What do you get crossing a caffeinated gamer, speed metal and a drunk French bassist? Well, you could get a Famicom indy car game dipped in Red Bull. In this particular case however, we get Dragonforce… and that is no short end of the joystick.
Between slaying the crowds during last year’s inaugural Mayhem Festival and developing a new fan base through Guitar Hero III, it is no wonder that the metal act’s 2008 release Ultra Beatdown was a success. As both a throwback to old school hair bands and as a modern take on metal in both live charisma and studio perfection, Dragonforce has brought its own brand of bridges to the generation gap. Now it seems this multi-cultural powerhouse will further promote Ultra Beatdown with a 2009 North American fall tour that includes the likes of Roadrunner’s freshman label mate Taking Dawn and Finland’s prog-metal outfit Sonata Arctica.
While Dragonforce rides the coattails of flourishing western world popularity, their live performances a la Mayhem Festival are nothing to sneer at. An acquired taste for those who are not metal-oriented, the band still seems to have wide appeal in the gaming market with the ever-popular track “Through The Fire And Flame”. Ultra Beatdown upped the ante, and with acts like Powerglove becoming better known for Nintendo scores with metal infusions the world may be headed in one hell of a heavy new wave.
Next thing you know, the Konami Code will unlock bonus tracks on CDs, so grab a copy of Ultra Beatdown, The Wizard on VHS and a lot of Mountain Dew.
Dragonforce 2009 Tour Dates:
09/18 – West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
09/19 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Center’s Grand Ballroom
09/20 – Portland, OR @ Roseland
09/21 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
09/23 – Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Centre
09/24 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall
09/25 – Saskatoon, SK @ The Odeon
09/26 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
09/28 – Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont
09/29 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cabooze On The West Bank
09/30 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
10/02 – Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
10/03 – Montreal, QC @ Le Medley
10/04 – Quebec City, QC @ Theatre Imperial
10/06 – New York, NY @ The Fillmore
10/07 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
10/09 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
10/10 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ Chance
10/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts