Album Review: Dragonforce - The Power Within

Power metal has been dubbed pop music for metal fans, and DragonForce is seemingly the band of choice for those who don't usually like this style of music. It's four years since the utterly forgettable Ultra Beatdown though and after Guitar Hero's fall from grace, the English mob's stock has fallen.

It's possible to have a signature sound, deviate just enough from it each time to elude stagnation but not change things up too much to alienate significant chunks of your following. DragonForce haven't always managed this previously, but pull off the trick more convincingly here. They throw few genuine curveballs, but new vocalist Marc Hudson's exuberance has noticeably boosted matters and the video game keyboards are toned down somewhat. Hudson also boasts a quality his predecessor didn't really have – a lower range. Herman Li and Sam Totman once again shred faster than Usain Bolt after a dozen Red Bulls, blast-beats pound away and the pace rarely gets bogged down. It begins energetically, albeit interchangeably with previous glories by excitedly packing more clichés than you can wave a plastic sword at. There are genuine winners later on. Ballad Seasons may be 2012's catchiest metal anthem; the band obviously thought so as they also tacked on an acoustic version. The more mid-tempo Cry Thunder and Give Me The Night are mighty infectious, while Wings Of Liberty displays the most (relatively) restrained guitar work they've conjured up yet.

There is noticeably less buzz about DragonForce nowadays, but if you're seeking metal with more hooks than your grandfather's tackle box and you can forgive the formulaic elements, get your air guitars ready