Ultra Beatdown
Encyclopedia
Ultra Beatdown is the fourth studio album by English power metal
band DragonForce
, released on 20 August 2008 in Japan
through JVC
and on 26 August 2008 worldwide through Roadrunner Records
and Universal Music. Ultra Beatdown is the last studio album to feature ZP Theart on vocals. He would make his departure two years after the release of the album.
", was posted on their MySpace
profile. On 8 July 2008, the music video for Heroes of Our Time
was released onto their MySpace profile. The songs "Heartbreak Armageddon", "The Fire Still Burns" and "A Flame for Freedom" were all played on 106.1 Rock Radio during an interview with ZP Theart on 15 July 2008. On 14 August 2008, the album was made available for pre-order in the DragonForce official web store. On 18 August 2008 the album became available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
Prior to the album's release, DragonForce's shortest recorded song (excluding "Invocation of Apocalyptic Evil", the 14-second intro track to Valley of the Damned
) was the song "Dawn Over a New World", (Sonic Firestorm
), which clocked in at 5:13. The shortest song now is the special edition track "Strike of the Ninja", which is 3:18. This song is also notable for being the first and, so far, only unedited song recorded by DragonForce with a length of less than five minutes, albeit due to it being a re-recorded version of "Feel the Fire" by Sam Totman
's side project Shadow Warriors
.
The music video for "The Last Journey Home" premiered on the Xbox Live Network on 21 January 2009. Frédéric Leclercq announced that they may release a live DVD in 2009-2010.
Ultra Beatdown is the final album featuring lead vocalist ZP Theart and the first album to earn the band a Grammy nomination.
, Oxford
with Turisas
.
The US/Canada tour also includes Powerglove. The band toured almost constantly up until April 2009 in several countries with support by Dååth
and Cynic
. They had planned to carry out their world tour to Latin America in May 2009, but have delayed their arrival to November 2009 due to the swine flu
epidemic as well as "exhaustion" according to what Herman Li stated in a recent interview.
The band had planned to release a live DVD in summer 2009 but instead released a series of videos entitled "DragonForce TV" which showed the band on tour as well as pro-shot footage of their performances at Graspop 2009 and Loudpark 2009. It also featured backstage footage of the band rehearsing and just hanging out. The rumored DVD was never released due to lack of time when the band was touring. The DragonForce TV: Season 1 footage was uploaded during a break before the next-to-final leg of the tour in Latin America and North America. However, to make up for the false DVD, the band recorded the audio from every show on the final leg of the Ultra Beatdown World Tour to release the best cuts on a live compilation album. Herman Li stated in a 2010 interview regarding the album:
"The idea was to record every single show from the last leg of the tour, so we could pick the best take of each song without needing to do any overdubs in the studio; keeping the whole thing ‘LIVE’ like all the classic live metal albums.
"These recordings really capture the raw sonic energy of a Dragonforce show in fine detail. It is so real that you can hear the noise of the crowd and experience the show as it was that night – you can even hear the guitar pedals being stepped on!"
The album's official announcement was made on June 22, 2010. It is entitled "Twilight Dementia" and was released in September 2010.
" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
, losing to Metallica's
"My Apocalypse
". On 28 August 2008, the album charted at #9 in Japan it also entered the Australian charts
in the first week of September at #19 and in the same week at #18 in both the UK Albums Chart
and the Billboard 200
.
Initial critical response to Ultra Beatdown was generally positive. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average
score of 77, based on 8 reviews. Both Allmusic and Alternative Press gave it four and a half stars out of a possible five. Allmusic gave it an "AMG Album Pick" and, in the opening sentence of the review, likened the band to a juggernaut
.
The album was set for release first in Japan on 20 August 2008 then on 22 August in Germany
and the day after, on 23 August, in Australia
before being released to the United Kingdom
on 25 August and globally the following day.
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band DragonForce
DragonForce
DragonForce are an English power metal band from London. Formed in 1999, the group is known for its long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-based lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman are the only two...
, released on 20 August 2008 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
through JVC
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
and on 26 August 2008 worldwide through Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
and Universal Music. Ultra Beatdown is the last studio album to feature ZP Theart on vocals. He would make his departure two years after the release of the album.
Overview
On 4 July 2008, the first single from the album, "Heroes of Our TimeHeroes of Our Time
"Heroes of Our Time" is a song by English power metal band DragonForce. The song was released as the first single from their fourth album Ultra Beatdown. It was first released via web streaming on their official MySpace profile on 4 July 2008. On 8 July 2008 the music video was released for on-line...
", was posted on their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
profile. On 8 July 2008, the music video for Heroes of Our Time
Heroes of Our Time
"Heroes of Our Time" is a song by English power metal band DragonForce. The song was released as the first single from their fourth album Ultra Beatdown. It was first released via web streaming on their official MySpace profile on 4 July 2008. On 8 July 2008 the music video was released for on-line...
was released onto their MySpace profile. The songs "Heartbreak Armageddon", "The Fire Still Burns" and "A Flame for Freedom" were all played on 106.1 Rock Radio during an interview with ZP Theart on 15 July 2008. On 14 August 2008, the album was made available for pre-order in the DragonForce official web store. On 18 August 2008 the album became available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
Prior to the album's release, DragonForce's shortest recorded song (excluding "Invocation of Apocalyptic Evil", the 14-second intro track to Valley of the Damned
Valley of the Damned
-Track listing:-Demo track listing:Note: The Japanese edition of the demo included a remastered recording of "Where Dragons Rule" as a bonus track. The original demo version of the song is extremely rare, much like the original versions of "Black Fire" which was never released...
) was the song "Dawn Over a New World", (Sonic Firestorm
Sonic Firestorm
-Personnel:DragonForce*ZP Theart – lead and backing vocals*Herman Li – lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars*Sam Totman – rhythm and acoustic guitars*Vadim Pruzhanov – keyboards, piano, additional acoustic guitars*Adrian Lambert – bass guitar...
), which clocked in at 5:13. The shortest song now is the special edition track "Strike of the Ninja", which is 3:18. This song is also notable for being the first and, so far, only unedited song recorded by DragonForce with a length of less than five minutes, albeit due to it being a re-recorded version of "Feel the Fire" by Sam Totman
Sam Totman
Ian Samuel "Sam" Totman is a guitarist and main songwriter for the power metal band DragonForce. Totman was born in England, but moved to New Zealand at an early age...
's side project Shadow Warriors
Shadow Warriors (band)
Shadow Warriors was formed by guitarist Sam Totman of DragonForce in late 2000 as a side project.-History:Shadow Warriors recorded demo songs in late 2000 around the same time DragonHeart, later renamed DragonForce, recorded and uploaded their Valley of the Damned demo songs to MP3.com.In late...
.
The music video for "The Last Journey Home" premiered on the Xbox Live Network on 21 January 2009. Frédéric Leclercq announced that they may release a live DVD in 2009-2010.
Ultra Beatdown is the final album featuring lead vocalist ZP Theart and the first album to earn the band a Grammy nomination.
Sound
Before the release of Ultra Beatdown, the band member's were interviewed upon the topic of the album's structure and deliverance. Totman, Theart and Li all generally stated that the sound of Ultra Beatdown would not very much differ from their previous records but would improve in some categories.Touring and support
The first round of DragonForce's Ultra Beatdown World tour started on 25 September 2008 in the The ZodiacThe Zodiac (club)
The O2 Academy Oxford is a music venue in Oxford, England, which is part of the O2 Academy brand operated by Academy Music Group. Prior to 2009, it was known as the Carling Academy Oxford and before that, as The Zodiac. To many, the club remains "The Zodiac".-The Zodiac:The Zodiac was a club on...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
with Turisas
Turisas
Turisas is a Finnish folk metal band from Hämeenlinna. It was founded in 1997 by Mathias Nygård and Jussi Wickström and named after an ancient Finnish God of war....
.
The US/Canada tour also includes Powerglove. The band toured almost constantly up until April 2009 in several countries with support by Dååth
Dååth
Dååth is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their music incorporates styles such as thrash metal, death metal, industrial metal, grunge and some traces of gypsy jazz.-History:...
and Cynic
Cynic (band)
Cynic is an American progressive rock band, incorporating experimental music, alternative, metal and jazz fusion elements, founded in Miami, Florida and currently based in Los Angeles, California. Their first album, Focus, released on September 14, 1993, is widely regarded as a landmark release of...
. They had planned to carry out their world tour to Latin America in May 2009, but have delayed their arrival to November 2009 due to the swine flu
2009 flu pandemic
The 2009 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the second of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus , albeit in a new version...
epidemic as well as "exhaustion" according to what Herman Li stated in a recent interview.
The band had planned to release a live DVD in summer 2009 but instead released a series of videos entitled "DragonForce TV" which showed the band on tour as well as pro-shot footage of their performances at Graspop 2009 and Loudpark 2009. It also featured backstage footage of the band rehearsing and just hanging out. The rumored DVD was never released due to lack of time when the band was touring. The DragonForce TV: Season 1 footage was uploaded during a break before the next-to-final leg of the tour in Latin America and North America. However, to make up for the false DVD, the band recorded the audio from every show on the final leg of the Ultra Beatdown World Tour to release the best cuts on a live compilation album. Herman Li stated in a 2010 interview regarding the album:
"The idea was to record every single show from the last leg of the tour, so we could pick the best take of each song without needing to do any overdubs in the studio; keeping the whole thing ‘LIVE’ like all the classic live metal albums.
"These recordings really capture the raw sonic energy of a Dragonforce show in fine detail. It is so real that you can hear the noise of the crowd and experience the show as it was that night – you can even hear the guitar pedals being stepped on!"
The album's official announcement was made on June 22, 2010. It is entitled "Twilight Dementia" and was released in September 2010.
Critical reception
The song "Heroes of Our TimeHeroes of Our Time
"Heroes of Our Time" is a song by English power metal band DragonForce. The song was released as the first single from their fourth album Ultra Beatdown. It was first released via web streaming on their official MySpace profile on 4 July 2008. On 8 July 2008 the music video was released for on-line...
" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre...
, losing to Metallica's
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
"My Apocalypse
My Apocalypse
"My Apocalypse" is the forty-first single by American heavy metal band Metallica, and the second from their ninth studio album, Death Magnetic. On August 26, 2008, it was made available for streaming on the band's official website, as well as a download from the Death Magnetic website Mission:...
". On 28 August 2008, the album charted at #9 in Japan it also entered the Australian charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
in the first week of September at #19 and in the same week at #18 in both the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
Initial critical response to Ultra Beatdown was generally positive. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 77, based on 8 reviews. Both Allmusic and Alternative Press gave it four and a half stars out of a possible five. Allmusic gave it an "AMG Album Pick" and, in the opening sentence of the review, likened the band to a juggernaut
Juggernaut
A juggernaut in colloquial English usage is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as mercilessly destructive and unstoppable.Originating in ca...
.
Track listing
Release history
| Year | Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue # | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |  Japan |
20 August | CD | Victor Entertainment | VICP-64299 | All bonus tracks | |
| 2008 |  United States |
26 August | CD | Roadrunner | 1686-179372 | ||
| 2008 | United States |
26 August | LP | Roadrunner | 1686-179371 | Free Download Coupon | |
| 2008 | United States |
26 August | CD, DVD | Roadrunner | 1686-179378 | Special Edition |
The album was set for release first in Japan on 20 August 2008 then on 22 August in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the day after, on 23 August, in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
before being released to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 25 August and globally the following day.
Personnel
Band members
Guest musicians
|
Production
|