Music Is My Weapon

DragonForce was formed in 1999 from the remnants of black metal band Demoniac (and various other extreme metal groups) under the name of DragonHeart, they got their name from their favorite game Dragon Warrior 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 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.

DragonForce will embark on the "Black Crusade" tour across Europe with several other Heavy Metal artists including Arch Enemy and Trivium. Once they have finished, they have planned to make a remix of their debut album, Valley of the Damned including remastered and remixed versions of all the tracks, as well as a bonus DVD including live performances, interviews and backstage footage of the band. All the original songs from Valley of the Damned are to be remixed and remastered on the new CD.

A master track of the song "Through the Fire and Flames" is featured as a bonus song in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and is generally considered the most difficult song included in the game.

DragonForce's musical style includes:

Emphasis on fast, twin-guitar harmonies
Generally optimistic and uplifting chorus sections
Lyrics of a fantastical or epic nature
Use of background choral singing throughout songs
Use of keyboards throughout songs
Video game influenced melodies and guitar noises
Unorthodox guitar-playing methods and on-stage tricks
Although the band take 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 just have fun doing it...".[2] DragonForce's influences are drawn from all kinds of metal, melodic rock, and in particular video games such as "Wonder Boy in Monster World",[3] with lyrics comparable to themes present in fantasy games.

The band have frequently referred to their style not just as power metal, but extreme power metal. Despite this, their style differs from extreme power metal in that it doesn't use harsh 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,' 'Iron Maiden on Crack,' 'Bon Jovi on Speed,' 'Journey Meets Slayer,' ...people are always coming up with weird labels for us." [4]

Inhuman Rampage (2006)

Through the Fire and Flames

Exclusive MP3 From The New Album