Heavy Song of the Week is a feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, the honor goes to DragonForce for their epic Zelda-themed song “Power of the Triforce.”
DragonForce and video games have been synonymous with one another ever since “Through the Fire and Flames” was used as the “boss battle” track in Guitar Hero II. Not to mention the band’s brand of epic power metal bares similarities to the shred guitar soundtracks found in classic side-scrollers like Mega Man and Castlevania.
It just feels right that the group’s upcoming album Warp Speed Warriors has a loose gaming concept, driven home by the LP’s second single “Power of the Triforce” — a tribute to the iconic Nintendo franchise The Legend of Zelda.
The track is a joyous ripper that’s on the lighter, more carefree side of the heavy metal spectrum. The guitars of Herman Li and Sam Totman unfurl neoclassical lines and dense melodic runs as singer Marc Hudson belts out a heroic Hylian tale, namedropping plenty of in-game references along the way: “See the legend rising from the gates of time / Now all feel the magic of the Master Sword!”
The band’s literary brand of metal combines seamlessly with the lore of Zelda, warranting further exploration. Concept album, please?
Honorable Mentions:
Cirith Ungol – “Dark Parade”
We recently reported on Cirith Ungol’s impending retirement from touring. While that is unfortunate, if inevitable news — the band has origins as far back as the early 1970s — there are no plans to call it quits as a recording project. The singles from the band’s just-released sixth album Dark Parade have been nothing short of remarkable, each notching a Heavy Song of the Week placement. The rest of the tracklist follows suit, highlighted by the forceful title track, which balances crushing doom with a triumphant NWOBHM turnaround and some wicked soloing.
Racetraitor – “Chamelecón”
Racetraitor’s hardcore is laced with activism, and on their latest single “Chamelecón,” the Chicago group comments on the ongoing violence in the the Honduras town of the same name. “For many years Chamelecón has been one of the most violent places on Earth, though not really discussed by major news organizations or in public discourse,” the band stated. “The response of the state, US government, and the corporations to the crisis has been the usual repressive militaristic police measures while sealing off borders in neighboring countries and the US for families fleeing the situation. Never any real discussion about resources or justice.” The band’s decision to shed light on these travesties is admirable, and the song itself is a vicious slab of blackened hardcore that would perk our ears regardless.
Texas in July – “Put to Death”
This past week, metalcore act Texas in July announced their first release in nine years in the form of the upcoming five-song Without Reason EP. Teaser “Put to Death” sees the band upping the extremity of its sound. It’s “darker and faster” and “written differently than the rest of the songs on the EP,” according to bassist Ben Witkowski, with vocalist J.T. Cavey hitting a range that “has never been recorded” and drummer Adam Gray laying down “the fastest double bass” he’s “ever tracked.” The Pennsylvania band has a fanbase to appease — the rest of the EP promises a more standard metalcore sound — but this harsher approach suits them well. Hopefully more tracks like “Put to Death” appear on future releases now that the band is active again.
