DragonForce
DragonForce are an English power metal band from London. Formed in 1999, the group is known for its long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-based lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound. As of 2011 guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman have remained the only two constant members, since original vocalist ZP Theart has departed from the group and has been replaced with Marc Hudson.| DragonForce | |
|---|---|
 DragonForce in Melbourne in 2007. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Power metal |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Roadrunner, Universal, Sanctuary, Spinefarm, Noise |
| Associated acts | Demoniac, Shadowkeep, Power Quest, Shadow Warriors, Biomechanical, Son of Science, Bal-Sagoth, Powerglove |
| Website | www.dragonforce.com |
| Members | |
| Herman Li Sam Totman Vadim Pruzhanov Dave Mackintosh Frédéric Leclercq Marc Hudson | |
| Past members | |
| ZP Theart Adrian Lambert Didier Almouzni Diccon Harper Steve Williams Steve Scott | |
Musical style
The band have frequently referred to their style as power metal. 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." The band has sometimes been mislabeled as a speed metal band. due to the fast tempos present in their songs, but always as a supplement to other types of metal descriptors.Controversy
Controversy for DragonForce occurred in late 2006 shortly after the Inhuman Rampage tour gained larger audiences in later cities. The band had many technical difficulties with the guitars, which is deemed to be the most "stand-out feature" in their music. The band also drop-tuned their instruments to E-flat tuning on that tour. This, coupled with low-quality recordings of the live performances that were subsequently uploaded to the Internet, created rumors of the band speeding up their music in-studio due to being unable to perform it live at such speeds. The band dispelled these rumors in subsequent tours, performing their solos at the same speed as on the albums.[citation needed] Herman Li stated, "Graspop Metal Meeting of 2006 was [a] total disaster. The technician we had back then didn't even tune the guitar, and no monitoring was done properly. We didn't hear anything...". He also said that most of the Inhuman Rampage tour was bad overall due to technical difficulties.Band members
- Current members
- Herman Li – guitar, backing vocals (1999–present)
- Sam Totman – guitar, backing vocals (1999–present)
- Vadim Pruzhanov – keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals, theremin (2001–present)
- Dave Mackintosh – drums (2004–present)
- Frederic Leclercq – bass guitar, backing vocals (2005–present)
- Marc Hudson – lead vocals (2011–present)
- Former members
- Didier Almouzni – drums (1999–2003)
- Diccon Harper – bass guitar, backing vocals (2000–2003)
- Adrian Lambert – bass guitar (2003–2005)
- Steve Scott – bass guitar, backing vocals (1999–2000)
- ZP Theart – lead vocals (1999–2010)
- Steve Williams – keyboards, backing vocals (1999–2000)
