Dragonforce - Warp Speed Warriors (2024)

I don’t know what your relationship with Dragonforce is, but there is no denying that we are talking about a love/hate situation. After all, their music is sometimes too much even for core Power Metal fans. They recently completed 20 years of existence (24 if we include their previous name – Dragonheart) and Warp Speed Warriors is their 9th full length release.

What gives them the love/hate status is that their music is so happy and uplifting, to the point it becomes super cheesy. They play very fast, but not in the traditional Heavy Metal way. Instead of cutting riffs and beefy Rhythm guitars that will make you headbang, their speed is usually accompanied by leads and solos. There is no denying that Herman Li is a very fast and technical guitar player. To my ears, speed is not enough if not dressed with the appropriate melodies and Dragonforce fall (probably on purpose), on the trap of becoming too rambly with their solos. This leads to a sound that frequently becomes similar to soundtracks of old 16-bit video games. Not that this isn’t fitting. The band has leaned greatly on videogames as a theme, for example Power of the Triforce is based on the famous Zelda series.

This is not absolute, there are of course slower moments, where guitar melodies have enough room to shine. Kingdom of Steel is a prime example, by being a more warm moment overall. The vocals however are tailored more for speedy songs, so they do not do it enough justice I believe. Now that we touched that part, Marc Hudson is exactly what Dragonforce need, with his voice staying most of the time on high octaves. His approach is to always follow a clear sound, avoiding more aggressive singing like Papadopoulos does in Beast in Black for comparison. There is of course ample usage of backing vocals as well, which again, fits.

The final result is a crossover between Alestorm, Gloryhammer, Beast in Black and the fast side of Lost Horizon. But I have to be honest, Dragonforce have only some elements from the above-mentioned bands, and not always their strong ones. Vocals are perfect for the band’s sound, but we are talking about a sound direction that is not taking itself seriously. There are some epic segments like the pre-chorus of The Killer Queen, but are very restricted. As mentioned, the speed is too much to swallow at times.

Ultimately we have just Dragonforce being Dragonforce. They “speak” to a dedicated fanbase, who will be very delighted to hear Warp Speed Warriors. If you like the as silly & cheesy as it goes side of Power Metal, then jump in, this album is for you. If we want to judge it from a more broad perspective, there are not many drawing forces to grab and maintain your focus.