Okay, so the album also has it's weak spots. Both tracks are helped immensely by the aforementioned vocal harmonies. Incredible as it seems, it really works.Ī couple tracks are little bit more on the generic side like like Revelations and Black Fire, but are still strong tracks regardless. In the case of Disciples of Babylon, it's more like a normal 4 minute track that gives way to a moody flamenco type passage, that evolves further into Latin jazz and folds back in the flamenco, then back into the jazz with a solo. The song structures are kind of like if you took a normal song and split it in half and wedged another song inside of it. The keyboards are also used really well to complement the vocals. It gives it so much more sonic depth, it's just very pleasing to the ear, as silly as that seems to say. Many, many bands do the standard power metal things: fast drums, quick melodic guitar leads and high, powerful vocals, but actually using vocal harmonies and backup vocals throughout is fairly uncommon. But listening now, the thing that stands out the most is the vocal harmonies and song structures. Within the mix the vocals even have a bit of live feel, and ZP's performance is just fantastic, with all the poise and power that you need for this style.īack then, the most remarkable thing about this album - and still to most people today, I'm sure - is their speed and oodles of guitar noodles. It still has a touch of a "demo"-y quality, but it really allows for dynamics and the sound of real playing. It actually sounds like dudes playing instruments, not a product made in a lab (which is funny considering how terrible they were live). The production quality of this album really reminds me of early Blind Guardian, it's nice and unpolished. But that hardly accounts for their whole sound. Sure, Judas Priest had the harmonized guitar leads, and Queen had harmonized vocals. And even still Powerquest aren't this over-the-top. Other than their countrymen, Powerquest, who debuted right around the same time, I can't see where their influence comes from. The quickness of the drum beats, the tremolo picking, guitar harmonization and noodly leads, and the choir vocals that sometimes harmonize. Looking back even today, I cannot firmly nail down who exactly their influences are. Silly memories aside, this album really has it's upside, and the majority of tracks stand the test of time. The blazing pace and noodling guitars really separated it from stuff like Iron Maiden. Dragonforce stood out to me for playing melodic music at a blistering pace. Up to this point my only real exposure to metal was Slayer, Iron Maiden and Megadeth. Ironic that this band would arguably become one of the most visible pure power metal bands in the world. I discovered this album back in the days of MP3.com (I actually think that was before the release of the album), and it was this, Shadowland by Nocturnal Rites and Evilized by Dream Evil.
Dragonforce album art valley of the damned hi res series#
Continuing the unofficial series of albums and bands I liked in 2003 - Valley of the Damned.
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