Sonic Firestorm / DragonForce (2004)

1. My Spirit Will Go On

2. Fury of the Storm

3. Fields of Despair

4. Dawn Over a New World

5. Above the Winter Moonlight

6. Soldiers of the Wastelands

7. Prepare for War

8. Once In A Lifetime

9. Cry of the Brave

The debut album was very sensational yet also rough and unrefined ore. With this album, they basically continued the same music direction. As they did with the last album, they still stuck with speed except the ballad track 4. However, there was a lot of improvement in this album. First, the sound production was much improved from the last album. Second, the song arrangements and melody lines were better deliberated. Some of the songs in the last album sounded redundant, but the songs in this album is well arranged.

I listened to this album at CD store. From the beginning of track 1, the dramatic metal journey had begun. DragonForce world goes quick with speed. My personal highlights are tracks 1 and 6. They still shows strong obsession to speed, yet they also brought more variety in rhythm and riffs. Because of that new attempt with arrangement, it makes the fast parts stand out even more. Melody lines have better hook, and each song became more distinguishable from other songs. This album was a big step-up for the band and made me looking forward to the next one.

☆☆☆☆

Unbreakable / Scorpions (2004)

1. New Generation

2. Love 'em Or Leave 'em

3. Deep And Dark

4. Borderline

5. Blood Too Hot

6. Maybe I Maybe You

7. Someday Is Now

8. My City My Town

9. Through My Eyes

10. Can You Feel It

11. This Time

12. She Said

13. Remember The Good Times

14. Dreamers (Japanese Release Only)

15. Too Far (Japanese Release Only)

This is my all-time favorite Scorpions album. It strongly reminds me of their '70s era, and for some reason, the songs really hit me emotionally.

Sound-wise, the album is heavy and dark, yet the melodies recall the Uli Jon Roth era. At the same time, it blends that classic vibe with modern production, catchy hard rock elements, and the power ballads that made them famous in the '80s.

Back in the '70s, the Scorpions weren't big in the U.S. yet, but they were already quite popular in Europe and Japan. I believe the reason they resonated so much in Japan back then was their beautiful minor-key melodies. Their songs weren't overly commercial yet, but they had a distinct atmosphere that perfectly matched Japanese musical sensibilities. It wasn't as pop-oriented as their '80s work, but it captivated Japanese fans. This album captures that exact same magic.

At first, I was really surprised by the sound. It was extremely heavy! Some songs are down-tuned to C. Perhaps this album and Humanity: Hour I are the heaviest albums in their catalogue, but it really matches the musical direction they were heading in at the time.

Tracks like "New Generation", "Love 'em Or Leave 'em", "Deep and Dark", "Maybe I Maybe You", and "Through My Eyes" all have a great '70s vibe. I’d call "Maybe I Maybe You" a 21st-century version of "Holiday." Of course, the album also features fantastic ballads like "She Said" and "Dreamer". "Dreamer" is only a bonus track on the Japanese edition, but it instantly became one of my favorite Scorpions songs. It's truly one of the best pieces they've ever written, and I honestly don't understand why it wasn't included in the worldwide release. It also features more upbeat songs like "Blood Too Hot", "Someday Is Now", "My City My Town", and "Remember The Good Times", which will surely please '80s fans.

They continued this musical direction on their next album, but shifted back to a more pop-oriented hard rock sound with Sting in the Tail. To me, this album represents the best of both worlds ('70s Scorpions & '80s Scorpions).

☆☆☆☆☆