metal

DragonForce

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British power metal at absurd velocity — twin-guitar solos treated as an extreme sport, delivered with a knowing grin that never undercuts the musicianship.

DragonForce began in London in 1999 as DragonHeart, formed by guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, both previously in the black metal band Demoniac, together with singer ZP Theart. The band renamed itself DragonForce in 2002 on discovering another act already used the DragonHeart name, and quickly built a reputation as one of the era's best-known power metal groups.

Their sound favours extremely fast tempos, layered harmony vocals and the duelling lead guitars of Li and Totman, wrapped in long instrumental passages and video-game-like guitar tones, all delivered with a certain amount of humour. Early single Valley of the Damned topped the MP3.com download chart for two weeks, helping the band land a deal with Noise Records in 2002.

The group's international profile grew sharply after Through the Fire and Flames appeared in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, turning the track into a benchmark for players and a fixture of the band's live set. The album it came from, Inhuman Rampage (2005), was certified gold by both the RIAA and the BPI.

The lead single from their following album, Heroes of Our Time, received a Grammy nomination in 2009. ZP Theart sang on the early records, with Marc Hudson taking over as vocalist from 2011; the band's current lineup also includes singer Alissa White-Gluz, drummer Gee Anzalone and bassist Alicia Vigil alongside Li and Totman.

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