DragonForce

DragonForce in 2007 performing in Melbourne
Background information
Also known as	DragonHeart
Origin	London, England
Genre(s)	Power metal
Years active	1999 – present
Label(s)	Sanctuary Noise Roadrunner
Associated acts	Demoniac Power Quest
Website	dragonforce.com
Members
ZP Theart Herman Li Sam Totman Vadim Pruzhanov Dave Mackintosh Frédéric Leclercq
Former members
Adrian Lambert Didier Almouzni Diccon Harper Steve Scott Steve Williams

DragonForce are a British power metal band formed in London in 1999. They are known for their fast paced songs, twin guitar solos, and incorporation of "video game" sounds into their music.

History

DragonForce was formed in 1999 from the remnants of black metal band Demoniac under the name of DragonHeart, but soon changed their name to DragonForce before releasing any commercial albums due to possible commercial 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 downloads in the first few months. Two of the original members, Steve Williams and Steve Scott 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 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 Li and Sam Totman). 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. A master track of the song "Through the Fire and Flames" is featured in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and is considered the hardest track in the Guitar Hero series.The developers used the song to demonstrate the game at E3.^[2] According to the January, 2008 issue of Revolver Magazine, DragonForce has started to record new tracks for an upcoming album.

Musical style

DragonForce's musical style includes:

• Emphasis on fast, twin-guitar harmonies in speed metal styles
• Generally optimistic and uplifting chorus sections
• Lyrics of a fantastical or epic nature, often with phrases recurring in multiple songs
• Use of multi-tracked backing vocals
• Use of keyboards throughout songs
• Video game-influenced melodies and guitar noises

Although the band takes their musicianship seriously, they do not embody the themes in their music. In an interview with Metal Hammer, guitarist Herman Li has stated "Oh no, it's completely serious, we 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", and the Final Fantasy series,^[4] with lyrics comparable to themes present in fantasy games. The band has frequently referred to their style not just as power metal, but extreme power metal. Some fans call their style "epic metal", as a reference to the epic nature of their songs and music videos. Despite this, their style differs from extreme power metal in that it doesn't use the growled vocals nor the aggressive feel that is portrayed by other extreme power metal bands such as Children of Bodom. Herman Li commented on descriptions of the band's style in an interview with Guitar World: "'Nintendo Metal,' 'Extreme Power Metal', 'Bon Jovi on Speed,' 'Journey Meets Slayer,' ...people are always coming up with weird labels for us." ^[5]

Current members

• ZP Theart - Lead vocals (1999-Present)
• Herman Li - Lead / Rhythm guitars & Backing vocals (1999-Present)
• Sam Totman - Lead / Rhythm guitars & Backing vocals (1999-present)
• Dave Mackintosh - Drums & Backing vocals (2004-Present)
• Frédéric Leclercq - Bass guitar & Backing vocals (2006-Present)
• Vadim Pruzhanov - Keyboards, Piano & Backing vocals (2001-Present)

Former members

• Adrian Lambert - Bass & Backing vocals (2004-2005)
• Didier Almouzni - Drums & Backing vocals (1999-2003)
• Diccon Harper - Bass & Backing vocals (2001-2003)
• Steve Scott - Bass & Backing vocals (1999-2000)
• Steve Williams - Keyboard & Backing vocals (1999-2000)

Discography

• Valley of the Damned (demo) (2000) (as DragonHeart)
• Valley of the Damned (2003)
• Sonic Firestorm (2004)
• Inhuman Rampage (2006)
• Inhuman Rampage (2007) (Special Edition)
• Valley of the Damned - Remixed & Remastered (Delayed)

Music videos

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

References

External links

• DragonForce - official site
• DragonForce at MySpace
• our 2007 (Black Crusade Tour in Italy - 6 December 2007)
• Artist profile page at Roadrunner Records