Band:	DragonForce
Album:	Sonic Firestorm
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	April 19, 2004
A review by:	Malcolm

Disc I
01. My Spirit Will Go On
02. Fury Of The Storm
03. Fields Of Despair
04. Dawn Over A New World
05. Above The Winter Moonlight
06. Soldiers Of The Wasteland
07. Prepare For War
08. Once In A Lifetime
09. Cry Of The Brave [Japanese bonus]

Disc II [Remixed and Remastered Edition Bonus DVD]
+ Fury Of The Storm - LIve Performance, Japan 2005
+ Video Interviews
+ Video Commentary

DragonForce is one of little crowd Power Metal bands that are really accepted around our Metal society, and that's a great achievement since they have only released one album.
And that they was the most downloaded band on Mp3.com after they added some songs there, can't be anything else than a evidence that there is something special with this band, something that other Power Metal bands don't have.
What it is? Well, I would guess on inhuman speed and songs that not like all others. (Or is it Herman's hair?).

"Sonic Firestorm" is the name on the successor to 2003's "Valley of the Damned", an album that I never really liked. There is nothing wrong with it, but it didn't just fit me.
So I was a bit sceptic before receiving this album too, and after one spin, I wasn't more convinced.
Yeah sure, it's fast and the songs hold really high quality, ZP has a good voice and Herman have the longest hair, ever. But still, there was something that I missed, something that made me think, "Hey, this is fucking awesome".
And after the first spin of "Sonic Firestorm" I had the same feeling, except the inhuman speed of the music there was something that I missed.

Extreme Power Metal, that really make me laugh, even if it's a quite good explanation of the music since it's so fast and the drums sometimes really could fit a extreme band.
I know this album is very longed-for album and that the fans probably would kill me after read what I just written, but wait until I'm finish, ok?

After given the album some spins (I would guess around 10-12) I have really got stuck with it.
ZP's voice is really convincing me now, and the songs have grown very much.
So yes, for me this was such album that really had to grow before I liked it.
I still don't think it's a masterpiece, but it's quite original and that's good.
But unfortunately sometimes it seems like they think it's more important to play fast instead of really find good melodic parts, but maybe that's a matter of taste?

The new additional for the band, Adrian Lambert (Bass) and Dave Macintosh (Drums) really have to, at least the last one, work for their wage, since the double bass drumming is just going and going.
But it's creating a good rhythm for the band, an untiring drummer that seems to give all he got all the time.

But there are some songs that they have really been thinking before playing, the 9-minute long "Soldiers of the Wasteland" sounds really well considered, and they don't just going in 200km/h all the time.
And the ballad, "Dawn Over a New World" is very good. And is the slowest this album has to offer.

Overall it's a good album that, in my opinion, is better then it's precursor. But sometimes is just to fast. Some more planed parts in the songs, as in "Soldiers of the Wasteland" and next album will be a real killer.

Btw, if you want a foretaste, pay a visit to the official homepage where you can find the opener, "My Spirit Will Go on" available for download.

Favourite Songs: "My Spirit Will Go on", "Soldiers of the Wasteland" & "Once in a Lifetime".