May 11, 2004 - Sonic Firestorm

Three weeks after my last release and just 15 months since their debut "Valley Of The Damned", DragonForce released their second album "Sonic Firestorm" on May 11, 2004. DragonForce have a completely new rhythm section on this album as original bassist Diccon Harper and original drummer Didier Almouzni are both no longer with the band. Replacing them is new bassist Adrian Lambert and new drummer Dave Mackintosh but they don't let a new rhythm section slow them down as DragonForce continue with their super speedy, power metal style. Let's see how the latest sounds!

The album kicks off with "My Spirit Will Go On" and one of Herman Li or Sam Totman starts us off with a pretty epic guitar riff. The other guitarist comes in shortly after with a nice chugging and fast riff and Mackintosh and Lambert join in and do a nice job aiding with the build-up before they finally slam into a typical(ly sweet) main riff that is super fast and of course pretty damn epic! Z.P. Theart still has his very high and epic voice overtop and there's of course all kinds of cool guitar by both Li and Totman. The chorus is also pretty speedy and decently catchy as well and after another solid round it's time for a LONG solo. This section lasts over two minutes and Li and Totman trade back and forth with both of them not only playing some pretty freaking incredible stuff, but also doing a wonderful job of switching suddenly from lead to rhythm guitar; and of course the rhythm stuff is nothing to sneeze at either! Following the solo is a short "whoa-ho-oh" part that I don't find to be that interesting, but they play a final chorus before nicely wrapping things up with a neat little shredding bow on top. This song is DragonForce in a nutshell, which makes it a pretty perfect opener! Up next is the lead single "Fury Of The Storm" and after a short intro riff everyone is going pretty insane with both guitarists assaulting your ears with some loud and awesome stuff and the new rhythm section is very tight at these high speeds! Theart sings a fast and pretty sweet verse and the music is headbangingly, relentlessly good for the entire 6:46! Theart belts out a super catchy chorus and after each chorus we're treated to some pretty wicked guitars before they slam back into things. After the second round there's a pretty cool pre-solo that sets the stage for one of the most insane, nutty, absolutely bonkers solos you'll ever hear. Li and Totman both unleash some guitar that words could never do justice to and somehow they continue to find another gear every time you think your face couldn't be melted anymore! Theart finally returns for a final chorus and he too finds another level by singing even higher than usual! An absolutely phenomenal song! Track 3 is "Fields Of Despair" and they jump right into a typical speedy riff at first, then settle into a quieter, but still plenty epic verse with Vadim Pruzhanov making his presence more felt with some decent keyboards. Once the fast guitars kick in the pace is back to usual speeds but the combination of keyboards and guitar is really nicely done throughout this song. This is most evident in the solo where Pruzhanov shows off for the first time on this album with some pretty wicked keyboard shredding, and this is of course interspersed with some pretty wicked guitar! They end the song with another "whoa-oh-oh" part, which I always find to be uninventive and a bit blah, but aside from that this was another fantastic tune! The next traxk is "Dawn Over A New World" and Pruzhanov leads the way with some slow but pretty epic piano by himself. Theart comes in to sing a bit of a sappy verse overtop and after a first stanza of just the two of them the guitars and rhythm section join in to add an epic rock backdrop. It's by far the lightest song on the album and obviously not a headbanger, but they nail this light and epic vibe pretty perfectly. Solo time isn't quite as flashy and extravagant as we're used to either, but once again things fit this mood perfectly, a very well executed song even though it's clearly not their best. Track 5 is "Above The Winter Moonlight" and Pruzhanov starts off by himself again, but this time he keeps the pace with some epic synth-like keyboards until the rest of the band comes furiously in with a typical(ly super fast) DragonForce riff. Theart sounds pretty epic and solid singing high and at times pretty quickly and this carries into a similar chorus. After the chorus Pruzhanov rips off a short but fucking awesome little piano solo! Then after the next round Pruzhanov takes us to a new riff with some fast and epic piano that sets the stage perfectly for solo time! The first guitarist does a nice job of easing into things, then the other comes in with some pretty wicked shredding stuff. Soon Totman and Li are both playing some pretty sweet stuff and this seven and half minute song has no let-up, I love it! Theart hits some super high notes in the final chorus and Pruzhanov plays some epic synths as they close things out. Up next is "Soldiers Of The Wasteland" and it's the longest song on the album at just under ten minutes. Theart belts out a quick chorus by himself to start before Totman and Li sync up for this loud and epic intro riff. Pruzhanov comes in with some epic synths, Mackintosh nicely segues into the main riff with a fast fill and once they slam into this main riff everyone sounds pretty damn good with some fast and cool keyboards, shreddingly fast guitars and bass and as always some speedy and solid drums. Theart sings an epic verse that matches this furious mood nicely and things roll into a pretty catchy chorus that is hard not to belt our once you get it! We get a short but sweet solo before they set off on another pretty awesome round then they segue very smoothly, show8ng off some nice prog, into a new riff with some slow, epic synths by Pruzhanov, some cool bass by Lambert and a cool rhythm guitar riff that sets things up perfectly for the lead guitar to come in nicely overtop. They jam out this for a little bit, Theart belts out a short new verse that perfectly sets the stage for a solo time that lasts over two minutes! Words couldn't possibly describe all the awesome guitars and keyboards in this lengthy solo, it's just absolute mayhem and awesomeness the whole time! They slam nicely into a final chorus to finish things off and I absolutely loved every second of this ten minute song! Track 7 is "Prepare For War" and they fire right into the furious main riff with one guitarist playing some pretty cool lead stuff while the other and the rhythm section keep a lightning fast pace. The keyboards are kept in the deep background on this one so there's a slightly lacking extra element, but everything they're playing sounds pretty solid and I could describe it like any other typical DragonForce song. It seems like solo time is going to be on the much tamer side, but after a lengthy melodic and less flashy solo they follow with your more typical solo time with both Totman and Li getting lots of chances to shred it up! If this is one of the lesser songs on the album, it just shows the high bar these guys have reached! The next track is "Once In A Lifetime" and one guitarist leads the way with a slower but epic lead riff until Mackintosh nicely plays in the rest of the band for another furious headbanger of a main riff with guitars and keyboards both sounding pretty freaking good! Theart sings a super catchy verse overtop and he goes even higher in the super epic and catchy chorus. Everything is not only very DragonForce, but I'm surprised this one wasn't a single as I find it also super catchy and accessible. After the second round Pruzhanov plays some great keyboards in the pre-solo and then they slam into a lengthy guitar solo that even has Totman and Li synchronizing while soloing for a pretty sweet sound! There's a brief whoa-oh-oh part, which of course is a little bleh, but the rest of the song is pretty awesome so we'll forgive them! The final song on the album is "Cry Of The Brave" and the lead guitar that kicks in right away is fast and pretty cool, but the rhythm guitar comes in like a buzzsaw at an even faster pace and this is a pretty wicked main riff! Theart sings an epic verse that matches the mood nicely and Pruzhanov adds some epic synths at the right moments to spice things up even more! After another awesome round they segue nicely into a smooth new riff that sets the stage nicely for solo time and as usual Li and Totman do not disappoint with some fantastic shredding! They wrap it up with another furious verse and chorus and it's a pretty DragonForce way to wrap things up!

That is the end of "Sonic Firestorm" and I thought it was a pretty awesome album by DragonForce! Aside from a few very minor lesser parts, this is largely one hell of a roller coaster ride overflowing with awesome metal! "Fury Of The Storm" was my favourite, but there were several amazing songs on this album that I thought was a very complete effort. I think it easily surpasses their debut "Valley Of The Damned" and I can't wait to see where DragonForce fly from here!