May

Dragonforce - Ultra Beatdown

"If you have "Valley of the Damned", "Sonic Firestorm", and/or "Inhuman Rampage", then you've heard all the rest before, I promise."

Follow up:

6.5/10

1. "Heroes of Our Time" Watch the video!
2. "The Fire Still Burns"
3. "Reasons to Live"
4. "Heartbreak Armageddon"
5. "The Last Journey Home"
6. "A Flame for Freedom"
7. "Inside the Winter Storm"
8. "The Warrior Inside"
9. "Strike of the Ninja" (special edition)
10. "Scars of Yesterday" (special edition)
11. "E.P.M." (Japanese bonus)

By now, everyone knows about Dragonforce. They are a British power metal band that invented the sub-sub-sub-genre known as Extreme Power Metal. The only problem is that there are no other bands that play Extreme Power Metal. Therefore, fans of the genre have only one option - Dragonforce. Everyone who listens to Dragonforce knows to expect three things when listening to a new Dragonforce album. These are ultra cheesy lyrics, longer than ordinary song times (most of them are twice as long as the average song), and ridiculously long guitar solos that are virtually impossible to pass in Guitar Hero (Yes, I know some people can.) Dragonforce's first three albums showcase all of these traits in a rather obvious manner. Their newest album, "Ultra Beatdown", delivers yet another album with all of the aforementioned characteristics. It's really just another Dragonforce album. I will say that I actually laughed out loud at the lyrics this time, as it seems they really loaded up on the cheese and corn when writing the lyrics for this album. "Ultra Beatdown"'s lyrics are actually far worse than those of "Inhuman Rampage", as strange as that may sound. For me, this gives "Ultra Beatdown" a +1. It also gives the fans what they want, which is another +1. I can also give it a +1 for "Heroes of our Time," as I can actually beat it on Guitar Hero, something I have yet to accomplish with "Through the Fire and Flames". However, I have to give it a -1 for lack of originality. Actually, I think it deserves a -3 for lack of originality since "Ultra Beatdown" marks the third straight album where nothing has changed since "Valley of the Damned". If you do the math, you're left with a 0. This means "Ultra Beatdown" gets the same score I would give the last two albums - 7/10. However, since I'm not a nice person when it comes to lack of originality, I give it a 6.5/10. The novelty has lost its novelness. I know that's not a real word, but that's the point. Some people will get it.

Now that I'm through talking about the standard album, I want to address the special edition. The special edition includes two additional songs this time, not just one. This is definitely a plus. There is also the Japanese edition which gets both of the bonus songs and an extra one called "E.P.M." which stands for Extreme Power Metal. I love this. To me it shows that the members of Dragonforce don't really take themselves seriously. Everyone not living in denial knew this already, but I find this to be Dragonforce's way of telling the world... er, Japan. The song itself is by far the most ridiculous song they've done to date and the lyrics make less sense than any other Dragonforce song. Now, if only the album was available outside Japan...

I also wish to address one of the songs on the special edition called "Strike of the Ninja." This song is notable because it clocks in at just over three minutes, by far the shortest unedited Dragonforce song recorded to date. Like a ninja, it strikes quickly then disappears before the victim knows what hit him. I call this something original. The song itself is the same old song and dance you'd expect from Dragonforce, save the guitar solo, which is only about thirty seconds long, but it's a fresh idea and I don't think anyone else has done anything like it. To me, this makes the special edition album a little better than the standard album.

So, is it worth buying? Not unless you're a die hard Dragonforce fan. I don't think one song warrants a purchase. And one song definitely doesn't warrant an overseas shipment. Just go on Youtube and listen to Strike of the Ninja and E.P.M. or download them on iTunes or something. If you have "Valley of the Damned", "Sonic Firestorm", and/or "Inhuman Rampage", then you've heard all the rest before, I promise.

Standard album - 6.5/10
Special Edition album - 7.5/10
Japan Only album - 8/10