DragonForce are an English power metal band formed in London, England in 1999. They are known for their twin guitar solos, speed, and vocals.

History

DragonForce was formed in 1999 from the remnants of black metal band Demoniac (and various other extreme metal groups) under the name of DragonHeart, but soon changed their name to DragonForce before releasing any commercial albums due to possible trademark issues with Brazilian band Dragonheart. Their career began with the publishing of their early songs on the first incarnation of MP3.com, claiming the top of the site's heavy metal charts. The hit song "Valley of the Damned" reached over 500,000 in the first few months. Two of the original members, Steve Williams and Steve Scott, quickly left the band to form power metal outfit Power Quest.

DragonForce has enjoyed increasing popularity over the years, publishing 3 albums and touring extensively while supporting Helloween, W.A.S.P. and Iron Maiden. Their 2005 tour in support of the Sonic Firestorm album included support from Angra and Mendeed during their passage through the UK. On the October 28, 2005 bassist Adrian Lambert announced his departure from the band in order to focus more time on raising his young son (Lambert later revealed in an interview that he had left due to musical differences with Herman and Sam). Less than a month after Lambert's departure, on November 23, 2005, DragonForce was signed to Roadrunner Records in the United Kingdom, France, Australia and New Zealand, who released their most recent effort, Inhuman Rampage on January 9, 2006. Lambert was replaced in 2006 by Frédéric Leclercq, who was made an official member after a performance on tour.

DragonForce are now finishing their "Black Crusade" tour across Europe with several other Heavy Metal artists including Arch Enemy and Trivium. Once they have finished, they have planned to make a remix of their debut album, Valley of the Damned including remastered and remixed versions of all the tracks, aswell as a bonus dvd including live performances, interviews and backstage footage of the band.

Musical style

DragonForce's musical style includes:

• Emphasis on fast, twin-guitar harmonies (Kirk Hammett has called them "the fastest guitar players [he's] ever seen")
• Lyrics of a fantastical or epic nature
• Use of background choral singing throughout songs
• Generally optimistic and uplifting chorus sections (musically and lyrically)
• Video game influenced melodies and guitar noises
• Usage of keyboard

Although the band take their musicianship seriously, they do not embody the themes in their music. In an interview with Metal Hammer, Herman Li has stated "Oh no, it's completely serious, we just have fun doing it...". DragonForce's influences are drawn from all kinds of metal, melodic rock, and in particular video games such as "Wonder Boy in Monster World", with lyrics comparable to themes present in fantasy games.