DragonForce

[A7]

I'll be off to see DragonForce perform a free concert this Sunday at the El Corazon in Seattle. I just hope they don't sound like this...

DragonForce - "Through the Fire and Flames"...

[Metallicat180]

I've seeb Dragonforce twice, tho not by choice. Me and my friends call them "Nintendo metal". The first time was at Donington last year. I was lying on the grass dozing when they were playing and felt like I was getting moved along the ground by the constant double bass. The second time was on The Black Crusade tour. They were better there tho one of the guitarists (Sam I think his name is) kept fucking up. I don't know the songs yet I could tell he was making an arse of it. They did play one song I really, really liked tho - a slow ballad called Starfire or something.

I hope you have a good time nonetheless Jeremy!

[A7]

You Tube

[A7]

[Metallicat180]

Great pics Jeremy!!!!

Herman Li was standing next to me in the tent to see Motley Crue at Donington last year!!!

[A7]

Damn, I forgot to talk about the show itself.

So I got to Seattle at around 5:30 - an hour and a half before the doors opened. Not surprisingly, there were already people lined up. At least 70-80% of them were, of course, teenagers.

Once the doors opened, I got myself a decent spot near the front. At around 8:00, Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 played on the PA system, which was promptly interrupted by an announcement by Herman:

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute! Hi, we're DragonForce, and we think any intro like the one you heard...

[Beethoven's Symphony No. 5]

...or this...

["Oh Fortuna" by Carl Orff]

...or this...

["The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone]

...is absolutely fucking extremely unoriginal and gay."

The announcement was followed by some drums and monkey noises, prompting the arrival of the band.











If there's one thing to be cautious about a DragonForce concert, it's the crowd. Within seconds of playing the opening number, a violent moshing ensued. Kids were shoving each other back and forth. After the first two songs, I left the pit area to get a Red Bull (as the bar doesn't sell Rockstar or Monster). Good thing I did, as the moshing got worse, with crowd surfing and lead vocalist ZP Theart splashing water at the crowd.











As far as the band itself, they weren't as bad as they were on YouTube videos. Many of the songs they played from their first three albums were very recognizable (Sorry, Jen - they didn't play "Starfire"). Unfortunately, they didn't play anything from their upcoming album Ultra Beatdown. And in the case of their signature song "Through the Fire and Flames," what you see on the video I posted above is exactly what happened. Herman and Sam ruined the ending by surfing with the crowd. And after the show, the crowd left the venue very quickly.

Here's a picture of Dave's kit for the drum geeks:



Outside, posters of the show were handed to fans. I was with dozens of kids lined up outside the band's tour bus. Vadim was the first to exit the venue, but he got stuck, as he forgot the key code of the bus door. So he signed some posters and posed for cameras as he waited for help.

The members are surprisingly nice guys (except maybe for Sam, as he's drunk). Some kid had his Game Boy Color signed by everyone and said he'll think of the band whenever he plays a Pokemon game. Herman stuck around to talk to the crowd.

Overall, DragonForce is not bad live, but I wouldn't watch them perform live again because of the crowd. Otherwise, they're pretty fun to hang out with.

[Metallicat180]

I don't think they do that one all that often to be honest so nevermind. I think Sam is a bit of an alcoholic cos he always seems to be drunk. He was very obviously out of his face the last time I saw them. Herman's guitar is gorgeous!!!! I love Ibanez's!!!!!

[A7]

Originally Posted by Metallicat180

Herman's guitar is gorgeous!!!! I love Ibanez's!!!!!

Here's the specs of his current guitar:

Ibanez E-Gen - Herman Li Signature Model
Model number: EGEN18 TVF

Model: EGEN18 TVF
Neck: 5pc Maple/Walnut 24-fret neck
Neck Type: E-Gen Prestige
Body: Mahogany body with flamed maple top
Body: Special upper horn 'Kung Fu' grip
Body: Special deeper cut on lower horn
Frets: Jumbo frets
Frets: Scalloped fretboard from 21st to 24th fret
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Inlays: Oval Abalone
Bridge: Edge-Zero bridge - E-Gen Custom Setup
Neck PU: DiMarzio® HLM (H) neck pickup
Middle PU: DiMarzio® HLM (S) middle pickup
Bridge PU: DiMarzio® HLM (H) bridge pickup
Hardware Colour: Gold
Colour: TVF (Transparent Violet Flame)
Made in Japan by Ibanez's premier craftsmen

[A7]

Herman and Sam take on Marty Friedman and a Japanese guy named Rolly.

You Tube

[A7]

Originally Posted by Metallicat180

Me and my friends call them "Nintendo metal".

So true. As a matter of fact, someone adapted "Through the Fire and Flames" into 8-bit MIDI and came up with this clip. Imagine dusting off your NES and playing Megaman or Contra while listening to this:

DragonForce - Through the Fire and Flames" (8-Bit...