Album Review: Ultra Beatdown by DragonForce

The word "epic" is generally - and lazily - applied to albums and songs that go on for a long time, but in the case of England's power metal superheroes, it's apt. Picking up where 06's fantastic Inhuman Rampage left off, the band actually seems intent on upping the ante in terms of speed, over-the-top guitar solos and vocal arrangements that would give Andrew Lloyd Webber a run for his money. Instead of relying on guitar virtuosity and catchy melodies, they experiment with variations in tempo and song structure that ultimately add to the theatricality and near-symphonic hugeness inherent in their sound, while also throwing in some unexpectedly heavier moments.

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Review Summary: It's a passable album if you are crazy about power metal. However, the rest of us are sitting here covering our ears patiently, waiting for it to just end already.I suppose the most important fact I can state about Ultra Beatdown is that I suppose I must have had it for over a month (perhaps more? I don’t know) and that I have only listened to it three times. One of those times was the obligatory first listen I felt I must give it, being an album that was undoubtedly going to be popular and thus NECESSITATING an opinion from me.

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