DRAGONFORCE

Although they like to call their style "extreme power metal," in actuality Dragonforce is an honest to goodness prog metal band. If you were to mix the lyrics/subject matter of Dio, the guitar work of Yngwie Malmsteen and Iron Maiden (shredding and twin-guitar harmonies, respectively), impeccable double bass thrash metal drumming, and the vocals of Helloween into one high-calorie metallic cocktail, you'd get Dragonforce. Hailing from London (do all prog metal bands come from Europe?), the quintet sticks to the game plan laid out on its first two releases, as evidenced by 2006's Inhuman Rampage. Admittedly, this sort of genre is certainly not for everyone -- some would say it goes beyond parody -- while some of the song titles sound like rejects from a high school battle of the bands contest ("Revolution Deathsquad," "Operation Ground and Pound," etc.). But for those who regard technique over tunefulness, Inhuman Rampage should be a worthy listen. And here's a challenge for budding prog metallists everywhere -- it may be impossible to play your instrument as technically precise as these lads from London do on "Storming the Burning Fields." A fine soundtrack while playing your next level of World of Warcraft. Greg Prato.

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