Most of the riffs are incredibly fast, with the drums falling just short of blast beats, and the bass… is also there. Most of the songs on Reaching Into Infinity follow the template the modern DragonForce has been following for a while now. Reaching Into Infinity’s attempts at blending those two very different styles succeed in making an album that doesn’t reach the level of complexity of Ultra Beatdown or the emotional impact of Maximum Overload, but makes such a strong attempt, that it’s hard not to get caught up in the thrill of it all. This mostly means bringing back some of the more exotic and over-active guitar playing, while trying to remain as concise and melodious as possible. Reaching Into Infinity is DragonForce’s latest work that tries its damnedest to satisfy both ends of the power metal spectrum. Not that it’s bad, but that it’s actually pretty good, but it feels like no one cares anymore. After all, continuing past the denser material will mean continually alienating their past fanbase, while not attracting any new fans because no one thinks they have moved past the denser material.Īnd that’s what makes Reaching Into Infinity so disappointing. But I know that whichever road they pick, the band is kind of boned. The one thing I knew was I didn’t want DragonForce to return to their Ultra Beatdown and Inhuman Rampage era of… well, overly masturbatory solos masquerading as songs. On the one hand, I want them to continue the work they did on Maximum Overload, but if they did that they may just end up making Maximum Overload again, and that’s just not what this band needs right now. DragonForce have proven that they have some level of talent and can make something besides overly masturbatory solos masquerading as songs, so in terms of what I was hoping for on Reaching Into Infinity, I was kind of lost. It’s been a bizarre ride to be sure, but it’s one that I feel has no real destination. Then in 2010 when vocalist ZP Theart left, the band rebooted themselves, going back to more traditional power metal, and producing one of the most underwhelming albums of 2012, followed by one of the most underrated albums of 2014. Love them or hate them (as you probably fall into one of either category) DragonForce’s brand of ultra-speed thrash/power that, let’s be honest, only reached the mainstream for a short time due to their appearance in Guitar Hero III, was a niche kind of music that thrilled some and bored others. I fully believe that one of the more fascinating discographies to dissect in the metal scene as of late is that of DragonForce. Originally Written For The Grungy Land Blog