Fun fact: power metal is somewhat popular in Latin America. Bands like Hammerfall, Rhapsody, Helloween and Sonata Arctica have even played in my city (Cali, Colombia) which rarely gets international shows.
in latin america, Angra, Turisas and tons of other power metal band have been ther esince early 1990s so yeah we know : you even have the BET singer of power metal, the singer of HiBRiA and now he is also in ETERNITY'S END
@@chrisnorman1902 latin is very melodic, goes well with power metlal, no wonder some of europe's biggest bands are latin, like Mago de Oz.. the Rhapsody songs in italian are genius
It was all because of guitar hero I knew this band. It was till the release of the album Ultra Beatdown when I started to really listen to Dragonforce.
Herman Li is a huge part of what makes this band what it is and his youtube/twitch streams id wager bring in a lot of new fans. hes just a great guy to listen to.
I will also say this, they are super nice dudes. I have known Herman for years (although it has been a while now as he is living in the US). I met him at a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class a looong time ago, I was already a big DF fan and tried not to nerd out on him too much. He couldn't have been nicer, ended up getting me into their shows, going to other bands shows, hanging out at clubs and using me as a dummy for a martial piece in Metal Hammer. Literally 0 ego with them, which clearly shows in all aspects of the band.
Wild I'm getting misty eyed thinking about dragonforce for the first time in years. My friends and I listened to them and Sonata Arctica as freshman in HS religiously, even performed Black Fire at the talent show one year!
I love dragonforce. My kids are getting into metal (they are 8 and 10) and when something like power of the triforce came out that really pushed them over the edge into the fun world of powermetal. Another powermetal band I really like, from Canada of all places, is Unleash the Archers.
Nightfall in Middle Earth and Keepers part 1 and 2 are masterpieces of unfathomable height. Also, an important note: most power metal bands were self-aware of their goofiness, to the point of parody, since the 80s. Take a look at Rise and Fall from Helloween or Blind Guardian's covers for Surfin' USA and Mister Sandman.
@@Hobbiiihorsah And I almost forgot entirely Edguy with the likes of "Lavatory Love Machine", which (for the love of god) is already 20 years old. Now that I come to think of it, there isn't a single genre in metal with such levels of self-awareness as to how ridiculous and AWESOME its music is.
I saw Dragonforce open for Killswitch Engage before the whole guitar hero thing and im pretty sure I was one of the only people that was there to them and not Killswitch. Jaw dropping to see them play that shit live
Same here, saw them opening for Machine Head, right between Arch Enemy and Trivium (whoever put that tour together must have been drunk af 😅)... it was hilarious. Although I'd say they did deserve their reputation for putting fun first & precision second in those days, I'll never forget the keyboarder falling over with his keyboards mid song.
Had a similar moment of this with megadeth when they did Gigantour. It was right after Hanger18 was on GH2. The crowd went from almost capacity to 1/3 of what it was after that song… my drunk ass screaming obnoxiously about all the posers😅😅 cheers to 8 years sober cause😅😅
@AvB.83 I love when bands just have fun. Alestorm was jealous of Gloryhammer having epic battles and sorcery, so they decided to "try out a new bit" where one of the techs came out with a watering can strapped to his head and poured "rum" into the mouths of the players while playing the song "sadly i cant remember the song they played. Hopefuly Rum). Whether it was actually rum or just water, it was so damn funny 😂 they ended the song and claimed that their instruments were all sticky and they would not be doing that bit again.
I was at Dragonforce gig a few weeks ago in the uk. There were guys in their mid 30s, like me, older metal fans, kids were there, WOMEN! It's probably the most diverse metal crowd I've been in. They killed it.
This video came at a great time. I have never been a fan of power metal, but I have enjoyed some DragonForce tracks in the past. I recently did a deep dive into their full discography, and I'm actually a bigger fan than I thought. Valley of the Damned, Heroes of Our Time, Black Fire, Defenders, Cry For Eternity, are all absolute bangers.
Best things they did was when Herman and Sam were "creating other bands songs in 10 minutes." That whole series is absolute gold and really amplifies how much they treat their own music and genre as an out of hand joke.
@@maxhalley4373 if you search "dragonforce 10 minutes" the playlist of all the videos come up. They did Rammstein, Amaranth, Amon-Amarth, Nightwish, Alestorm, Sabaton, pop-punk amongst others. They're genuinely brilliant. Sam Totman just gets more and more drunk as they go along and the songs are always brilliant. It's basically Sam doing all the work and Herman placing a one-take guitar solo in the middle of an instrumental bit
You should definitely interview Herman Li. I remember him doing a cool interview with Anthony Fantano several years ago that went into some of the business/marketing side, so it would totally be within your wheelhouse.
I've been watching Herman's UA-cam content for years now just because of him. He seems like a pretty cool, open-minded dude and you don't get a lot of that in metal. I'm not big on Dragon Force but they ARE undeniably talented. Anyhoo, this was unexpected! ...but I like it. 😎👊
I was a huge power metal nerd in 2006-2012 about haha. I'm 39 now and my tastes have changed a lot over the years, but these gusy bring me back to very happy times in college and helped get me through rough times in my life including the death of my mother. Love bands like Kamelot, Sonata Arctica, Blind Guardian and Helloween still! Out of all these bands, I think Blind Guardian and Helloween have held up the best.
I cannot believe that you don't think other power metal bands have hooks. Power metal is probably the catchiest metal subgenre there is and all of the genre staples are filled with catchy guitar melodies and sing along choruses.
Well, Finn is known for his attitude towards what would be considered a "real" metal of the 70s and 80s. So I would not be surprised if he never heard a chorus from any Blind Guardian song, yet he knows that those "funny European" bands have no hooks.
@@ibfreely8952 alot of power metal is a little too in love with its lore and it's imagery, and the music rarely feels contemporary in anyway, it is almost always in debted to the past musically and thematically
The funniest part is Through the Fire and Flames isn't even part of the regular Guitar Hero Playlist. It's unlocked 🔓 once you've hit expert rank or the end of the game. 😅
It’s been absolute years since I played it but don’t you beat the devil playing “the devil went down to Georgia” and once you’ve beaten him it unlocks dragonforce? What a game.
These guys singlehandedly defined the public perception of power metal. Everyone equates power metal with long, technical, fast shredding songs specifically because of these guys, when most power metal hasn't been like that since near its inception
i've been saying it for 20 years. Sam Totman is a melodic genius. Underneath all the shred and sweep tapping are solid chords and solid melodies and that's why Dragonforce stands out
I’ve loved dragonforce for over a decade now, and I’m so so excited to finally have the chance to see them live! They’ve been a huge musical inspiration to me, and were one of my earliest motivators to learn to play guitar. Though I’ve loved their music, I didn’t really follow them as people, so it’s cool to see their history summed up here! Cool video
im generally more into technical and melodic death metal now but dragonforce will always have a special place in my heart. i remember back in like 2011 i was 19/20, not working and with infinite free time and id just be stoned out of my mind playing wow and having all of their albums on a big loop playing in the background
I have an older brother who plays guitar. Hes always been a metalhead but got into Prog Rock/ Power Metal when we’re in Highschool. We shared a wall growing up. NGL it was maddening hearing him trying to learn to these complex/technical riffs like the opening to Rhapsody’s -Emerald Sword. When GH dropped a year or so later it turned up to eleven.lol.
Mormon theatre kids at my high school introduced me to Dragonforce (prior to Guitar Hero)... I guess it was the only 'extreme' music they were allowed to listen to. No idea how they discovered them.
I remember being at a bar in London with friends and a few of the band were their drinking. This was before they really blew up. I had no idea who they were but they were really friendly and were quite happy to chat with people who knew who they were and have a drink.
I first discovered Dragonforce from the old RedvsBlue website on their forum section. I was pretty active in the metal community there and one member who I chatted with frequently sent me the UA-cam link and said “you are gonna love this” And I did! I still listen to them regularly. One of my favorite bands of my late teenage years.
Being 63 years old, powermetal was what we called Iron Maiden and Metallica back in the 80's because it was different from Hair bands, like Motley Crue and Judas Priest. I have vaugely heard of Dragonforce, but couldn't tell you who they were or what they did. I think they are BabyMetal's touring band right now, as the West Kami Band. Listening to the stuff in this video reminds me a bit of BabyMetal, which I like, especially the early stuff with Mikio Fujiota. I guess I will go back and check some of this stuff out.
I still remember Herman's stint in UK grindcore band labrat best known for their hit "Clint Eastwood is very hard innit". Labrat back then played shows with million dead which featured Frank Turner, and where we are now 20 years later 😂
I remember back in like 2004 I tried downloading Dragonforce but came across Dragon Heart with their album Throne of the Alliance. I loved playing that record while playing Golden Axe.
Saw them live with Between the Buried and Me. I was there for DragonForce, most of the crowd was there for BTBAM. it was a very strange mix of people. Fun show though! DragonForce was having a blast and you could feel their good vibes coming off the stage. Great live show!
been listening to rock and metal since high school in the 90s but when I first heard Dragonforce on guitar hero it BLEW MY MIND. I bought the album immediately, then bought the rest of their albums. I love the genre and highly recommend Sonata Artica, Manowar, Helloween, Blind Guardian, Gloryhammer and Avantasia to anyone who likes rock or metal. Good for chilling, gaming, as a background for reading fantasy/manga or lifting. Its a fun upbeat change from our normal stuff.
This band is much different than many other metal bands when it comes to personality and attitude. They stay away from creating drama (hence we don't know and will never know why singer left), they don't gatekeep, they don't sue (they could sue to get royalties for Guitar Hero, right? 🤷), they share their music and love not only fans who listen to it but fans who play their songs (Herman Li reacts to musicians playing their covers, really cool). They understand modern media (games, UA-cam, music streaming). Despite their genre is stuck in the past of power metal, the band itself evolves and knows how to present it to new fans. This is skill that many bands don't have. Last but not least - these guys have lots of distance to what they do and having fun doing it. It isn't my favourite band (I'm not much into power metal) but have lots of respect for what and how they do and many bands (especially those dramatic ones) could learn a lot from them.
Saw em live in 2021 for the first time and they hold a spot in my Mount Rushmore of live performances. Between Hermin Li dropping the solo for TtFatF then looking at the crowd then shrugging it off and the "Fuck Detroit" chant it was a good time. They where wholesome and great fun the entire night.
I have seen this Dragonforce 5 times in the last 3 years. They are truly great and with tons of talent, and to see them embrace the camp and become even more successful has been amazing. Been following for over ten years now, and while I hate that some of their discography with marc will go overlooked which I think is their best work (Information overload, reaching into infinite, etc., ) I take catharsis knowing they are having fun and making legitimately epic music.
Dragonforce was THE band that introduced me to metal. I first heard TTFAF when I was 12 funnily enough from a game on roblox (back when dmca wasn't as bad). I was instantly hooked and became a huge fan, went out and bought a guitar and gh3 which then introduced me to One by Metallica which became the band that truly made me fall in love and fully dive into metal so DragonForce and Herman Li as a guitarist will always hold a special place in my heart.
Valley of the damned is such a good album I remember my friend and I listening to that and sonic firestorm back in the day playing this weird online rpg called well of souls. When they got a track on guitar hero it blew our minds how popular the band became after that
As you will always point out, they had hooks, but also they had infectious energy, grinningly corny but exhilaratingly triumphant, also they transcendened the trappings of power metal, Dragonforce were all about feel of an epic battle not the story of one, which is why they remain the only power metal band with universal appeal.
I'm an acoustic guitar player player that focuses on finger picking. With that being said DragonForce is still my favorite band of all time. The melodic singing, beautiful solos, intense drums, etc I can't get enough. They have two distinctive eras with their different vocalists and I like them both. Imo their peak album was maximum overload with their new singer. I wanted to deny it but I no longer can, DragonForce is my favorite band.
Obscure? Maybe. It depends on who you ask and how you describe it. Sam Dunne defines the subgenre in his various documentaries and includes various well-known bands like Dio and Manowar, though maybe they're the predecessors of the modern genre.
I remember listening to Dragonforce for the first time by looking for Stratovarius songs. I went to Windows Media player and found the Valley of the damn instantly hooked. 20 years later and still love listening to them
GH3 played a HUGEEE part of me getting into metal. I was 10 and my friends older brother was a metalhead and had it. Killswitch engage is what sold me on metal. Thank god I got to experience this. Man I really miss the early 2000s…. Things were just better.
My late roommate who was a fantastic guitar player went from playing some stupid complex stuff to one day practicing some Dragonforce riffs. I once called him out like 'what really, Dream Theater to Dragonforce?' and he was like "what about them?" I said "they're good but they're really cheesy" and he said "everything after 'but' doesn't matter, this is a challenge." Then he went and grabbed another Bud Ice 40oz cuz it was either that or water in our place. I appreciate Taylor Swift now. She's good. Can't say anything else.
I go to a lot of shows, and man did Dragonforce deliver last year when I saw them in NYC. Showmanship, crowd energy and pulling off all their technical playing live. Would see them again in a heartbeat. Just lean into the campiness and enjoy yourself. And loved the Intervals shoutout at the end. Just saw them last week; easily top 3 favorite bands for years, even if it's just Aaron writing.
I loved them since i was a child, all of their music was a true inspiration for me to do anything, including starting to play guitar and becoming better at it. I think you should give more credit to Sam, he is a musical genius when it comes to compose!
I discovered Dragonforce back in 2006 through a work friend who played in a Christian metalcore band of all things. He asked if I’d heard of them and described them as “cheesy, but fun.” So I went on this new thing called UA-cam and found their video for “Operation Ground and Pound.” It blew me away and I quickly went out and bought the cd. I consider myself a fair weather fan as I listen to about half of the album. I got Ultra Beatdown when it came out and like it about the same as the previous album. When ZP left, I was done. “Cry Thunder” didn’t do it for me and I haven’t really paid attention to them since.
The reason maximum overload and reaching into infinity are so different and darker from the rest of the catalog is because of then bassist Frédéric Leclercq (now with Kreator). Sam gave him way more writing freedom and though those albums were incredible, I am pleased to see them come full circle back to the fun Dragonforce
There's a handful of first listens that are baked into my brain. Streetlight Manifesto "Everything Goes Numb" Bad Religion "Modern Man" Dragonforce "Through the Fire and Flames" is most definitely one. Legendary stuff.
Not enough emphasis on how Herman's twitch live streams brought in new fans. In 2015, Dragonforce was playing small clubs as an opener still (I saw them in the basement of Webster Hall that year, as an opener) and then after covid, they were headlining 1-2k capacity ballrooms (headlined Palladium Times Square in 2023). This was all well after in the fire and flames was popular.
These vids are so well done I’m surprised a network like MTV or VH1 haven’t tried contacting you to host these on their networks as an hour long show/series. Keep up the great content 🙌🏻
As you say near the end of the video, I got GH3 for Christmas the year it came out and literally 4 months after that I was asking my parents for a real guitar. Crazy how influential that game was
I remember that time: "Through The Fire And Flames" wasn't even playable in the "story"-mode of guitar hero III, but the first song of the outro (not before, but AFTER you beat the devil 😁). Herman Lee is an impressive guitar player! "Nintendo-core" is a beautiful expression. Oh, and I started playing guitar some years before and played guitar hero on the PC-keyboard.
Dragonforce has always been connected to video games. They've admitted they got their name from a Sega Saturn game. When I was in high school in 2002 I was playing Stepmania Online, an open source version of Dance Dance Revolution that we played on our keyboards, and power metal music, like Kamelot and Rhapsody (not Of Fire yet), was very popular in the early rhythm game community. Fury of the Storm and My Spirit Will Go On were some of the hardest charts at the time! It was inevitable they were going to be in Guitar Hero and that game's mainstream success brought them along with it.
I think I discovered the song Through the Fires and Flames through a Guitar Hero-ish online game named Jam Guitar that can be played with a keyboard and a mouse. Love this song ever since
Wow this was a great trip down memory lane! I have always been more into metalcore but my highschool metal posse was big into power metal (Europe indeed..), the likes of Hammerfall, Blind Guardian, Sonata Arctica and the likes. I did join them to Dragonforce just for the event and really, really liked the show! 2nd shows I went they had a new supporting act called Sabaton that I also didnt know till that day.. times have changed since!
I've seen them live a few times and every single time they were great. The two guitarist would flip each other off or hump each other with their guitars while the other was going
I showed my 8 and 5 year old guitar recently and showed them the hardest song on there legends of rock - through the fire and flames. My kids fell in love with the sound and now listen to dragonforce on spotify daily on shuffle. Its so weird to me but I think its because it sounds like video game music to them. They listen to it while playing roblox
Power metal is actually quite popular here in the States. I've been to quite a few power metal concerts and they never seem to have any trouble filling the seats.
I first discovered DragonForce in 2007 on my friend Alex’s MySpace page. Fury of the Storm was playing on his page as his song and I always paused it. One day I couldn’t pause it and heard the whole thing and was like YOOOOOO they became my favorite band and I got every album after on my iPod.
I love DragonForce. Guitar Hero 3 was the reason why I became a fan! Unfortunately, I think they kind of got screwed over when the developers only put a few of their songs in their Guitar hero/Rock Band franchise and just left them at that. Strange, since there were quite a few songs out there that deserved to be in those franchise, like Cry For Eternity, Black Fire and Valley of the Damned.
Another factor in their rise/relevance is how they embraced the memes, full on bear hug. Their quarantine UA-cam series "How to ___ in 10 minutes" was a riot, they collabed with people that covered their songs (buckets the drummer, Stevie T, etc) and the collabs were anything from tiktok duets to performing on stage with the band. And people seeing niche artists and content creators get their big break because DragonForce are very community centric probably inspired it's own wave of new musicians.
As a long time fan of DragonForce and Power Metal, I did see one other thing back in the day that set them apart. Most power metal bands only toured with other power metal bands, and I understand why. DragonForce was on Ozzfest before Guitar Hero 3 even came out. They also toured with bands like Killswitch Engage, Chimaira, Trivium, Machine Head, and later would also play main stage at one of the first Mayhem Festival tours. If you watch videos from those tours some people in the audience were booing. DragonForce took a risk and went outside of their power metal comfort zone to earn new fans.
Video games is not how I’ve been exposed to these guys. I remember back in ‘06 watching “Operation Ground and Pound” in a local TV show where they play metal music videos, I watched Herman Li & Sam Totman ripping up their guitars so freaking fast… I was really blown away! Started looking into their music & other bands within the power metal scene, & I never regret moving away from mainstream music.
I agree on the Dream Theater comment you made, It is a shame people don't like more guitar oriented music in general. I never play music at work for that same reason, have worked multiple jobs and all people want to hear is rap, I don't hate rap but it gets old fast, especially if you have ever seen behind the scenes of a digital audio workstation, takes the musical illusion of a lot of rap away. Dragonforce is just great, I think you are right that most people could vibe with it, power metal in general, similar to rap in the sense that there is a story to tell in the music, etc. I love both prog and power metal, great music for all occasions, kind of like a movie, video game, beyond, etc.
First of, loved the 2 ends of the spectrum you used between DragonForce and Dream Theatre. I can recognise the great musicianship of that band, but never ever fell in love with their music. Had the opportunity to go to a live showof Dragonforce (edit . a month ago), and damn they are really really fun to see live, Marc Hudson is a great vocalist, and furthermore it was on an insanely small venue of 500 peeps, and a very very affordable ticket price. If you have any opportunity to go watch them live, it really worth it. You will have a chance to moshpit on a Celine Dion or Taylor Swift cover 🤣
I like Power Metal and Dragonforce. I got to know and like Dragonforce not from Guitar Hero, but the idea of combining fast riffs and blast beats into epic, soaring Power Metal about fantastical RPG themes going on journeys and battles at that time (back in 2006 when I first got to know them, and the first album I listened to was Valley of the Damned). Power Metal may be European, but I feel that the US could use more exposure to it as well as there are other good American Power Metal bands. Power Metal has such great musicianship, soaring vocals, anthemic choruses and has quite themes that geeks would like as it sings about, but not limited to, fantasy, sci fi, mythology and things you'd see in RPGs.
I do remember that at beginning of 2000 (no Spotify or UA-cam around yet) I was starting searching music on internet... and a song called "Black Winter night" suddenly showed up and I got excited!... I was a heavy/power metal kid back then and I got surprised by their sound but was hard to get music from overseas back in the day.... years after that when the "Guitar Hero" was born it was easier to get music from this guys .... so cool they "made it" somehow :) Hey! power metal is a big thing in Latinoamérica BTW
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yeaH THEY got a new record out last month march 2024, and Marc Hudson released a solo CD in the past 5-6 months
Is it that each band has a strange history, or do you not understand the world too much?
Fun fact: power metal is somewhat popular in Latin America. Bands like Hammerfall, Rhapsody, Helloween and Sonata Arctica have even played in my city (Cali, Colombia) which rarely gets international shows.
in latin america, Angra, Turisas and tons of other power metal band have been ther esince early 1990s so yeah we know : you even have the BET singer of power metal, the singer of HiBRiA and now he is also in ETERNITY'S END
I suppose because power metal bands sing about historical type things, and Latin is a historical language
A history of Helloween would be dope
@@chrisnorman1902 latin is very melodic, goes well with power metlal, no wonder some of europe's biggest bands are latin, like Mago de Oz.. the Rhapsody songs in italian are genius
one of the reasons is Angra and ofc latin people love metal and are full of energy
Herman Li is the true face of Dragonforce, I didn't even know at the time that they changed vocalists
It was all because of guitar hero I knew this band. It was till the release of the album Ultra Beatdown when I started to really listen to Dragonforce.
Herman Li is a huge part of what makes this band what it is and his youtube/twitch streams id wager bring in a lot of new fans. hes just a great guy to listen to.
I will also say this, they are super nice dudes. I have known Herman for years (although it has been a while now as he is living in the US). I met him at a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class a looong time ago, I was already a big DF fan and tried not to nerd out on him too much. He couldn't have been nicer, ended up getting me into their shows, going to other bands shows, hanging out at clubs and using me as a dummy for a martial piece in Metal Hammer. Literally 0 ego with them, which clearly shows in all aspects of the band.
I'm seeing them twice this week. Discovering Dragonforce through Guitar Hero had a big impact on my taste in music.
Same with Korn and Rise Against
i do not envy your ears, but i'm glad you've got something you enjoy.
I cried during their cover of that Titanic song, I was high and dealing with a passing of a parent, it was cathartic
sorry for your loss
Getting high to cope with loss is a trap I've fallen into way too often. I hope you're in a better place mentally now. I'm also sorry for your loss.
Just for clarity, the song is ÉMy heart will go on" by Céline Dion. it may help going back to it if you want to.
Their song was in Despicable Me 4!
I remember going to see them live in about 2005/6
The place was full of plastic swords and shields, no one took it seriously, it was FANTASTIC
Yeah I remember those gigs, the atmosphere was awesome, especially in London
Wild I'm getting misty eyed thinking about dragonforce for the first time in years. My friends and I listened to them and Sonata Arctica as freshman in HS religiously, even performed Black Fire at the talent show one year!
16:53 does Herman have a fan set up in his living room for blowing his hair while soloing?!
Man, i love that guy!
I love dragonforce. My kids are getting into metal (they are 8 and 10) and when something like power of the triforce came out that really pushed them over the edge into the fun world of powermetal. Another powermetal band I really like, from Canada of all places, is Unleash the Archers.
Nightfall in Middle Earth and Keepers part 1 and 2 are masterpieces of unfathomable height. Also, an important note: most power metal bands were self-aware of their goofiness, to the point of parody, since the 80s. Take a look at Rise and Fall from Helloween or Blind Guardian's covers for Surfin' USA and Mister Sandman.
@@Hobbiiihorsah And I almost forgot entirely Edguy with the likes of "Lavatory Love Machine", which (for the love of god) is already 20 years old. Now that I come to think of it, there isn't a single genre in metal with such levels of self-awareness as to how ridiculous and AWESOME its music is.
Power Metal is HUGE in Japan, ain’t it ?
Yes
Absolutely insanely so
Those first 4 albums have a special place in my heart. I honestly couldn't get into them when they changed vocalists, but I'm glad they're doing well.
Their latest album absolutely sucks tho
ZP is the best. His replacement has been killing it though.
Galneryus had the same thing. Prefer Yama B era, but Ono kills every song hes on.
@@michaelvdbgd not at all. Got great reviews everywhere
Nah he's very good, just diferent vibe from ZP
I saw Dragonforce open for Killswitch Engage before the whole guitar hero thing and im pretty sure I was one of the only people that was there to them and not Killswitch. Jaw dropping to see them play that shit live
Same here, saw them opening for Machine Head, right between Arch Enemy and Trivium (whoever put that tour together must have been drunk af 😅)... it was hilarious. Although I'd say they did deserve their reputation for putting fun first & precision second in those days, I'll never forget the keyboarder falling over with his keyboards mid song.
Had a similar moment of this with megadeth when they did Gigantour. It was right after Hanger18 was on GH2. The crowd went from almost capacity to 1/3 of what it was after that song… my drunk ass screaming obnoxiously about all the posers😅😅 cheers to 8 years sober cause😅😅
So you can attest to the false rumor that their music is all sped up and they can't actually play that shit. It's pretty crazy for sure!
@AvB.83 I love when bands just have fun. Alestorm was jealous of Gloryhammer having epic battles and sorcery, so they decided to "try out a new bit" where one of the techs came out with a watering can strapped to his head and poured "rum" into the mouths of the players while playing the song "sadly i cant remember the song they played. Hopefuly Rum). Whether it was actually rum or just water, it was so damn funny 😂 they ended the song and claimed that their instruments were all sticky and they would not be doing that bit again.
I was at Dragonforce gig a few weeks ago in the uk. There were guys in their mid 30s, like me, older metal fans, kids were there, WOMEN! It's probably the most diverse metal crowd I've been in. They killed it.
Alexi Laiho and Children of Bodom!
I would enjoy a video on them.
Yes absolutely. I can't believe it hasn't been done yet. That guy is a legend
Absolutely agree! One of my all time favorite bands!
I second this.
Yeah 👍🏽 definitely a children of bodom video PLEASE
RIP Alexi😢
This video came at a great time. I have never been a fan of power metal, but I have enjoyed some DragonForce tracks in the past. I recently did a deep dive into their full discography, and I'm actually a bigger fan than I thought. Valley of the Damned, Heroes of Our Time, Black Fire, Defenders, Cry For Eternity, are all absolute bangers.
Best things they did was when Herman and Sam were "creating other bands songs in 10 minutes." That whole series is absolute gold and really amplifies how much they treat their own music and genre as an out of hand joke.
The best part is that it's a very high-effort joke. They pour passion into their music even though they know what they're making is absurd.
I absolutely love them. Sam shows how good of a musician he is even when piss drunk.
EXACTLY it’s phenomenal, those streams were some of the best ones of 2021 or 2020 or whenever that was.
Can someone share where that can be found? Sounds cool
@@maxhalley4373 if you search "dragonforce 10 minutes" the playlist of all the videos come up. They did Rammstein, Amaranth, Amon-Amarth, Nightwish, Alestorm, Sabaton, pop-punk amongst others. They're genuinely brilliant. Sam Totman just gets more and more drunk as they go along and the songs are always brilliant. It's basically Sam doing all the work and Herman placing a one-take guitar solo in the middle of an instrumental bit
You should definitely interview Herman Li. I remember him doing a cool interview with Anthony Fantano several years ago that went into some of the business/marketing side, so it would totally be within your wheelhouse.
I'd argue Herman Li's social media presence is the main reason they are still relevant today.
I've been watching Herman's UA-cam content for years now just because of him. He seems like a pretty cool, open-minded dude and you don't get a lot of that in metal. I'm not big on Dragon Force but they ARE undeniably talented. Anyhoo, this was unexpected! ...but I like it. 😎👊
Herman seems to be a really nice dude, the guy you want to grab some beer with.
I was a huge power metal nerd in 2006-2012 about haha. I'm 39 now and my tastes have changed a lot over the years, but these gusy bring me back to very happy times in college and helped get me through rough times in my life including the death of my mother. Love bands like Kamelot, Sonata Arctica, Blind Guardian and Helloween still! Out of all these bands, I think Blind Guardian and Helloween have held up the best.
I love how Hermann was was part of one my favourite metal songs ever, Road of Resistance
But, lbr, DragonForce is just amazing
I cannot believe that you don't think other power metal bands have hooks. Power metal is probably the catchiest metal subgenre there is and all of the genre staples are filled with catchy guitar melodies and sing along choruses.
Nu metal and metalcore are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay catchier my friend. I love all these genres but it is what it is.
But it's popular in in filthy Europe and not in the US, so who cares about it. /s
Well, Finn is known for his attitude towards what would be considered a "real" metal of the 70s and 80s. So I would not be surprised if he never heard a chorus from any Blind Guardian song, yet he knows that those "funny European" bands have no hooks.
If anything, power metal has too many hooks
@@ibfreely8952 alot of power metal is a little too in love with its lore and it's imagery, and the music rarely feels contemporary in anyway, it is almost always in debted to the past musically and thematically
The funniest part is Through the Fire and Flames isn't even part of the regular Guitar Hero Playlist. It's unlocked 🔓 once you've hit expert rank or the end of the game. 😅
Nah it was at the end of the game regardless of difficulty. Blew my mind when i beat the game on medium. I never fathomed using the orange button lol
It’s been absolute years since I played it but don’t you beat the devil playing “the devil went down to Georgia” and once you’ve beaten him it unlocks dragonforce? What a game.
These guys singlehandedly defined the public perception of power metal. Everyone equates power metal with long, technical, fast shredding songs specifically because of these guys, when most power metal hasn't been like that since near its inception
i've been saying it for 20 years. Sam Totman is a melodic genius. Underneath all the shred and sweep tapping are solid chords and solid melodies and that's why Dragonforce stands out
I’ve loved dragonforce for over a decade now, and I’m so so excited to finally have the chance to see them live! They’ve been a huge musical inspiration to me, and were one of my earliest motivators to learn to play guitar. Though I’ve loved their music, I didn’t really follow them as people, so it’s cool to see their history summed up here! Cool video
im generally more into technical and melodic death metal now but dragonforce will always have a special place in my heart. i remember back in like 2011 i was 19/20, not working and with infinite free time and id just be stoned out of my mind playing wow and having all of their albums on a big loop playing in the background
I have an older brother who plays guitar. Hes always been a metalhead but got into Prog Rock/ Power Metal when we’re in Highschool. We shared a wall growing up. NGL it was maddening hearing him trying to learn to these complex/technical riffs like the opening to Rhapsody’s -Emerald Sword. When GH dropped a year or so later it turned up to eleven.lol.
Mormon theatre kids at my high school introduced me to Dragonforce (prior to Guitar Hero)... I guess it was the only 'extreme' music they were allowed to listen to. No idea how they discovered them.
As an ex-Mormon, this sounds so typical yet heartwarming. 😇
I mean I’m a member of the church and I been jamming to Amon Amarth since March. Seeing them in two weeks.
I remember being at a bar in London with friends and a few of the band were their drinking. This was before they really blew up. I had no idea who they were but they were really friendly and were quite happy to chat with people who knew who they were and have a drink.
"ZP-Thirt" sounds like a Star Wars droid model.
I first discovered Dragonforce from the old RedvsBlue website on their forum section.
I was pretty active in the metal community there and one member who I chatted with frequently sent me the UA-cam link and said “you are gonna love this”
And I did! I still listen to them regularly. One of my favorite bands of my late teenage years.
They were my gateway to power metal and I fell in love with the genre
Being 63 years old, powermetal was what we called Iron Maiden and Metallica back in the 80's because it was different from Hair bands, like Motley Crue and Judas Priest.
I have vaugely heard of Dragonforce, but couldn't tell you who they were or what they did.
I think they are BabyMetal's touring band right now, as the West Kami Band. Listening to the stuff in this video reminds me a bit of BabyMetal, which I like, especially the early stuff with Mikio Fujiota. I guess I will go back and check some of this stuff out.
I still remember Herman's stint in UK grindcore band labrat best known for their hit "Clint Eastwood is very hard innit". Labrat back then played shows with million dead which featured Frank Turner, and where we are now 20 years later 😂
I remember back in like 2004 I tried downloading Dragonforce but came across Dragon Heart with their album Throne of the Alliance. I loved playing that record while playing Golden Axe.
Or watch Conan the barbarian action scenes on mute while cranking that music in the background
Saw them live with Between the Buried and Me. I was there for DragonForce, most of the crowd was there for BTBAM. it was a very strange mix of people. Fun show though! DragonForce was having a blast and you could feel their good vibes coming off the stage. Great live show!
Hearing "obscure genre power metal" made me cry
Glad Dragonforce is doing great to this day!
As someone who doesn’t listen to Power Metal, I’m still really glad it exists, and it sounds like Dragonforce has a lot of heart. I really dig that
been listening to rock and metal since high school in the 90s but when I first heard Dragonforce on guitar hero it BLEW MY MIND. I bought the album immediately, then bought the rest of their albums. I love the genre and highly recommend Sonata Artica, Manowar, Helloween, Blind Guardian, Gloryhammer and Avantasia to anyone who likes rock or metal. Good for chilling, gaming, as a background for reading fantasy/manga or lifting. Its a fun upbeat change from our normal stuff.
This band got me into metal. Sabaton, Epica and DragonForce are my holy trinity of metal.
This band is much different than many other metal bands when it comes to personality and attitude. They stay away from creating drama (hence we don't know and will never know why singer left), they don't gatekeep, they don't sue (they could sue to get royalties for Guitar Hero, right? 🤷), they share their music and love not only fans who listen to it but fans who play their songs (Herman Li reacts to musicians playing their covers, really cool). They understand modern media (games, UA-cam, music streaming). Despite their genre is stuck in the past of power metal, the band itself evolves and knows how to present it to new fans. This is skill that many bands don't have. Last but not least - these guys have lots of distance to what they do and having fun doing it. It isn't my favourite band (I'm not much into power metal) but have lots of respect for what and how they do and many bands (especially those dramatic ones) could learn a lot from them.
Besides that one song, I think Blind Guardian and Helloween are bigger bands
Crazy, just saw them open for Dethklok Sunday
Saw em live in 2021 for the first time and they hold a spot in my Mount Rushmore of live performances. Between Hermin Li dropping the solo for TtFatF then looking at the crowd then shrugging it off and the "Fuck Detroit" chant it was a good time. They where wholesome and great fun the entire night.
I have seen this Dragonforce 5 times in the last 3 years. They are truly great and with tons of talent, and to see them embrace the camp and become even more successful has been amazing.
Been following for over ten years now, and while I hate that some of their discography with marc will go overlooked which I think is their best work (Information overload, reaching into infinite, etc., ) I take catharsis knowing they are having fun and making legitimately epic music.
Dragonforce was THE band that introduced me to metal. I first heard TTFAF when I was 12 funnily enough from a game on roblox (back when dmca wasn't as bad). I was instantly hooked and became a huge fan, went out and bought a guitar and gh3 which then introduced me to One by Metallica which became the band that truly made me fall in love and fully dive into metal so DragonForce and Herman Li as a guitarist will always hold a special place in my heart.
Valley of the damned is such a good album I remember my friend and I listening to that and sonic firestorm back in the day playing this weird online rpg called well of souls. When they got a track on guitar hero it blew our minds how popular the band became after that
As you will always point out, they had hooks, but also they had infectious energy, grinningly corny but exhilaratingly triumphant, also they transcendened the trappings of power metal, Dragonforce were all about feel of an epic battle not the story of one, which is why they remain the only power metal band with universal appeal.
Maaan... I thought you wouldn't mention Brutal Legend, that part is simply amazing... what a game! ❤
I'm an acoustic guitar player player that focuses on finger picking. With that being said DragonForce is still my favorite band of all time. The melodic singing, beautiful solos, intense drums, etc I can't get enough.
They have two distinctive eras with their different vocalists and I like them both. Imo their peak album was maximum overload with their new singer. I wanted to deny it but I no longer can, DragonForce is my favorite band.
I saw them with Between the Buried and Me in 2006, and I'm pretty sure it was the most guitar notes ever played at a two band show.
The best live performances I've ever seen are power metal, like blind guardian, Helloween, and stratovarius
Obscure? Maybe. It depends on who you ask and how you describe it. Sam Dunne defines the subgenre in his various documentaries and includes various well-known bands like Dio and Manowar, though maybe they're the predecessors of the modern genre.
I remember listening to Dragonforce for the first time by looking for Stratovarius songs. I went to Windows Media player and found the Valley of the damn instantly hooked. 20 years later and still love listening to them
GH3 played a HUGEEE part of me getting into metal. I was 10 and my friends older brother was a metalhead and had it. Killswitch engage is what sold me on metal. Thank god I got to experience this. Man I really miss the early 2000s…. Things were just better.
DragonForce legit one of my fave bands, got the shirt
There wasn't much outcry at a change of singer because DragonForce's main focus has always been the two guitar players, not the singer.
My late roommate who was a fantastic guitar player went from playing some stupid complex stuff to one day practicing some Dragonforce riffs. I once called him out like 'what really, Dream Theater to Dragonforce?' and he was like "what about them?" I said "they're good but they're really cheesy" and he said "everything after 'but' doesn't matter, this is a challenge." Then he went and grabbed another Bud Ice 40oz cuz it was either that or water in our place.
I appreciate Taylor Swift now. She's good. Can't say anything else.
I go to a lot of shows, and man did Dragonforce deliver last year when I saw them in NYC. Showmanship, crowd energy and pulling off all their technical playing live. Would see them again in a heartbeat. Just lean into the campiness and enjoy yourself. And loved the Intervals shoutout at the end. Just saw them last week; easily top 3 favorite bands for years, even if it's just Aaron writing.
I loved them since i was a child, all of their music was a true inspiration for me to do anything, including starting to play guitar and becoming better at it.
I think you should give more credit to Sam, he is a musical genius when it comes to compose!
Seeing them live in a few weeks, thanks for the history lesson 🤟🏽
I discovered Dragonforce back in 2006 through a work friend who played in a Christian metalcore band of all things. He asked if I’d heard of them and described them as “cheesy, but fun.” So I went on this new thing called UA-cam and found their video for “Operation Ground and Pound.” It blew me away and I quickly went out and bought the cd. I consider myself a fair weather fan as I listen to about half of the album. I got Ultra Beatdown when it came out and like it about the same as the previous album. When ZP left, I was done. “Cry Thunder” didn’t do it for me and I haven’t really paid attention to them since.
The best thing about these guys is that being very talented musicians they don't take themselves too seriously
The reason maximum overload and reaching into infinity are so different and darker from the rest of the catalog is because of then bassist Frédéric Leclercq (now with Kreator). Sam gave him way more writing freedom and though those albums were incredible, I am pleased to see them come full circle back to the fun Dragonforce
I could never beat this song.
10:05 how their drummer must felt losing to a Lars Ulrich song....poor guy, we should donate for him or something!
I think it was just as Sonic Firestorm came out that I ended up finding Dragonforce through a friend and then just kept listening 20 years later
There's a handful of first listens that are baked into my brain.
Streetlight Manifesto "Everything Goes Numb"
Bad Religion "Modern Man"
Dragonforce "Through the Fire and Flames" is most definitely one.
Legendary stuff.
Not enough emphasis on how Herman's twitch live streams brought in new fans. In 2015, Dragonforce was playing small clubs as an opener still (I saw them in the basement of Webster Hall that year, as an opener) and then after covid, they were headlining 1-2k capacity ballrooms (headlined Palladium Times Square in 2023). This was all well after in the fire and flames was popular.
These vids are so well done I’m surprised a network like MTV or VH1 haven’t tried contacting you to host these on their networks as an hour long show/series. Keep up the great content 🙌🏻
I'm guessing Finn has more pull than MTV in 2024.
There were only two American Power Metal bands that mattered: Nevermore and Iced Earth. But both were only big in Europe.
Queensryche
@@lewisb85 they were more progressive metal
Kamelot
Symphony X though
MANOWAR
My local radio station plays Through the Fire and Flames every so often.
As you say near the end of the video, I got GH3 for Christmas the year it came out and literally 4 months after that I was asking my parents for a real guitar. Crazy how influential that game was
I remember that time: "Through The Fire And Flames" wasn't even playable in the "story"-mode of guitar hero III, but the first song of the outro (not before, but AFTER you beat the devil 😁). Herman Lee is an impressive guitar player!
"Nintendo-core" is a beautiful expression.
Oh, and I started playing guitar some years before and played guitar hero on the PC-keyboard.
Dragonforce has always been connected to video games. They've admitted they got their name from a Sega Saturn game. When I was in high school in 2002 I was playing Stepmania Online, an open source version of Dance Dance Revolution that we played on our keyboards, and power metal music, like Kamelot and Rhapsody (not Of Fire yet), was very popular in the early rhythm game community. Fury of the Storm and My Spirit Will Go On were some of the hardest charts at the time! It was inevitable they were going to be in Guitar Hero and that game's mainstream success brought them along with it.
I think I discovered the song Through the Fires and Flames through a Guitar Hero-ish online game named Jam Guitar that can be played with a keyboard and a mouse. Love this song ever since
Wow this was a great trip down memory lane! I have always been more into metalcore but my highschool metal posse was big into power metal (Europe indeed..), the likes of Hammerfall, Blind Guardian, Sonata Arctica and the likes. I did join them to Dragonforce just for the event and really, really liked the show! 2nd shows I went they had a new supporting act called Sabaton that I also didnt know till that day.. times have changed since!
I've seen them live a few times and every single time they were great. The two guitarist would flip each other off or hump each other with their guitars while the other was going
Thank you for bringing the OG intro back, Finn.
I showed my 8 and 5 year old guitar recently and showed them the hardest song on there legends of rock - through the fire and flames. My kids fell in love with the sound and now listen to dragonforce on spotify daily on shuffle. Its so weird to me but I think its because it sounds like video game music to them. They listen to it while playing roblox
Dragonforce will always have a special place in my heart. They got me into power metal.
Power metal is actually quite popular here in the States. I've been to quite a few power metal concerts and they never seem to have any trouble filling the seats.
What was brought into guitarhero, was carried on onto osu, dragonforce lives on in rhythm games.
I first discovered DragonForce in 2007 on my friend Alex’s MySpace page. Fury of the Storm was playing on his page as his song and I always paused it. One day I couldn’t pause it and heard the whole thing and was like YOOOOOO they became my favorite band and I got every album after on my iPod.
I love DragonForce. Guitar Hero 3 was the reason why I became a fan! Unfortunately, I think they kind of got screwed over when the developers only put a few of their songs in their Guitar hero/Rock Band franchise and just left them at that. Strange, since there were quite a few songs out there that deserved to be in those franchise, like Cry For Eternity, Black Fire and Valley of the Damned.
Another factor in their rise/relevance is how they embraced the memes, full on bear hug.
Their quarantine UA-cam series "How to ___ in 10 minutes" was a riot, they collabed with people that covered their songs (buckets the drummer, Stevie T, etc) and the collabs were anything from tiktok duets to performing on stage with the band. And people seeing niche artists and content creators get their big break because DragonForce are very community centric probably inspired it's own wave of new musicians.
As a long time fan of DragonForce and Power Metal, I did see one other thing back in the day that set them apart. Most power metal bands only toured with other power metal bands, and I understand why. DragonForce was on Ozzfest before Guitar Hero 3 even came out. They also toured with bands like Killswitch Engage, Chimaira, Trivium, Machine Head, and later would also play main stage at one of the first Mayhem Festival tours. If you watch videos from those tours some people in the audience were booing. DragonForce took a risk and went outside of their power metal comfort zone to earn new fans.
Video games is not how I’ve been exposed to these guys. I remember back in ‘06 watching “Operation Ground and Pound” in a local TV show where they play metal music videos, I watched Herman Li & Sam Totman ripping up their guitars so freaking fast… I was really blown away! Started looking into their music & other bands within the power metal scene, & I never regret moving away from mainstream music.
I agree on the Dream Theater comment you made, It is a shame people don't like more guitar oriented music in general. I never play music at work for that same reason, have worked multiple jobs and all people want to hear is rap, I don't hate rap but it gets old fast, especially if you have ever seen behind the scenes of a digital audio workstation, takes the musical illusion of a lot of rap away. Dragonforce is just great, I think you are right that most people could vibe with it, power metal in general, similar to rap in the sense that there is a story to tell in the music, etc. I love both prog and power metal, great music for all occasions, kind of like a movie, video game, beyond, etc.
First of, loved the 2 ends of the spectrum you used between DragonForce and Dream Theatre. I can recognise the great musicianship of that band, but never ever fell in love with their music.
Had the opportunity to go to a live showof Dragonforce (edit . a month ago), and damn they are really really fun to see live, Marc Hudson is a great vocalist, and furthermore it was on an insanely small venue of 500 peeps, and a very very affordable ticket price.
If you have any opportunity to go watch them live, it really worth it. You will have a chance to moshpit on a Celine Dion or Taylor Swift cover 🤣
Brutal Legend mentioned
such a great game
It would´ve been worth mentioning their song appearance in "Regular Show"
Not just Guitar Hero itself, but being able to 100% it was a big deal back then. I actually went to school with some guys who got pretty close.
I like Power Metal and Dragonforce. I got to know and like Dragonforce not from Guitar Hero, but the idea of combining fast riffs and blast beats into epic, soaring Power Metal about fantastical RPG themes going on journeys and battles at that time (back in 2006 when I first got to know them, and the first album I listened to was Valley of the Damned).
Power Metal may be European, but I feel that the US could use more exposure to it as well as there are other good American Power Metal bands. Power Metal has such great musicianship, soaring vocals, anthemic choruses and has quite themes that geeks would like as it sings about, but not limited to, fantasy, sci fi, mythology and things you'd see in RPGs.
I do remember that at beginning of 2000 (no Spotify or UA-cam around yet) I was starting searching music on internet... and a song called "Black Winter night" suddenly showed up and I got excited!... I was a heavy/power metal kid back then and I got surprised by their sound but was hard to get music from overseas back in the day.... years after that when the "Guitar Hero" was born it was easier to get music from this guys .... so cool they "made it" somehow :)
Hey! power metal is a big thing in Latinoamérica BTW
Power Metal for life! Kamelot got me in though.