It’s also expertly shot and edited to give every single viewer as epic an experience as possible. They also found the time to learn a bit of Japanese in order to speak to the crowd in their mother tongue which is a wonderful touch. Displaying an abundance of energy and a set worthy of headlining the second stage, it’s a triumph in every aspect. Then there’s the big hitters in ‘Cry Thunder’, ‘Valley of the Damned’ and THAT song from the aforementioned Guitar Hero which naturally cause even more bedlam. Tight as a drum and whipping up the 37,000 strong crowd into a frenzy, they sound fantastic in every respect. From the power of ‘Fury of the Storm’ to the beauty of ‘Seasons’ and even throwing in a rare gem in the form of ‘Black Winter Night’ from 2003’s Valley of the Damned, they’re inciting circle pits across the arena floor. Given that the band decided a few years ago that performing sober was the way forward, the live performance is second-to-none. It’s also the first release with new drummer Gee Anzalone, who joined before the release of latest album Maximum Overload but did not play on the record.
Recorded at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan (a country that has always warmly received them well) when they headlined the second stage at Loud Park Festival 2014, it’s interspersed with Behind the Scenes footage of the band on their off days and what they get up to when they’re not on stage. They had the Maverick tent at this year’s shenanigans at Donington Park overflowing and now they’ve brought out their debut live DVD. Couple that with a somewhat wane in popularity over here recently and you’d think they were all but finished. Loved and hated in equal measures across the UK, they’ve battled through lineup changes, the wrath of Machine Head and Trivium fans on 2007’s ‘Black Crusade’ tour and then picked up the rather demeaning moniker of ‘That Band from Guitar Hero’.
“We’ve always gotten on really well with the Trivium guys and it was great when Matt had a couple of days to spare and agreed to weigh in on some of the songs!” added bassist Frederic Leclercq.If band positions on festivals were awarded based on soldiering on in the face of adversity, Dragonforce would have headlined Download moons ago. “Maximum Overload” features a couple of surprises, notably a guest appearance on some of the songs from Trivium’s Matt Heafy. We always previously recorded in our own studios but recording in Sweden made us focus and maybe drove us harder, Jens certainly did, he doesn’t believe in days off!” said guitar maestro Herman Li. “Working with Jens gave us a different perspective on the songs and a different sound dynamic. Produced by Jens Bogren at Fascination Studios in Örebro and Varberg, Sweden, the new opus will be the band’s first ever album involving an outside producer, having historically opted to record themselves in association with Karl Groom. The second single from “Maximum Overload”, “Defenders” is streaming HERE.
Club is hosting an exclusive premiere of DragonForce’s take on “Ring of Wire”. I wrote down ‘Ring Of Fire’ by Johnny Cash, an idea which the rest of the band loved, so we’ve DRAGONFORCE-ized it”! Because we had all had a couple beers every band member wrote down 3 songs each and we compared them all, just for a laugh. The album also features an all time first for DRAGONFORCE…a cover song! Guitarist Sam Totman explained: “Just before the last Australian tour, our manager suggested it might be interesting to do a cover for the next album, something we’ve always refused even to consider. “Maximum Overload” is available for pre-order at /dragonforce, in CD, digital, and limited edition vinyl formats! While there be sure to check out the band’s new video for the song “The Game”.
DRAGONFORCE will release “Maximum Overload” in the US on August 19th via Metal Blade Records.