart and appreciate. It's really cool how they're called "extreme power metal" even though they're power metal but not extreme metal. The label makes sense because of the band's extremely cheesy lyrics (the type of cheese I like), extremely fast guitars, and extremely fun choruses. The haters think DragonForce make the same d*mn song over and over, but I don't think so. The songs only sound same-ish, which doesn't bother me. This is the first album where the band experimented with a nice touch of harsh vocals, performed Lindsay Dawson of Demoniac (the former band of guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman before DragonForce). There's nothing else different about the album, but that's fine because it still rules, slightly better than the slightly generic Sonic Firestorm. The album kicks off with their most popular song, and the complete start of my entire metal interest... "Through the Fire and Flames"!! If it wasn't for this song, or for my dad and brother both finding it, I wouldn't have been interested in metal, or maybe I would via a different song. Yes, this is indeed my own metal "big bang" (NOT the K-pop boy band, the universal beginning I mean). From the intricate guitar lines and solo plus strange Pac-Man noises to the amazing vocals and fantasy lyrics, this song burned away my horrid radio-pop future and replaced it with a glorious metal one. And I can't believe it was just 8 years ago when it all started. So thank you DragonForce, along with my dad and brother! And the rest is power metal history, with most of the songs being the best I've heard in power metal with speedy intensity and catchiness, along with the incredible signature guitar soloing, all summing up my first ever journey as a metalhead. I can recommend Inhuman Rampage to any power metal fan. It can hypnotize anyone who doesn't like metal to enjoy that genre, at least from my experience. And even though their best albums are with ZP Theart, I enjoy the later albums with Marc Hudson. I love you, DragonForce!

5/5 (maybe even 6/5)

Recommended songs: "Through the Fire and Flames", "Revolution Deathsquad", "Operation Ground and Pound", "The Flame of Youth", "Lost Souls in Endless Time"

For fans of (this album is so perfect that it can be for everyone, but just in case...): Riot, Helloween, Power Quest (the latter being DragonForce's "spin-off" band)

Look, I don't think anyone would have been under any misguided illusions that "Inhuman Rampage" would be something that would appeal to my particular taste however I gave it three full spins to see if I could grasp its charms. Unfortunately I've been left none the wiser though & found the whole process to be fairly unpleasant. That's not to say that DragonForce aren't good at what they do mind you. In fact, there's very little doubt that they sit amongst the absolute cream of the crop when it comes to musicianship & production. The performances here are nothing short of dazzling from all parties involved & the speed & precision on display is staggering at times. But that's about all there is here really. Over the 55 minute duration DragonForce basically play you the same thing for the vast majority of the run time with only the God-awful closing ballad "Trail Of Broken Hearts" seeing them changing their formula up a bit. 

The other issue I have with "Inhuman Rampage" is the trademark cheese factor that DragonForce seem to revel in. I can't tolerate that sort of thing at the best of times but when you give me a record that focuses all of its attention on schmaltzy neoclassical guitar harmonies & uplifting & triumphant fairy-floss choruses then I struggle not to simply check out. Sure the guitar solos are spectacular, the blasting double-kick-driven drumming sounds like a machine-gun & the harmonizing is as perfect as you'll find but there's very little actual grit to this music as it's been so heavily over-produced that it's reached the point of sounding inhuman & mechanical. It's really pretty hard to hear the actual musicians behind all of the studio trickery a lot of the time & I feel that the album title "Inhuman Rampage" seems quite fitting to be honest.

I have to admit that I did quite enjoy the second track "Revolution Deathsquad" which sees DragonForce managing to hit a more mature yet still memorable chorus hook before reaching another level of technical proficiency altogether during an extended instrumental section that would dazzle even the most die-hard of progressive metal fans but the rest of the tracklisting doesn't do much for me to be honest. The speed metal inspired riffage is really very aggressive the majority of the time & it's just such a shame that DragonForce feel the need to continually smother vasoline over the lens to make for a more easily palatable commercial product. In fact, tracks like "Operation Ground & Pound" & particularly "Trail Of Broken Hearts" leave me struggling against my gag reflex & it's only the sheer talent & enthusiasm of this band that keeps my rating from dipping to more subterranean levels that I rarely visit these days.

2.5/5

I guess now is the time I have to make a confession to all of you: I used to be a Guitar Hero nerd. Well, I take that back: I still am a nerd for Guitar Hero even many years after that video game suffered a much deserved death due to oversaturation. There are still many content creators that play this game years later, albeit at a far less competitive state than during the games hay-day. And that hay-day was Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Considered to be the hardest game in the franchise and featuring one of the hardest charts for any song ever included in a Guitar Hero game: "Through the Fire and Flames".

With all of that being said, it should be no surprise to anyone here that I have listened to Inhuman Rampage a stupid number of times over the years. I know all of these songs and their guitar parts like the back of my hand, even if I'm really bad at playing them on a piece of plastic shaped to look like a guitar. And what I've noticed on this album (as well as every other DrangonForce album for that matter) is how same-y it all sounds. After the first two songs on this album: "Through the Fire and Flames" and "Revolution Deathsquad", you can already start to hear the same riffs being copied on "Storming the Burning Fields"! It's honestly remarkable that the band managed to make this album an hour long, and no one told them to cut it down maybe a little bit. Not every song needs to be a seven minute power metal epic.

One thing I never fully realized until listening to this album in full was how much better the Guitar Hero remastered versions of these songs are. Because for a power metal album such as this in which the ridiculous nature of the guitar leads is so important, the leads are so buried in the mix behind the percussion and vocals. I found the main synth leads to be quite annoying most notably on "Body Breakdown". And like with a lot of DrangonForce's best songs, ZP Theart's vocals can be good at times when they are an original idea, and the vocal layering gives the choruses of these songs some strong bombast and keep them memorable. That being said, because of the crazy guitar solo wankery, the vocals are quite limited throughout.

And it is even worth it to talk about the lyrics on this thing? EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE AND WE ARE GOING TO WALK THROUGH IT AND BECOME CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD! I guess as someone who has unwillingly listened to this album as much as I have, my opinion is quite harsh. But when you really think about it, this is power metal in its purest form: no progressive or symphonic elements turning it into a truly epic album. So if you like that kind of thing, then Inhuman Rampage will be just up your alley. Otherwise, "Through the Fire and Flames" is a decent song (if not an overplayed meme), and "Operation Ground and Pound" has a solid hook and great key change at the end. Beyond that, you don't need to hear the rest of it.

5/10

After having DF rammed down our throats courtesy of the metal mags of the mid-2000s, I took the plunge and bought a CD-r copy of Inhuman Rampage from a guy at work who dealt in dodgy CDs and DVDs. Possibly the biggest waste of a quid-fifty I have ever suffered! I have never felt the compulsion to explore further, but on the strength of this Transformers of an album, Dragonforce are the Michael Bay of metal music - all flash and zero substance. I can just imagine that on countless spare room shelves there are 6" plastic action figures of the band all laid out among the Power Rangers and Star Wars figures.
That said however, in the same way that Mr. Bay's awful movies may perform some service by getting youngsters into cinema, then Dragonforce may act as an M&M trail for some disaffected teens to get into more substantial metal - and for that they should be applauded!
However for me, who never wanted to hear this album ever again, I gave it a go and got as far as second track, Revolution Deathsquad, when I realised I was glad an advert had popped up on Spotify to give me some respite. When that happens it's time to switch off. Absolutely not my thing at all and I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I have tempered what I really wanted to say a little!
1/10

Am I seriously the only Metal Academy member who enjoys this album?! Jeez... Well I’m still happy that my DragonForce submission for this month’s Guardians feature release made it and I get to see what other members of the site think of it, despite the honest yet poor feedback. I’m gonna make sure that while my later feature release submissions have similar historical value for my experience, they would greatly appeal to everyone else. I would sure like to find out Xephyr’s opinion on this DF album.

Am I seriously the only Metal Academy member who enjoys this album?! Jeez... Well I’m still happy that my DragonForce submission for this month’s Guardians feature release made it and I get to see what other members of the site think of it, despite the honest yet poor feedback. I’m gonna make sure that while my later feature release submissions have similar historical value for my experience, they would greatly appeal to everyone else. I would sure like to find out Xephyr’s opinion on this DF album.

Don't worry about what others think when choosing a feature album. You have every right to love Dragonforce, and you certainly wouldn't be alone amongst metal fans in general. I think it's great that we give others an opportunity to explore things that might not normally, even if they find it's not to their taste.

I did my review.  Not a fan it's safe to say even though I can see the appeal, it just ends up coming off as an example of design over content.  It feels like an album that almost forces the listener to engage with it as opposed to even gentle coercion taking place.  Regurgitated ideas and a high predictability factor resign this album album to the "shot" pile.

2/5

Buckle up, it's gonna be a long one here. Since Inhuman Rampage is somewhat of a "classic" now, considering how notorious "Through the Fire and Flames" is, I might as well do some kind of review for it. I'd rather write some unfiltered thoughts here before trimming it down for a real review.

Considering the rest of the Academy leans towards the negative side here, I'll open with this: Dragonforce aren't a terrible band. Incredible take, I know, but Reaching Into Infinity, Maximum Overload, and Extreme Power Metal aren't bad albums by any stretch. I may be reaching on Extreme Power Metal, but I like how they finally and fully embraced their cheesiness in a love it or hate it kind of way. "Defenders" and "Symphony of the Night" off of Maximum Overload are good Power Metal songs that actually don't sound too much like "Through the Fire and Flames", believe it or not. “Seasons” is pretty good too! However, I concede that it's really easy to dislike DragonForce, so they've probably gotten a lot more hate than they deserve considering how many other over-the-top but boring Power Metal acts are out there making music.

The funny thing for me is that discussing DragonForce as an overall band or concept is way more interesting than their actual music. Most people only know DragonForce because of "Through the Fire and Flames", which by itself is a pretty good song. It's technically impressive, high-octane, and instantly recognizable even when compared to other Power Metal bands. However, DragonForce kind of had criticism coming to them when they decided that they were going to base their entire career around just playing that one song in different forms over, and over, and over for an entire album. Obviously Inhuman Rampage was released before the gigantic "Through the Fire and Flames" boom, so they chose this path before they knew that song was going to be their claim to fame. So, when people heard "Through the Fire and Flames" and wanted more DragonForce, they were greeted with 7 other tracks (plus a ballad) that sounded eerily similar to it. Alright, but most Bolt Thrower songs sound kind of the same, so only saying that doesn't necessarily make the album a dud, right?

Well, there's similar, and then there's DragonForce similar. As I was listening to the album I figured out a rough analogy to how I feel about everything that goes on in Inhuman Rampage. DragonForce has 5 or 6 interchangeable building blocks, or generic pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that all fit together but can be rearranged into whatever order to create the nonspecific structure of a song. Nothing necessarily fits perfectly, but it fits well enough. It feels like DragonForce has a guitar solo piece, a furious picking of the same note and calling it a "riff" piece, a random electronic transition or break piece, a power chord chorus piece, an outro that sounds suspiciously like the TTFAF outro piece, plus a few others that I can't be bothered to name. These same pieces are used in each and every song and are completely interchangeable. I guarantee that you can throw the guitar solo of "Revolution Deathsquad" into "Operation Ground and Pound" and it'd sound perfectly fine. You can replace the verse of "Storming the Burning Fields" with a verse of "Body Breakdown" and it'd probably work. I think the reason this works is because DragonForce's song structure is so incredibly segmented that I felt like I was listening to a Dream Theater song during certain parts with how random certain transitions, or lack thereof, are. There are so many parts where everything just stops for half a beat as if there was a blip in the system and the whole band goes "Ok another guitar solo? Yeah? Ok 3, 2, 1, GO". Everything just feels so pieced together in the most extreme way I've heard out of pretty much any album.

Even though these guys are talented players, they really needed to expand the amount of things they can play back then. Their drummer only knows one groove of galloping double bass and one or two fills, all three guitarists can only redo the solo structure of TTFAF for the entire album, the bassist is basically nonexistent until that one part in "Body Breakdown", and the vocalist is only serviceable in my opinion. There are also zero, absolutely no riffs in this album, which is why I think it's such a slog. The only "riff" DragonForce plays is either furious 16th note picking on the same note or drawn out power chords, meaning there's nothing memorable or interesting. There's also quite a few bad decisions made with the harsh vocals and with most of the electronic elements. The harsh vocals sound absolutely awful and are pushed back so far in the mix that I'm wondering why they even decided to include them at all. The electronic elements are incredibly cheesy and random, not necessarily going along with anything and only sounding at home in "Cry For Eternity" thanks to the schlocky (but good) chorus that pulls it all together.

The only thing left is the solos and man do DragonForce really, really try to create some impressive sounding solos. So much, in fact, that almost half of the album is solos. I counted. The album is around 55 minutes long, and there’s about 21 minutes of solo sections, give or take. That’s a LOT by any metric, and they don’t really do anything interesting with all that time.

Again, I don’t think that DragonForce is a bad band, and they’ve gotten a lot more hate than they deserve. But I need to rate this in line with everything else, so the score didn’t turn out so great. I listen to a lot of dull Power Metal that I feel like I never have to listen to again, and Inhuman Rampage on the whole falls into that category. Still though, DragonForce is an interesting topic in general considering how they got thrust into the spotlight in the way that they did.

2/5