DRAGONFORCE play The Regent Theater Dec. 6; photo courtesy of Dragonforce
Dragonforce, relishing in their killer lineup of fantasy, the power metal legends are taking on a new force of mid-tempo and slower hits while embracing their iconic up-tempo guitar solos on their Maximum Overload tour.
“It’s just a continuous illusion — the band,” Herman Li (guitars / vocals) said. “We just try to get better at everything we do, but also adding new things to it. The new songs help us create a more dynamic show live because on our first four albums everything was always fast and 10 minutes long, so when you come see us that’s what you’re going to get. Now we have different tempos so maybe it’ll be more interesting for people.”
One of the most promising songs that captures this new style is “Three Hammers,” starting with the unmistakable Dragonforce epic guitar riffs that glide into a softer, intimate acoustic. Maximum Overload, even with different tactics, maintains the fantasy lyrics, not so common in this day and age, that grew the original fanbase.
Marc Hudson’s voice is something crafted for power metal, hitting impeccably high notes and balancing the perfect amount of metal meets classical. “Symphony of the Night” is the embodiment of that classical aspect of metal with a complicated technique that doesn’t focus on one instrument but perfectly creates a harmony that leads to a chilling live performance.
On their album Maximum Overload, the band not only changed approach to tempo and song length, but also recorded a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”
“We thought we’d do something different. We’d said we’d never do a cover, and when you say you’re never ever going to do it, you basically HAVE to do it,” Li laughed. “It’s a three-minute song. That’s the shortest song we’ve ever played!”
Continuing the theme of new projects, along with adding shorter songs to the setlist, the band recently released a live DVD, “In the Line of Fire”.
“We were on tour (while editing the DVD), so I’ve done the edits in five different continents around the world on my laptop,” Li said. “At the end, my laptop burned out so that was that. I got to get a new one! I was so glad when it was released because there’s no more coming back to it, there’s no more changes to be done, there’s no more worries about it.”
The DVD brought to life some of the new releases while also reintroducing some fan favorites such as “Valley of the Damned,” a song that truly displays the band’s ability to transform music into a journey.
“That’s one of the songs that I remember when I first heard it I thought, ‘This is really catchy, some people might actually like us’,” Li said.
Dragonforce writes songs that alter the genre from just an album to an epic novel with the most intense soundtrack. A live show with Dragonforce isn’t another “wall of death,” mosh pit metal show.
“Live shows with us are always like a party, we always have fun,” Li said. “We just like playing live, it doesn’t feel like a job. We like to do what we like to do.”
Dragonforce is reaching the final leg of their North America, playing the Regent Theater Dec. 6.