Whether you love them or hate them, Power Metal titans DRAGONFORCE have made an iconic impact on the Rock and Metal community and if their latest instalment "Maximum Overload" doesn't secure their place in the Rock and Metal Hall Of Fame I don't know what will.

I must admit I wasn't always a huge fan of DRAGONFORCE as I originally thought all their songs were sped up Power Metal, which I have heard them described as. After giving classic single "Cry Thunder" a listen I knew I had to find out more.

The lead single "The Game" opens up the album without fail with fast paced guitar riffs, thunderous drums and powerful vocals, which DRAGONFORCE are best known for. From that point on more melodies, that are bound to become new DRAGONFORCE classics, appeared.

One of my personal favourite tracks is called "Three Hammers" as it reminds me of "Cry Thunder", the song that got me liking these Power Metal legends. I love the sweeping melody that I can imagine lots of glossy hair swishing to as people head bang, the powerful vocals provided by Marc Hudson and the amazing chorus that will swim around your head for hours. What makes this different to "Cry Thunder" is that there is a part, which is sped up; this gives Herman Li the chance to show off his iconic skills shredding inspiring and excellent solos. I have lost count how many times I have listened "Three Hammers" and it's only been a few days.

Some of the songs had what I thought were quite unusual elements for a metal song. For example the beginning of "Symphony Of The Night" includes a harpsichord, which gives it a haunted house theme I think. Another unusual element for me was the middle of the track "Extraction Zone" where I felt like I was listening to the soundtrack for a classic video game; "Sonic The Hedgehog" and "Super Mario Brothers" sprung to mind. Whether these are normal or not these tracks caught my attention and that's what great songs are supposed to do, so in this case the unusual elements worked here.

The album ended on a triumphant note via a cover of JOHNNY CASH classic "Ring Of Fire". I particularly admired how they took a song right out of their genre and made it their own.

So from this glowing report I thoroughly enjoyed this Power Metal treat from a heroic band; this album hits the shelves next month and I highly recommend purchasing it. I would also consider getting the copy including the brilliant bonus tracks such as "Power And Glory".