DragonForce

There’s no denying that Dragonforce feature some awe-inspiring talent. Euro metal performed with acrobatic dexterity and pacing most hardcore bands would be hard-pressed to keep up with, Valley of the Damned plays out fast, hard and passionate; like something the G3 guitar would hate on envy alone. They’ve found the key: play it fucking fast. Even the operatic choruses shoot out faster than a teenage boy on his dad’s literature and endless solos blare away with more notes in a bar than other bands have on an album. Factor in soaring falsetto vocals that produce a sort of Iron Maiden-lite style and if one can get past the feeling that these are the lost songs from The Neverending Story (thanks to an inescapable mystical quality), it’s obvious why Valley of the Damned works: as opposed to falling into the trappings of wankery and self-importance, the band makes damned sure that their ardour for their craft comes across even stronger. Yes it’s laughably cheesy at times and more of a show-off disc than daily listener but one can’t deny that the proficiency is just fucking ridiculous.