Dragonforce
The Power Within
Roadrunner (2012)
Okay, I'll just come out and say it--I like DragonForce.I know, I know; just saying 'DragonForce' is a one-liner joke in of itself. Whether its the plague of terrible performances that prevailed during the Inhuman Rampage tour, or the observation that the band can only play at two speeds: metal and ballad, or simply the fact that fantasy-based power metal in general is incredibly silly in how seriously it takes itself, there is no shortage of ways that this band gets made fun of for simply existing. And I agree, some of that is well deserved; there is something inherently hilarious about the level of self-absorption normally found in power metal, especially of the fantasy variety that DragonForce are known to indulge in.But beyond that, there are still things about this band that are legitimately praiseworthy. Though, yes, the band occasionally has been beleaguered by live performance difficulties, the band members themselves are all nonetheless ridiculously talented musicians, especially in terms of their technical capacity. You would have to be if you played at the speeds they do ("Cry of the Brave" was fucking 215 BPM, and, spoiler alert, one of the tracks on this album beats that). The fact … Read more
Jack White
Blunderbuss
Third Man (2012)
Ever notice the similarity between Jack White III and the modern-day Willy Wonka, portrayed by Johnny Depp? Put a top … Read more
High on Fire
De Vermis Mysteriis
E1 (2012)
California’s High On Fire let loose an album of gargantuan proportions with De Vermis Mysteriis, the follow up to 2010’s … Read more
Black Breath
Sentenced To Life
Southern Lord (2012)
Black Breath came out of the depths of the Seattle hardcore scene about 6 years ago and released a sole … Read more
