But in this case, the band has thrown so much into the mix it's just too busy-and kooky-to be taken seriously. To some degree, I get what Dragonforce is trying to do, as this type of ultra-technical, melodic fare is a pretty big deal overseas. Speaking of which, Dragonforce's obvious affection for themes of good triumphing over evil (Stryper anyone?) gets worked to death on this album. "A Flame For Freedom" is an effective ballad despite its ultra-corny lyrics. The mid-section goes off in a slightly progressive direction with some tasty guitar work that's heavy on the melodies without getting too hurried.
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"Reasons To Live" varies things up with a crushing, black metal-ish intro before ascending into a series of bizarre, Bon Jovi-esque keyboards. Luckily, there are a couple decent breaks here and there. Add to that, songs like "The Fire Still Burns" and "Heartbreak Armageddon," and what you get is virtually one long song, which sounds akin to sticking the soundtrack of The New Super Mario World, the band Europe and Steve Vai into a liquidizer with a busted switch. No one can deny the technical prowess of guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, but there's just far too much going on. The chorus is grand and sweeping, as if we're being treated to an epic Broadway production that's as campy as they come. Opener "Heroes of Our Time" starts things off in a massive wave of blast beats and swirling guitars with vocalist ZP Theart doing his melodious shtick over the top. Just one look at the cover art and goofy title of this new album is a strong enough testament to that.
No matter how much flack the band gets for its animated, videogame metal, it just keeps coming back-more blatant than before. You have to admire Dragonforce to some degree.