Dragonforce

In the world of extreme power metal, one band reigns supreme: DragonForce. With a reputation as the world's fastest musical force, their legendary odyssey through the metal universe has been nothing short of iconic.

From Riff to Glory: The Guitar Hero Era

The meteoric rise to international stardom began with the release of their platinum-selling opus, "Through the Fire and Flames." This anthem not only solidified their status as pioneers but also became the ultimate challenge for Guitar Hero III – Legends of Rock players worldwide, etching their name in gaming history.

Global Domination: Fans United Across Continents

DragonForce's electrifying live performances are a global phenomenon. With infectious energy and a generous dose of light-hearted humor, they've earned a legion of dedicated fans from every corner of the earth.

Guitar Gods Unleashed: Li and Totman's Mastery

At the core of DragonForce's sonic storm are the awe-inspiring guitar solos, meticulously crafted by the virtuosic duo of Herman Li and Sam Totman. Destiny united them in 1999 when they formed the band, setting the stage for a remarkable musical journey.

Discography of Power: The DragonForce Chronicles

Their storied discography boasts eight studio albums, each a testament to their creative prowess. It all began with the fiery intensity of "Valley of the Damned" (2003) and the relentless force of "Sonic Firestorm" (2004). Their ascendancy reached its zenith with the chart-topping "Inhuman Rampage" (2006). Hits like "Ultra Beatdown" (2008) and the anthemic "The Power Within" (2012) sustained their blazing legacy.

Beyond the Horizon: New Adventures Await

In 2014, "Maximum Overload" unleashed a new era, followed by "Reaching into Infinity" (2017) and the electrifying "Extreme Power Metal" (2019). Each album blends 80's rock choruses, uplifting melodies, and power-metal-inspired lyrics, invoking triumphant grandeur with every note.

Gaming Fusion: A Unique Identity

DragonForce's music is fueled by a love for the gaming world. They ingeniously incorporate retro game sounds and melodies into their studio recordings and electrifying live shows, further enhancing their distinctive identity.

The DragonForce Saga Continues

The DragonForce saga evolves with their most monumental album looming on the horizon. An epic world tour, set to be their most colossal yet, is on the horizon, beginning in North America and sweeping through Europe.

Prepare for Immersion: DragonForce's Sonic Blaze

Prepare to be engulfed in the unyielding flames of DragonForce's sonic prowess. They continue to push metal's boundaries and inspire legions of fans across the globe. Their saga is an eternal symphony of speed, power, and unwavering passion for metal.

A New Dawn: A Fusion of Music and Visuals

Get ready for an unparalleled experience with the new album ‘Warp Speed Warriors’! DragonForce is poised to redefine metal concerts with their upcoming world tour, featuring a groundbreaking fusion of music and visuals that will leave you astonished. Brace yourself for a new era of metal

A band who take their name from the gender neutral Latin term for sword-bearer could only be a heavy metal band, you’ll never get a bunch of clowns sounding like Bastille with a name like that and neither should you. This is because a band with a name like that are always going to be utterly, utterly ridiculous, and you need a band truly unafraid of that for it to be the right kind of ridiculous. All true metal bands are unafraid of ridicule but Ensiferum go one better, and are so damn good that even those completely oblivious to the world of heavy metal can be converted to their cause, even though on paper, folk metal sounds like a difficult genre to truly engage with.

Ensiferum begin with lead guitarist Markus Toivonen, who to this day is the bands sole founding member still in the group. In 1995 Toivonen was a jobbing guitarist in his native Helsinki, and joined a band called Dark Reflections early on in his career. The band was a pretty bog standard thrash covers act, with Megadeth and Pantera tunes making up the majority of their repertoire and after a while, Toivonen grew tired of this. He was a devotee of folk music, and was fascinated by the idea of combining the folk music he was writing with the melodic death metal stylings of Amorphis and Dark Tranquillity.

He decided to take matters into his own hands and form his own band, at first poaching Dark Reflections’ drummer Kimmo Miettinen, and then getting their mutual friend Sauli Savolainen in to play the bass guitar. The name came from a Latin dictionary that Toivonen found lying around Savolainen’s house, and the trio were finally set. The band began rehearsing and writing in January 1996, and found a large chink in their rocking armour right off the bat. None of the band could sing worth a damn. So while the core trio worked on the music together, they put the word out that they were looking for a singer and second guitarist whenever they were outside of rehearsals.

The band eventually settled on Jari Mäenpää to be their frontman impressed as they were by his skills as a guitarist, singer and lyricist. He helped finish most of the first songs the original trio had started writing and played their first concert in December 1996. They should have gone on to great things right there and then, however, life is rarely that simple. You see, all adult Finnish men are conscripted into the army for at least 165 days plus eight weeks of basic training, and in January 1997, Mäenpää received his callout. Fortunately, the band kept writing and recording while he was away, even playing a couple of shows, and by the time Mäenpää came back the band were ready to head straight into the studio, where they recorded their first demo tape.

By 1998 the band went through their first line-up changes, with Miettinen and Savolainen leaving to play in other bands. However, they were soon replaced and a second demo was recorded in January 1999, solidifying the band members and boosting their confidence. However, in November of the same year their third demo cracked it, “Hero In A Dream” went further than anything they’d ever done before, and secured them a record deal with Spinefarm Records. By 2001 their self-titled debut album was released to massive critical acclaim and the band started touring the whole of Europe with their newest member Meiju Enho on keyboards.

Ever since then, Toivonen has led the band through line up troubles, illness and other strife associated with life on the road to become a truly respected act in heavy metal. They’ve toured with everyone from Amon Amarth to Children Of Bodom to the mighty Megadeth and have played the likes of Bloodstock and Wacken among many other metal festivals. They command a cult following the world over and are an absolute must for any self-respecting metal fan around, even if you might not think that folk metal is your bag, take a chance with Ensiferum, you won’t find anyone around who does it better. Highly recommended.