Dragonforce and I are on different wavelengths. I see the band as I would a strange clique I don't necessarily understand but tolerate when we're forced to intermingle. Power metal is excellent; I love the stuff. Dragonforce, though, is like the Call of Duty of power metal, while I'm more interested in the Dark Souls side of the spectrum, so to speak. They are about as subtle as a group of preteens on a Mountain Dew binge talking trash over Xbox Live, and I can't help but see sh*tty internet memes and try-hard images flashing in my mind's eye on a seizure-inducing backdrop as I sit through "Maximum Overload." That title alone is a perfect description of Dragonforce's busy, overbearing style and their sheer ability to circumvent having to write decent songs by taxing the senses and being loud and fast.I'm not saying this to sound mean or insulting, believe it or not. The problem I have with Dragonforce is that the band does a lot without accomplishing anything significant-to power metal what Michael Bay is to film. "Maximum Overload" is about what I expected from Dragonforce in 2014. The album is mostly synchronized with the style and consistency of "Inhuman Rampage" and beyond, or as I like to think of it, about when the group pooped the bath. The most frustrating thing about "Maximum Overload" is that there are flickers of excellence sprouting up here and there next to the unrelenting fireworks of mediocrity going off everywhere with the frequent turd floating in the river.
The band is solid on paper, as always. The pacing of these songs is mostly hyperactive and rocketing towards the sun at a million miles per hour, which should surprise no one at this point. One would be nuts not to tip their fedora to the precision and the insanely technical meticulousness of Sam Totman and Herman Li, who are both extremely entertaining to observe as they rifle out turbo-charged riffs and dazzling solos and melodies. Mark Hudson is a solid fit for the group on vocals; "Maximum Overload" shows he's warmed up to Dragonforce's style quite well. It seemed after "The Game" and "Tomorrow's Kings," which are explosive and instrumentally dynamic, that Dragonforce had finally put the machine back on track.
Well, no. "Maximum Overload" is too long and too bland. They stick so much to the rapid assault that it completely loses its edge. The constant hyper-speed riffing and firing drums while Hudson spits out a lackluster chorus become a cloud of monotony, the one trick up Dragonforce's sleeve. A song like "Three Hammers" which tries to stick to a more traditional power metal theme is pretty much Dragonforce confirming to the world that they haven't a clue how to adapt to something that isn't based on moving pointlessly fast. The occasional burst of blast beats and harsh vocals is admirable, but they are only secondary to the surroundings, scant as they are. The Call of Duty reference at the start of "Extraction Zone," an awfully annoying and purposeless tune, sent my sides to another zip code. I can almost taste the Mountain Dew.
The "Ring of Fire" cover is needless and stupid-just a frenzy of the usual Dragonforceisms which barely emulates the original. I have the Super Mega Ultra Deluxe Version with +5 endurance that comes with more bonus tracks than I'd cared to hear, and frankly, they suck. Take Dragonforce's vapid, dull approach to power metal and recycle it a few more times-there's your bonus tracks. Overall, "Maximum Overload" is a Dragonforce album without the dumb fun or the sugary goodness of some of their other works. Instead, it's a snapshot of a band that is out of ideas and whose creativity has mostly devoured itself. "Maximum Overload" is overloaded to the max, but for all the wrong reasons.