Electronic Pop Music Meets Saccharine Power Metal - A Review of DragonForce's Warp Speed Warriors

Just as the group's cover artworks have progressively become more colourful, eclectic and light-hearted, the sound of British power metal quintet DragonForce has become significantly more catchy, commercial and joyful. Warp Speed Warriors offers ten songs with a running time of forty-nine minutes that even includes a quirky cover of Taylor Swift's ''Wildest Dreams'' to appeal to millennials around the world.

While traditional metal fans or supporters of the band's origins might feel somewhat confused or even irritated by the band's shifting identity, Warp Speed Warriors is only the next logical step in this development. This record doesn't offer much depth but instead invites to dance, jump and sing along. Instead of being played in the early evening at your local metal pub, some of the songs on here could be played in the middle of the night at any discotheque with experimental DeeJanes and DeeJays.

''Space Marine Corp'' for instance combines military chants with pop melodies and saccharine power metal riffs and vocals supported by versatile drum play and thunderous bass guitar patterns. This quirky combination of genres works surprisingly well and hails as one of the record's most memorable songs that should deliver in spades in concert.

''Doomsday Party'' on the other side is the obvious single candidate that combines electronic pop music of the eighties with mellow power metal hearkening back to the late nineties with a highly processed production on the pulse of time. One could totally see oneself dancing to this quirky tune with a romantic partner at three o'clock in the morning while headbanging, moshpits and walls of death are certainly no realistic options for this selection.

Even Taylor Swift's ''Wildest Dreams'' was appropriately adapted into the band's charismatic soundscapes with quick guitar play, explosive rhythm section and extremely joyful vocals. The lyrics were also slightly changed to suit the group's current identity. This song is a guilty pleasure closing a highly entertaining record appropriately.

Even though DragonForce's Warp Speed Warriors offers entertainment over depth, it's a joy listening through these ten songs that entertain through forty-nine dynamic minutes. There might not be too many reasons to revisit this output but it's certainly easier to digest than the band's overloaded song structures of yore and its first failed attempt at commercial success from a decade ago. DragonForce has reworked its approach, identity and songwriting and now cemented its own new style with newfound experience, focus and wisdom on the thin line between electronic pop music and saccharine power metal. Some fans might dig it, others might hate it but one can't deny that DragonForce's band members now know better what they are doing than they have for the last decade and a half.

Final Rating: 75%