DragonForce: Not your Typical Metal Band

Scrutinized by hipsters and critics alike, metal music is often unjustly perceived as simply loud noise with screaming long-haired singers. However, this is not always the case. Aside from the trademark hairstyle, plenty of metal is musical – and not all vocalists screech and scream their messages to fans. UK-based DragonForce is a perfect example of metal musicality: they play loud and fast, but they can also rival any other seasoned musician in technicality and ability.

"There are a lot of bands out there, and some play like crap," admits bassist Frederic Leclercq, regarding the unfortunate stereotypes about metal. "Pardon me for saying that. However, to play fast and play well, you have to be a good musician. When you break it down, metal can get as technical as classical or jazz music per se, though they don't sound alike. Not enough people give it a chance. I think you should give metal a try first and then say whether you like it or not."

Formed over a decade ago, the guys of DragonForce propelled themselves out of anonymity in 2006 when they released their album Inhuman Rampage to critical acclaim. When their song Through the Fire and Flames was chosen as the most challenging song in the video game Guitar Hero 3, DragonForce's success and notoriety exploded. The song was such a sensation that Guitar Hero released a DragonForce track pack in August with three songs from their latest album, Ultrabeatdown.

If you haven't sampled DragonForce's latest album yet, prepare to have your ears blown off – in a good way! The best way to describe their music to the mainstream would be controlled chaos, as there are so many things happening all at once that it takes a moment to recover from what you've just heard. Not to mention that the guitar melodies and solos are played with the fastest and utmost precision that you'd swear the band wasn't human. "We really don't have a secret to it," says Leclercq about the speed of the guitar playing. "I guess it's just [achieved] through practice."

Apart from being officially immortalized in video game culture, DragonForce is not only exposing metal music to a new kind of audience, but the band is also reaching commercial success in the mainstream – a feat few metal bands manage to pull off.