ZP Theart - vocals
Herman Li - guitars/backing vocals
Sam Totman - guitars/backing vocals
Vadim Pruzhanov - keyboards/backing vocals
David Mackintosh - drums/backing vocals
Frederic Leclercq - bass / backing vocals
In the space of two short years, the UK-based DragonForce have risen steadily, advancing up the ranks of the hard rock elite. They've grown from relative unknowns in the United States to an impossible-to-ignore phenomenom that's spread across message boards and schoolyards, thanks to their tuneful, epic and guitar-driven anthems, their high-level inclusion on Guitar Hero 3:Legends of Rock and a near-constant touring schedule. The single "Through the Fire and Flames" has been RIAA-certified Gold and 2006's Inhuman Rampage, which debuted at #1 on Billboard's Heatseeker's Chart, has sold over 300,000 copies in its wake.
Over those two fateful years following the album's release, the band toured America for the first time in their career and were embraced with open arms. The first tour was sold out before Inhuman Rampage even hit record store shelves and the marathon cycle continued for well over a year, as they dominated the main stage of 2006's Ozzfest, followed that up with a sold-out headline run and a plum support slot opening for new labelmates, Killswitch Engage, before heading home to work on Ultra Beatdown, an excellent effort that rivals its predecessor in every facet.
Ultra Beatdown is bigger, louder and faster, teeming with guitar solos that are sure to wear the fingerprints off the hands of Herman Li and Sam Totman, the band's virtuoso tandem of shredders. Vocalist ZP Theart gives the performance of his career, reaching for the stars with his soaring, powerful voice, while bassist Frederic Leclercq and drummer Dave Mackintosh provide the sturdy rhythmic backbone for the album. Keytarist Vadim Pruzhanov layers the band's sound with a healthy dose of keys and the end result is an album that thrills with glorious guitars, siren-like vocals and memorable melodic flair. If DragonForce arrived on American shores with Inhuman Rampage, they are poised to conquer with Ultra Beatdown, set for release on August 26.
DragonForce are much more than a band; they're almost like a cult that has commanded a legion of diehard fans that range from guitar nerds, video game aficionados and young, impressionable kids who are just discovering music as they attempt to jam out to Dragonforce while playing Guitar Hero.
"We are not deluded, thinking we are rock stars or cool or taking over the world or are the future of metal," says Li, with his trademark dry-and possibly humble-British wit. "We approached this album the same way we always have. We treat it like we haven't got any fans, since we are trying to make music we want to hear ourselves. We have been listening to metal for so long that we are sick and tired of hearing the same thing all the time. We want to make the catchiest album ever and we want to do something that you can't hear from other bands that play the same style that we do." Clearly, DragonForce are their own biggest critics; they set the bar high for themselves as musicians. Li continues, "We're not going to change our music for the world, but we're going to improve so we can take what we do and make it better."
That type of passion for music is what drives DragonForce in the middle of all the Guitar Hero hype. The band remains grounded and is staying the course, infusing Ultra Beatdown with the same bombastic guitarwork and battlecry lyrics. Li is adamant that the band isn't going to cater to anyone but themselves and their truest fans, saying, "People were already listening to us before anyone found Inhuman Rampage. Our first US tour sold out before the album came out. People liked us before Guitar Hero. Our goal is to take all the experience we've accumulated and make our live show ever better."
The self-produced Ultra Beatdown keeps the patented DragonForce pace and burns itself into the fabric of your brain with its massive melodies and air-guitarable solos. Li sheds a little light on the songwriting process, saying "When you write a song, you never know how it is going to turn out. We approach it so that we have to do the best song possible without overlooking the production, since we produce it ourselves. We don't want three-minute songs you can swallow and enjoy. We like fast, seven minute songs where there is so much stuff happening. The idea is not to compromise. We can't deliver our message in the space of three minutes and we're not looking to write hits. All we want to do is write what is a great piece of music, a combination of metal and rock."
DragonForce aren't masking their motives, and they back up their confidence with both skill and talent that separates them from anyone who can be considered their peers. Li says, "The speed is so obvious, so that is the first thing. So many bands play fast, even faster than us, but it's not melodic. Ultra Beatdown has the whole package of melody, arrangement and catchiness with the speed." The band also claims video game music as an influence, simply because it's melodic and memorable.
Due to this patented style, Ultra Beatdown pulses with anthemic, feel good, battle-ready and uplifting songs. Li laughs when pointing out "the funny thing is that we just want to create a catchy, memorable tune and when we do that, even the sadder songs sound happy! Our songs are tuneful but they also touch your heart." Indeed, "Heroes of Our Time," the album's first single, is catchy and room filling, while "Last Journey Home" shows a different, slower side of the band, illustrating their range and musicianship, which is something each member takes very seriously.
While the band is known for fun live shows that often saw them jumping on trampolines and mimicking each other while performing, they are as serious as a terminal disease about their craft. "Our personalities are so different," Li explains. "But we got together to make an album and the whole thing comes together and is special. We have a serious side in making music, but when we are tour and people see and hear us enjoying ourselves. We're serious about our playing and we're happy with being cool and nerdy."
Another element that makes DragonForce so special is the fact that each member hails from a different country and background. Li is from Hong Kong, while Theart was born in South Africa. Totman is a New Zealander, while Leclerqc is French, Prushanov is Romanian and Mackintosh is British. This eclectic mix and disparate upbringings contribute to the melting pot that is the band. "Many bands come from same town, same school and are very similar," Li says. "With us, absolutely not. Despite the different cultures and backgrounds, we have a common goal in the end and that is to make a great album and enjoy ourselves at the same time in life, by doing music. It's down to that."
At the end of the day, according to Li, DragonForce is "a non-stop melody fest. It's never just riffs. If there is a riff, there is a melody on top." They've incorporated the influence of guitar titans like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as well as video games, thus creating a style uniquely their own that is appealing to music nerds, the general public or anyone who likes intensity in their music.
Li finishes, summing up the band's recent trajectory, saying, "Ultra Beatdown follows the path of our last two albums. Sonic Firestorm implies that the sound is going to blow you away, whereas Inhuman Rampage indicates that we're going to musically kick your ass. Ultra Beatdown is where the music is kicking your ass and giving you the biggest beatdown possible. The music is going to kick your ass." Armed with a boatload of melody and intensity, this is one Beatdown you will more than enjoy.
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