Dragonforce is the reason why ‘Guitar Hero’ sounds so damn good.

The band’s fourth album “Ultra Beatdown,’ released Aug. 26 should make fans of the video game drool.

Lead guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman provide a sonic depth that demands this be played loud. Lead singer ZP Theart’s vocal range assures us that European metal’s future is secure.

The lyrics’ elemental and cosmic imagery translates awkwardly at times, but it isn’t really meant to be anything more than fun. The band members are all about the music and their technical mastery more than the somewhat hokey songwriting.

The song “A Flame for Freedom” sacrifices too much to a fit-any-mood sentimentality with lyrics reading: “And still we save a breath for the world, life brings up for us all, united, victorious, the hearts of our nation tonight.”

But, as evidenced by the furious shredding found on “Ultra Beatdown”, its epic spirit is stronger than ever.

4 out of 5 stars.