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DragonForce

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

DragonForce are a British power metal band formed in London, England in 1999. They are known for their twin guitar solos.

History

DragonForce was 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[1] (Lambert later revealed in an interview that he had left due to musical differences with Herman and Sam [citation needed]). Less than a month after Lambert's departure, on November 23, 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 9, 2006. Lambert was replaced in 2006 by Frédéric Leclercq, who was made an official member after a performance on tour.

After problems with the release of Inhuman Rampage in North America and Australia, DragonForce released the album under Roadrunner on June 20, 2006. The band made its first appearance in the U.S. Sunday April 30, 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 have 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 U.S. show was. After this they toured the UK as part of the Inhuman Rampage Second Strike tour, in December, 2006. They are currently on a US/Canada tour with Killswitch Engage, Chimaira and He Is Legend. In March 2007, a special edition of their Inhuman Rampage Album is set to be released.

Musical style

DragonForce's musical style includes:

  • Emphasis on fast, twin-guitar harmonies (Kirk Hammett has called them "the fastest guitar players [he's] ever seen"[2])
  • 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
  • Heavy usage of keyboard

Although the band take their musicianship seriously, they do not embody the themes in their music. In an interview with Metal Hammer, Herman Li has stated "Oh no, it's completely serious, we just have fun doing it...".[3] DragonForce's influences are drawn from all kinds of metal, melodic rock, and in particular video games such as "Wonder Boy in Monster World",[4] with lyrics comparable to themes present in fantasy games.


Recent Events

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 18, DragonForce was added to the Main Stage line up for the Ozzfest 2006 tour.

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

On September 7, 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 continued their tour in Europe, except for the UK, through November 16, 2006 bringing along bands Manigance (in France shows only) and Firewind.

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

On March 13, 2007, a special edition of their Inhuman Rampage album will be released under Roadrunner Records. The CD/DVD is said to include all the previously released tracks on the Inhuman Rampage album and comes with a bonus track "Lost Souls in Endless Time". The DVD will feature a "Behind-The-Scenes Rockumentary", 2 Music Videos for "Operation Ground and Pound" and "Through the Fires and Flames" and a bonus live performance from the Metal Hammer Awards.

DragonForce is currently on tour in the United States with Killswitch Engage, Chimaira and He is Legend.

On May 19, 2007, Dragonforce is scheduled to perform for the first time in Indonesia promoted by Solucite Production

DragonForce has also been confirmed for the 2007 Download Festival

Members

Former members

Discography

Music Videos

References

  1. ^ Metal Hammer, November 2006, pg 40 "DragonForce interview"
  2. ^ Metallica Guitarist Dishes on His Pleasures
  3. ^ Metal Hammer, November 2006, pg 35 "DragonForce interview"
  4. ^ Metal-Temple.com Herman Li (Interview)
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