Dragonforce – ‘Valley Of The Damned’ 2010 Remaster Review

I remember buying this cd when it first came out and being slightly disappointed by the mixing of the guitar solos, which after all is what Dragonforce are all about for me and others. This re-release is an improvment with the solos more prominent on many tracks. I still would have liked them higher though!

After a short intro. the cd gets going with the title track. Good speedy riffs, powerful singing, manic drumming and some impressive solo swapping. This track sets the tone of the album. Black Fire has a nice tempo change midway through and plenty of good harmony giutar work and lively solos. black Winter Night starts at a very fast pace with some very fast drumming and firey riffs. The lyrics are a little cheesey here and in other tracks but don’t really spoil the cd which has an atmosphere of enthusiasm and fun. Starfire has a different start leading off with keyboards and is quite ballady with effective singing and a few acoustic parts which don’t work too well. Disciples of Babylon has a lot of variation and for me works well. It starts with a chunky riff leading to a jazzy section then some impressive guitar work. Revelations a song about a brave warrior starts at a breakneck speed with more impessive drumming and some good twin lead guitars then fun individual solos. Evening Star and Heart of the Dragon carry on the anthemic feel of the cd with some more exciting solo swapping. The bonus track takes a whille to get going before the riffs, drumming and solos kick in. Most the tracks on the disc are six or seven minutes long but rarely drag and have plenty of excitement and good musicianship and singing. This is one of their best cds as their later cds have become a bit samey.

By Chris