Metal Reviews

Dragonforce rule. I was actually going to bring up the fact the Holy Terror "didn't mind" these guys a while back and now all of a sudden they're popularZ and he wants to e-bash them, but Ken beat me to it. Speed is great, but I agree with leee on an overdose of it. It can get old fast, but that is why we have so many different styles of metal. Slow it down and speed it up whenever you please. Dragonforce just highlight the SPEED! <-That was a ramble that made no sense!

For the record, I've heard two Dragonforce songs. I just wish people here would talk music instead of nonsense.

I adore Sonic Firestorm, its fucking great, after about 10 listens none of the songs even sound alike, except for pieces of solos that they constantly repeat, that only lasts for like 5 seconds. The first album is the next best and their latest was good, but its getting abit old. I wish they would write more songs in the vain of Soldiers of The Wasteland, such an awesome fucking song.

I didnt even realize this band was popular, it isnt around here, so I dunno, even if it was, why hate them? Hate them for their music if you want, but suck my tits for any other reason.

Actually to be quite honest there are much worse travesties of metal out there then fucking over bands that actually do play Metal. Like Ken said, if DF were some 4th rate German band on pure metal records they would probably be loved by all.

I am guilty of it too, but I don't really care. lol

Seriously, is what DF does really any worse then Manowar or Maiden? Fuck how many Greatest Hits and DVD's of the same BS do those two bands put out just to make money?

You think DF seriously said, ok, lets become the speed metal band for the Hot Topic generation. Compare them to Trivium and/or 3 inches of Blood who obviously went for that market and I think you can see the difference.

People like HT, they just hate when everyone else gets invited to their little Metal Club or starts wearing a Darkthrone shirt because it is "cool". It has little to do with Dragonforce or the actual music they make.

+111111111

People like that get to me because metal has always been about doing whatever you want, not being in some members only club. That "stay out of my world" mentality is exactly what metal has always been against. It's hypocritical to treat metal that way.

DF aren't popular around here, so... I dunno...

Basically, after some problems getting IR released in the US, they got it released on Roadrunner Records, and the label somehow got them into Hot Topic stores and on MTV2. This led to DF topping the Heatseekers chart in the US, charting high on the Independent Albums chart, and nearly reaching the Hot 100, so they've pretty much become the biggest power metal success in the states.

which really is quite strange....might I say.

Dragonforce is cool. I won't listen to it much but they are very talented and energetic. There is no point trying to make snese of the lyrics. Someone told me once that they write music so the singer has something to sing about. I doubtthey really care what the words are. But the music is awsome.

Sonic Firestorm is a kick ass album. I'm not a huge fan of the new album, but most of the time if I'm in the mood for a pick me up...I'll throw on SF and rock out. I usually feel better after that.

They were in the right place at the right time with just the right elements to get this attention. While I know there are PM bands more deserving of the attention, It's nice to see the genre get some exposure no matter who starts it off. I'm not one to be against metal getting mainstream exposure as long as the band(s) getting that exposure aren't changing themselves or their music to do so. If the American people are truly liking a power metal band for being a power metal band, what's wrong with that?

Meh, I don't see how these statements have to contradict eachother. He was indifferent to them before and now after hearing them more he dislikes them. There are many occasions for me where I followed a similar pattern.

It's certainly possible that he only changed his mind just because mainstream chumps started to wear their t-shirts. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder what exactly is wrong with that. Some types of music are made and supposed to be confrontational and unacceptable to mainstream society, and it does make perfect sense to me that people very into the underground should enjoy specific metal bands less when they become more commercially marketable. After all, it is this sense of outsiderness or elitism that many, many artistic innovations have been inspired by in the past.

If that's the case though, I say just admit that he hates them for going mainstream and be done with it

Please, a year ago he compared Dragonforce to Walls of Jericho-era Helloween, called them clones. He has also countless times claimed that that is the best era of Helloween. Even if he showed indifference that is still quite a compliment. However, a year later, after the band finds themselves being sold in Hot Topic his opinion becomes something far, far more negative.

People can dislike bands all they want because they got popular, but let's not try and sugar-coat it. Holy_Terror could simply say he hates seeing little turds wearing bands' shirts knowing nothing about the band, thus it makes him dislike the band. But no one ever admits that no matter how obvious it is.

I have a friend like that. He'll love a band until the mainstream takes hold, and other people start to like them. Then he pretends like he never liked them that much. Of course, the funny thing is, he can totally dig on a band that begins as a commercial success! Haha. If they start out with a small fanbase, more underground, and then gain popularity he can't handle it. But if album number one goes to the top of the charts, he's cool with that. WTF?

This reminds me of when I was in high school and Metallica's Black Album came out. Some of us just didn't like it because we thought the music was a letdown, but there were some metalheads I hung out with who became enraged simply because they'd see a preppie kid in a Wherever I May Roam T-shirt. That was more problematic to them than any problems with the music.

Right. And trust me, it does suck going to see your favorite band play only to be punched in the back of the head during the fucking ballad...by a Godsmack fan!! Haha. I just don't equate image, or popularity, to the music I like. I don't care about that shit.

I'm still wondering who's going to be at the Blind Guardian concert here when I see them in a couple months. I have yet to meet another BG fan in this city, and they have never played here before, but I know SOMEONE bought the other copies of ATiTM at Best Buy, so not only are there BG fans here somewhere, but some live near me

Anyway, I have this idea that the BG concert is going to have a bunch of Hot Topic kids in DF T-shirts who saw BG advertised when DF played the same venue in August

A guarantee, dude. And, of course, there will be some Godsmack fans there doing the Meathead Bop.

Not sugar coating it, just wondering why it's such a bad thing.

Personally I am indeed quite open about the fact that- for example- if I was listening to Opeth on my headphones and walked past some little turds all wearing Opeth hoodies I would probably switch to something more kvlt, and I certainly don't feel bad about saying that. It wouldn't put me off Opeth permanently, just for the duration of the time I was around those kids.

Music makes up a very large part of my life and personality. I hate children, so it makes sense that certain reactions to mainstream music are only natural.

The two things that piss me off most about DragonForce's recent (relative) popularity are that the kids wearing their shirts do not listen to any other Power Metal, and secondly that DragonForce seem convinced that they completely deserve it and that they are very innovative and miles better than other PM acts.

None of this, however, has any affect on me thinking the new album is just a lazy rehash of the first two (when the second was just a lazy rehash of the first anyway!) with added annoying noises. There's nothing too wrong with the individual songs (as I said, I could do without the keyboard bawsackery), but I can never summon the motivation to listen to them when I could just pick up Valley of the Damned instead.

The kids in t-shirts is simply something no one should have time in their lives to be bothered with. Who cares? There are fans of EVERY band that don't listen to the rest of that genre. It happens. Big deal. Letting it bother you much is a waste of time.

As far as the band's attitude is concerned. The only band members that show any serious outward personality are the guitarists, and they have been acting the way they do since long before the popularity. They have massive egos about their guitar skills. It has nothing to do with popularity. They attitudes have been around since before they even played together in DragonForce. All the popularity does if give them more of a media outlet to act out.

I tried to like Valley of the Damned, but after a few listens, the things that give its production a poor reputation started showing through to me, even though I hadn't noticed them at first. I think Sonic Firestorm is their best album, and if you don't like their effects, that's just a personal preference thing. It's one of the things that makes them unique. In a world of new clone-of-a-clone power metal bands appearing every day, at least they do something to be distinctive, which is more than alot of new PM bands do. It's all in whether or not someone personally likes those particular things.