Since there wasn't a thread for them yet I thought to make one for them. Just the typical band thread. Post your opinions, good and bad are welcome. My opinion is that these guys are very talented although they do need to try something new. All of their albums are far too similar. After listening to all of their albums it is had for me to tell them apart. But overall a very good band with a very unique sound. The topic is now open for posting!

I think I have comments both good and bad about Dragonforce. I think they're tons of fun, but I can't pretend they're better than they are...

Good: they cover all the necessary basics for power metal, with thundering double bass, strong high vocals, guitar solos, and totally ridiculous lyrics about dragons and the like. They love what they do, and they are some of the most ludicrously speedy monsters out there.

Bad: Dragonforce are a one-trick pony. Their ballads aren't interesting, and their 7 minute guitar solo wankery all bleeds into itself. Sure, they can rip some killer shred soloing, but just because they do it slightly faster doesn't make it any more interesting.

As a whole, I like them, and I don't want to sound like they have no talent or originality. I just find them to be better as background music than as the main event for my senses.

I agree, that was one hell of a post.

I'm a bit reluctant to bitch about them (given that I met them a couple of nights ago), but I don't like that they're exploiting power metal's clichés in the way they are. It seems (to me, at least) pretty insincere.

I think that they are not meaning to be insincere but that is just what they happen to enjoy singing about, although it does seem a little far fetched to be sincere. I honestly do not believe that they are meaning to be demeaning in any way, but they are a little overrated as they need to try something new and they aren't as awesome as everyone seems to think, they just happen to do the same stuff as everyone else just much faster...so what? I agree that they aren't that great, but they do have some good elements.

I've only heard five of their tracks and I must say that they sounded pretty much a like. I still like it though. Just one track at the time and not an entire album.

I totally love DragonForce, but that is probably because I have seen them performing on stage. There's no live act that compares to DragonForce; the speed, the power, the humor, the energy, the incredible guitar triangle (see them live if you don't know what I mean by that), it is all just so bloody amazing! And one must never forget that DragonForce do NOT take themselves seriously. Yes, their lyrics are cliché and their music is ridiculously fast, faster than it even needs to be. Why? Because basically, it's all a joke! But a brilliant one at that.

DragonForce have been kicking my ass since they released Valley Of The Damned quite some time ago and my attitude towards them has not changed ever since. Truly, this is a love-it-or-hate-it band, but I sure as hell belong in the first category.

I Never really liked them alot, becase they are way to repetitive, but i saw them live last night here in Sydney, and they live up to their title as an entertaining band.
(quoted from my post in Australian Metalstormers thread)
Funniest part of the night was the Keyboard guy solo, he came on during a band break, and yells "Check out this Shit!!!" and preformed the most retarded/insane Keyboard solo ever. He had the electronic drum beats, guitar, and keys going, sounds like a DF song in midi form He was purposly being a nutcase jumping around like a spastic, playing with the Keyboard on the back of his neck, as doing the famous Jimmi Hendrix teeth technique, i almost pissed myself, i wish i filmed it!

I thought they were pretty good live, i agree about the ballads though, they suck so bad.
For me they have stepped up from a pretty ordinary band, to an ok band.
I still think they are WAY too repetitive though...

Hehe, it is exactly shit like that which makes me crave for a live DVD.

they are still one of my favorite bands - but i was just saying in the last thread that i havent listened to DragonForce in a long time - and i dont really feel the urge to either
maybe that is just how i am with them, but still - not feeling like listening to a band for a long time cant be a good thing..
maybe i am getting bored of them? oh well. ill have to see

DragonForce - Sydney Live Videos Available :

Australia's www.PyroMusic.net has posted two videos and numerous of photos from DragonForce's sold-out Sydney show last night at this location.

(Source : http://pyromusic.net)

DragonForce are an amazing band, with two guitar GODS. Why oh why does it all have to sound the same?

I know them for quite a long time now, I've used to listen to their first two cd's (Valley of the Damned and Sonic Firestorm) quite a lot. Actually I do not find them that repetitive, but most probably that's due to the fact that I really knew to cd's out of my head. When I hear a song by them somewhere, I'm always surprised in a good way. Their sound is really catchy, and the music is pretty fast. In my opinion they are one of the better power metal bands out there. All the elements are there, they make great music, they have supergreat gitarists, the singer has a rather original voice, they sing about the (sometimes cliché) subjects which you would expect from a powermetal band, they are good live performers,... Despite all the band comments made about them, they haven't yet managed to disappoint me in their music, though I must admit that I haven't heard their latest cd yet.

I would have said more before but I didn't have time, so here we go. No two songs sound identical, but they are all fairly similar, with the exception of My Spirit Will Go On and Through The Fire And The Flames. Even so, they are all amazing songs, with mind-boggling solos! I don't like the first album that much, as quite a few of the songs the vocals aren't in the same key so it doesn't sound too good! Also, from Sonic Firestorm, listen to Fury Of The Storm, then Prepare For War. I think theyre probably variations on the same song!

@pyroclasm, get the new album, it's easily their best offering yet.

Written by Thryce on 18.05.2006 at 17:51

DragonForce - Sydney Live Videos Available :

Australia's www.PyroMusic.net has posted two videos and numerous of photos from DragonForce's sold-out Sydney show last night at this location.

(Source : http://pyromusic.net)

Haha Sarz filmed it, shes in my MySpace friends, saw her at the Opeth Gig too.
She must work for Pyromusic.... didnt know that.
Not the best videos nor songs of the night though...
I had a great video on my camera, but i accidently deleted all my videos i still have a few pics though... but they suck.

Ive seen Dragonforce live... They were pretty entertaining to say the least... Herman Li and Sam Totman are brilliant guitarists and play so well together... Yeh, they may be a one trick pony... but, if so, i like that pony and all i can say its... Lets have more of the 'force...

Written by Dark Cornatus on 18.05.2006 at 10:58

Funniest part of the night was the Keyboard guy solo, he came on during a band break, and yells "Check out this Shit!!!" and preformed the most retarded/insane Keyboard solo ever. He had the electronic drum beats, guitar, and keys going, sounds like a DF song in midi form He was purposly being a nutcase jumping around like a spastic, playing with the Keyboard on the back of his neck, as doing the famous Jimmi Hendrix teeth technique, i almost pissed myself, i wish i filmed it!

A friend of mine did .


http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=11BAC77070E174BB

That link doesnt seem to work man, is your friend Sarz by any chance?

Goddammit. Nah, my friend's not Sarz.

Gimme a while to sort things out, hopefully I can upload a working version.

They are very good though most of their songs sound the same. Still, there is no band out there like DragonForce!

DragonForce are OK. The only real reason I listen to them now is for the guitar solos which are still amazing. It's a bit of a shame that so much of their stuff sounds so familiar. Maybe they should try a different style with their new album. The latest one sounds a bit more as if they are stepping out in a different direction. They put on a good live show, though.

Their ballads suck bad? I completely disagree with that statement - both Starfire and, even more so, Dawn over a New World are among my favourite power ballads.

In general, I like DragonForce's first two albums a lot, but I think the third doesn't kick ass the way the others do.

Written by Guest on 19.05.2006 at 21:00

Their ballads suck bad? I completely disagree with that statement - both Starfire and, even more so, Dawn over a New World are among my favourite power ballads.

In general, I like DragonForce's first two albums a lot, but I think the third doesn't kick ass the way the others do.

No, I agree... I think Valley Of The Damned is the best... Inhuman Rampage doesnt quite cut it in my book...

ive never felt like i want a new album from a band so soon after one has been released so much like DragonForce
i want them to release a really good album thats different and interesting and not as similar as all the other albums are to each other
looking at their first three though - you have to wonder if the band are actually able to diverse

Eventually, im sure they will run out of ideas, failing that... Their style will become boring... But for the time being theyre great...

I completely agree __Az__
Right now they are the top of the top .. in guitar skill and everything, but to me, it seems just impossible that they will be able to hold on to this level ..
And when you constantly listen to DragonForce, even the fastest solo's get boring
A solo needs to create an atmosphere of emotion for me .. it needs to bring tears to my eyes of joy or sadness, whatever .. that's a good solo. What Herman is doing is absolutely amazing don't get me wrong, and I can detect passion in his work, but he fails to convert that passion to me

Anyway I'll check them out on Graspop Metal Meeting this year, noooooo doubt bout that

Written by __Az__ on 20.05.2006 at 20:02

Eventually, im sure they will run out of ideas, failing that... Their style will become boring... But for the time being theyre great...

As long as they remain popular they'll never change their style I'm afraid

no, i dont think they will change either
Herman and Sam just have to keep playing fast stuff - a quote from Herman in a magazine said something like "slow songs are boring" or something
it is a shame if they keep going on with what we have already heard, but if they do change, it will be in quie a while - not any time soon

What'd be best with the solos is if they could keep the speed, but maybe make them "soar" more, it's hard to describe what I mean. Listen to a decent Arch Enemy solo or Pink Floyd. But hey, as a guitarist, it's kinda hard to get bored of the solos when you can't get your head round 'em

My thoughts on DragonForce are a bit of a mixed bag...

Well, for one thing, their music IS good at first listen. Valley of the Damned would be my favourite album; it had much more variation and originality than the other works. But when they slow things down, it just falls apart. See Blind Guardian's 'Blood Tears' for how to do a proper slow ballad. And MetalHammer and Kerrang! seem to have swarmed over them like maggots on a corpse-they're the 'in thing' right now. The trouble is, as long as DF have commercial acclaim, they're not going to change their sound, and they ARE great instrumentalists by themselves, but I don't think they have true songwriting skill....they just can't vary their sound enough

Another reason I don't particularly like them is that they get the spotlight because they can play fast while other Power metal bands like BG, Kamelot and Iced Earth are sitting back from the commerical light (I'm talking commercial as in Kerrang! etc., as those bands are famous in what I like to dub the middleground (sort of a few levels above the underground )), and this annoys me.

But, that said, I do quite enjoy listening to DF, but not as much as bands that have true songwriting skill and variation in their songs. While originality is hard to come by in Music in general (and metal no less than any other genre), I believe that DF just lack creativity, and they demonstrate this with each succesive album. Hopefully, if it goes on much longer, they'll be dropped by the commercial fans and will actually realise they need to get their act together and change their style
...or not. Ah well, I'll stick with BG, IE and Kamelot any day :p

Well, I wouldn't say they lack songwriting skill, because if you look at the song in a whole, and disect it I find it very well written ..
But you have a very worthy point Silky !
They eventually do need to change their style, it's almost as if you can't score a classic, playing that fast.. It doesn't stick enough in my head