DragonForce

DragonForce

For the Saturn/PS2 strategy game, see Dragon Force.

DragonForce are a British power metal band formed in London, United Kingdom in 1999. They are known for their dual guitar harmonies, grandiose speed and style, epic guitar and vocals.

History

DragonForce originally formed in 1999 from the remnants of black metal band Demoniac (and various other extreme metal groups) under the name of DragonHeart, but soon changed their name to DragonForce before releasing any commercial albums due to possible trademark issues with Brazilian band Dragonheart. Their career began with the publishing of their early songs on the first incarnation of MP3.com, claiming the top of the site's heavy metal charts. The hit song "Valley of the Damned" reached over 500,000 in the first few months. Two of the original members, Steve Williams and Steve Scott, quickly left the band to form power metal outfit Power Quest. DragonForce has enjoyed increasing popularity over the years, publishing three albums and touring extensively while supporting Helloween, W.A.S.P. and Iron Maiden. Their 2005 tour in support of the Sonic Firestorm album included support from Angra and Mendeed during their passage through the UK. On the October 28, 2005, bassist Adrian Lambert announced his departure from the band in order to focus more time on raising his young son (Lambert later revealed in an interview that he had left due to musical differences with Herman and Sam [1]). He was replaced in 2006 by Frédéric Leclercq, who was made an official member after a performance on tour. Less than a month after Lambert's departure, on November 23rd 2005, DragonForce was signed to Roadrunner Records in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and New Zealand, who released their most recent effort, Inhuman Rampage, on January 9th, 2006. After problems with the release of Inhuman Rampage in North America, DragonForce released the album under Roadrunner on June 20, 2006. The band made its first appearance in the US Sunday, April 30th 2006 at the Worcester Palladium, during the annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. In late March, Herman Li was looking to join an American tour, such as Sounds of the Underground or Ozzfest. They were signed to Ozzfest in May as the opening act on the mainstage. DragonForce has been adding dates in the U.S. on Ozzfest off-days. The band returned to the United States in September, 2006, headlining a cross-country tour at mid-sized auditorium/ballroom venues such as The Warfield in San Francisco. They also returned to The Palladium where their first US show was.

Musical style

DragonForce's musical style includes:

• Emphasis on speed, twin-guitar harmonies
• Lyrics of a fantastical or epic nature
• Use of background choral singing throughout songs
• Generally optimistic and uplifting chorus sections (musically and lyrically)
• Video game influenced melodies and guitar noises

DragonForce claims that their music is not produced to be wholly serious and the lyrics, which pertain usually to fantasy subjects such as battles, swords, quests, dragons, and heroes, support this. DragonForce have stated that they base their music on fantasy-related materials such as video games including "Wonder Boy in Monster World" (a game for the Sega Megadrive console), and carries lyrical themes which are sometimes similar to those of, for example, The Lord of the Rings, relating to fantasy subjects and battles.

• On their first album, Valley of the Damned, the band placed particular emphasis on guitar sounds and melodies defining an 'epic' sound, with a technical mix of bass and drum compositions. This created a 'thundering' sound which has continued throughout the band's discography to date. The arrangements were more focused on voice and melody producing a fantastic, epic sound true to the power metal genre.
• Their second release, Sonic Firestorm saw the arrival of ex-Bal-Sagoth drummer Dave Mackintosh. The blast beat style of drumming, normally confined to the death metal and grindcore genres, was adopted into DragonForce’s playing. Sonic Firestorm featured more complex guitar parts, as well.
• Their third release, Inhuman Rampage continues their technical guitar based melodies. The inclusion of many new guitar sound effects alter their sound. The use of keyboard and extended keyboard' solos are noted in this release, showing Vadim's increasing influence in the band. Growling backing vocals similar to those found in black metal can also be heard (such as in "Revolution Deathsquad" and "Operation Ground and Pound"), as well as special effects on vocals. Versions of the album that include the additional "rockumentary" feature the Parental Advisory label.

The members of DragonForce have described themselves as belonging to the "extreme power metal" genre (DragonForce.com, Dec 2005). This genre, seemingly "created" by DragonForce, has yet to see any other bands emerge from within it. There are some who consider "extreme power metal" to already have existed before DragonForce embraced the term - bands that blend power metal with extreme metal influences such as Children of Bodom, Wintersun and Kalmah have been referred to as such (harsh vocals are featured in these bands, and are one of the main requirements of the 'extreme' tag ). However, this classification of "extreme" power metal is not necessarily what DragonForce embodies, as they focus more on the speed and thunderous onslaught of their playing. Also, because of the fantasy themes which characterize the band, DragonForce has frequently been associated with epic metal, which also features Rhapsody of Fire, Hammerfall, and Blind Guardian, though this is typical of power metal as a genre.

Discography

• Valley of the Damned (Demo) (2000) (playing as DragonHeart)
  Valley of the Damned (Demo) (2000) (playing as DragonHeart)
• Valley of the Damned (2003)
  Valley of the Damned (2003)
• Sonic Firestorm (2004)
  Sonic Firestorm (2004)
• Inhuman Rampage (2006)
  Inhuman Rampage (2006)

Currently

In April 2006, DragonForce embarked on their first North American tour. Initially, DragonForce was supposed to play their first show on US soil back in November of 2005, but visa problems prevented that from happening. On May 18th, DragonForce was added to the Main Stage line up for the Ozzfest 2006 tour.

As part of the Inhuman Rampage tour, DragonForce is touring North America and Japan with All That Remains and HORSE the Band between September 7th 2006 and October 14th 2006.

On September 7th, a day before the start of their tour, they performed live on G4's Attack of the Show which is actually broadcast from Los Angeles.

DragonForce will continue their tour in Europe, except for the UK, through November 16th 2006 bringing along bands Manigance (in France shows only) and Firewind.

After touring the rest of Europe, DragonForce will return to their home country, the UK, to perform a fifteen show run, dubbed Second Strike, through December 14th 2006 with All That Remains and Firewind.

Dragonforce's first North American show was at The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts in April 2006. They later played another show there in September 2006. During this show they made a note to the audience of their first show back in April and how much they were having fun in America.

Music Videos

• Through the Fire and Flames, from Inhuman Rampage
• Operation Ground and Pound, from Inhuman Rampage

Members

• ZP Theart - Lead vocals
• Herman Li - Lead/Rhythm guitars & Backing vocals
• Sam Totman - Lead/Rhythm guitars & Backing vocals
• Vadim Pruzhanov - Keyboards & Backing vocals
• Dave Mackintosh - Drums & Backing vocals
• Frédéric Leclercq - Bass guitar & Backing vocals

Former members

• Adrian Lambert - Bass & Backing vocals
• Didier Almouzni - Drums
• Diccon Harper - Bass
• Steve Scott - Bass
• Steve Williams - Keyboards

External links

• Official DragonForce website
• Template:MySpace-music
• Artist profile page at Roadrunner Records
• DragonForce at Metal Storm