Photo: Terje Dokken
If you were someone who liked metal music in the 2000s and had access to a PlayStation 2, chances are you’ve tried DragonForce’s iconic song “Through the Fire and Flames” on Guitar Hero III. The song that first put them on the map in 2006 has grown to become one of metal music’s most iconic songs. Throughout their more than 20-year career, the band has come to be considered one of the biggest names in Power Metal, and with their singular video game-inspired music, the guitar heroes have carved out their own corner in the world of metal music.
Seven years have passed since DragonForce last played in Norway. The London band is relevant this year with the album Warp Speed Warriors, which will be released on 15 March, and takes over a packed Sentrum Stage for an energetic evening of virtuoso guitar solos, frantic sing-alongs and retro video game nostalgia.
Whether DragonForce is the main attraction for everyone in the audience this evening is now not as certain. This time they are bringing Swedish Amaranthe as co-headliners for the evening, as well as Moldovan Infected Rain as warm-up. The tour can be thought of as a somewhat whimsical composition of headliners as there is not necessarily a one-to-one overlap between the fan base of the two bands, and it is easy to see who is here to see what beyond in the audience.
On the other hand, this is an audience that can appreciate good music wherever they hear it. When the entire fan base breaks out in unison to Queen’s “I Want To Break Free” during the break, it’s clear that everyone is here to enjoy themselves. The atmosphere is good throughout the evening, and both DragonForce and Amaranthe deliver concerts that every metal fan can appreciate.
Photo: Terje Dokken
After a heavy and energetic set from long-haired Infected Rain, the stage is set for DragonForce. The scene is dripping with electronic 80s nostalgia, with arcade machines playing classic retro games and LED screens dressed up as CRT TVs. The band takes the stage to the main theme from Tron: Legacy wearing shutter shades and blue strobe lights. The tone is set for what will be a nostalgic and lively journey through fire and flames at Sentrum Stage.
The concert opens strongly with the almost eight-minute long “Revolution Deathsquad”, an energetic and colorful song that sees DragonForce doing what they do best. Guitarist Herman Li is somewhat sloppy on the plectrum and misses a critical moment in the song, but he and fellow guitarist Sam Totman still manage to impress with fierce speed and charming choreography throughout the almost four-minute long solo. Vocalist Marc Hudson triumphs with commanding vocals, and the whole band contributes with powerful polyphonic choruses on the choruses. A resilient start to the evening.
The energy continues further into the heroic “Cry Thunder”, a masking number with pirate-like rhythms and majestic melodies. The song is a fan favourite, and both the band and the audience shout along loudly to the chorus as they sway to the music. We are served another impressive solo where Totman contributes a third hand on Herman Li’s guitar, which is exactly the type of showmanship you want to see at a Power Metal concert. Herman tries to get an arm wave going on the somewhat quieter middle part, which feels completely wrong for this type of song, but which some people still join in with.
Photo: Terje Dokken
The video game theme becomes even more in focus when the new song “Power of the Triforce” takes its turn. The song is inspired by the game series The Legend of Zelda, and Marc Hudson introduces the song by listing all the Zelda games through the ages and specifies that it is inspired by the third game in the series, A Link to the Past. The audience responds strongly to the gaming talk, and also gets to enjoy throwing around a giant teddy bear in a strong reference to the game series. The song, on the other hand, takes a back seat to everything else that takes place both on stage and in the audience, but is not a letdown for that reason.
Epic “Storm of the Wastelands” will be a treat for older fans of the band. Third guitarist Bill Wilkins is clearly one of them, who has so far been smiling from ear to ear throughout the concert. Apart from the fans in the front row, he is the one in the room who is the happiest to be there. Here he also gets to show off his own guitar skills, and delivers what is clearly one of the best solos of the evening.
We are then taken into the world of Skyrim on the song “The Last Dragonborn”. The crowd cheers again for the game references, and Marc Hudson really shows off his vocal skills here. Apart from that, the song is one of the less memorable performances during the evening, and you get the feeling that the band, which plays hundreds of notes a minute, can also be experienced as a bit one note in the long run.
Things are stepped up considerably on the terrific “Fury of the Storm”, which becomes one of the clear highlights of the concert. The fierce tempo hits you right in the face from the first note, and the band enters twelfth gear on what is one of their strongest songs both melodically and compositionally. All four guitar players join in playing overhand guitar on the solo, and the fans break out into a DragonForce chant as the song finishes.
Photo: Terje Dokken
The band then take a calculated turn into what will be the strangest stretch of tunes for the evening. The hardest metalheads in the audience groan when the vocalist announces the song “Doomsday Party”, debuting what they call Disco Metal for the first time on the Norwegian stage. For many, Power metal is already stretching the rope for what can be called proper metal, and when this is then merged with one of the most notoriously hated genres of all time, it borders on blasphemy in the world of metal. For those who take themselves a little less seriously, the song hits surprisingly well, and is much stronger than on record. DragonForce can have fun, and with disco balls and dance beats from the stage, most of the audience joins in on the fun.
“Doomsday Party” then gives way to two cover songs, and what the vocalist calls a tribute to the women in the audience. It is natural to be a little surprised to include two cover songs in a ten-song long set, but for those of you who are familiar with DragonForce’s previous covers, this is just something to enjoy. First up is Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”, a version that is so disturbingly catchy that even the most die-hard metalheads feel compelled to sing along. This is also probably the first and last time you see a circle pit for this exact song on the Norwegian stage.
Furthermore, we get to hear Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams”, which is also one of the singles from the new album. DragonForce also manage to make that song their own, and if you hadn’t known better, this could just as well have been one of their originals. Unfortunately, the song doesn’t catch on as much as previous covers, and becomes a bit too much of a good thing. Most of all, it says something about Taylor Swift’s overwhelming presence in modern pop culture that even a metal concert at Sentrum Stage doesn’t even escape.
Photo: Terje Dokken
The concert ends with what we have all been looking forward to, namely the iconic “Through the Fire and Flames”. For both the audience and DragonForce, there is no doubt that this is the band’s strongest song, and even the most moderate fans jump around and passionately sing along to every line. Herman Li and Totman make it look playfully easy through the crazy solos, and entertain greatly with fun choreography and tricks on the guitar. An undeniable highlight that doesn’t quite manage to reach the energy of “Fury of the Storm”, but a worthy rounding off of the set I guess.
The evening then moves on to Amaranthe, who raced through an hour-long set with infectious energy and a strong electronic infused soundscape. The band’s gentrified, but extremely unique fusion of pop and metal works very well live, and with their three vocalists they delivered an entertaining set and a varied dose of metal in many genres. Drummer Morten Løwe Sørensen steals much of the show, an absolute machine of a drummer who manages to deliver exactly what is needed for every song played.
Photo: Terje Dokken
The audience is in great ecstasy for most of the concert, and breaks out into moshpits during several of the songs. Especially “Digital World“, “Damnation Flame” and the heavy “Boom!1” created a lot of life and made an impression. The audience turns to a new Queen sing-along before the song “That Song”, which the band plays well with. The Swedes round off a strong encore with the hit “Drop Dead Cynical” before saying thank you for the evening.
Both DragonForce and Amaranthe deliver playful and energetic concerts where there is much to enjoy. For moderate fans of the artists, the highlights are not extremely high, but the level remains high enough that you always appreciate what is happening on stage musically and visually. I dare say that most of the people who attended the concert on Wednesday night got what they came for.