Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage

Inhuman Rampage is Dragonforce's third album. It was released in 2006, two years after Sonic Firestorm.

As someone who doesn't know the first thing about the power metal genre, this is a unique experience. The album blasts along at a million miles per hour (not just tempo, but also complexity), and I can barely even keep up listening. The idea of being able to think this fast, let alone pay it, seems utterly impossible!

So I'm not really able to listen in a normal sense, it's more sitting back and letting the madness wash over me. Verses, choruses, songs... these concepts no longer have any meaning. It's all just an explosion of incomprehensible power and madness. Wow. Occasionally there is a catchy sing-a-long chorus, but even then the rest of the band is still going hammer and tongs in the background.

Admiration, inadequacy, bemusement. It's a strange reaction to music, but nonetheless a wonderfully unique experience.

Recording quality rant

This is also affected by everything just happening so fast. Each note has the smallest fraction of a second to make its point, before the next note comes along. Therefore the sound needs to prioritise crispness above all else, and there's no time for the audio subtleties that make up much of a sound's character. Considering this constraint, the recording quality suits the brief very well, and the lack of clipping is a great relief.

Favourite songs

They all blend together, so I can't really say...

I diggit?

I have no idea whether this is a good album or not, but for me it is a very unique and worthwhile experience.

Richard Cheese - I'd Like A Virgin

I'd Like A Virgin is Richard Cheese's third album. It was released in 2004, two years after Tuxicity.

For me, too much Richard Cheese is never enough! Sure, a few songs (including Gin And Juice and Rock The Kasbah) also appear on other albums that I own, but there's still plenty of goodness here.

I've never liked Coldplay's Yellow, so hearing it stripped of its dignity is satisfying in itself! Similarly, Are You Gonna Be My Girl has been taken in a very different direction to its original style, and the contrast between the hedonistic lyrics and the serene musical style is both intriguing and amusing.

There are actually a few songs here that have more appeal than just the LOLs. This cover of Butterfly retains the primal feel of the original, yet is also different enough to be entertaining in its own right (although I must admit I'm also a sucker for the silly "Han Solo" joke!). Also, Beat It is a fantastic acoustic interpretation of the Michael Jackson hit. (which couldn't be any different from Fall Out Boy's version, and both are fantastic).

Finally, Stand Up exemplifies Richard Cheese at his finest: ridiculously ego-centric, chauvinistic and profane rap lyrics over a classic big-band backing. Brilliant.

Favourite songs

Gin And Juice, Yellow, Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Butterfly, Beat It, Stand Up, Rock The Kasbah

I diggit?

Sure do.