Dragonforce displays old-school metal

By John Benson

The group will appear in Cleveland on Sunday.

Dragonforce has become a power metal force to be reckoned with over the past few years.

Though the U.K. band has remained somewhat on the down low during the current hard-core zeitgeist, this sextet has found a grass-roots following that has included numerous packed shows at the Agora Theatre.

The outfit, returning to Northeast Ohio for a Sunday show at the popular Cleveland venue, is now touring its latest album “Ultra Beatdown,” which boasts an old school metal influence (think Iron Maiden) combined with innovative sounding heavy guitars and bombastic percussion.

“As a whole album, ‘Ultra Beatdown’ is more dynamic compared to the last album ‘Inhuman Rampage,’ which was our crest,” said guitarist Herman Li, calling from Orlando, Fla. “That’s the album that everyone knew about around the world. That’s the one that broke us through. So the new one shows a side of Dragonforce that you haven’t heard before.”

Despite the buzz surrounding the band, there are plenty of metal fans who have yet to discover Dragonforce. It’s for this reason that the group, despite a loyal following, still appears to be considered an underground act.

“I guess you can say that, and it’s what happens these days,” Li said. “But what’s an ‘over ground’ band, what’s an underground band? With Internet and everything else, I don’t think you have to be on MTV every minute to be an over ground band. There are so many ways on how you make a band popular.”

Li is happy to report that much of the band’s new fan base comes from the song “Through the Fire and Flames,” which was featured in the video game “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.” Perhaps more impressive and apropos for Dragonforce is the fact that the song, which can be found on the 2006 album “Inhuman Rampage,” is widely considered to be one of the hardest tunes found on “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.”

Speaking of the “Guitar Hero” phenomenon, Li feels the majority of the video game players aren’t seeing the bigger picture.

“I’ve seen lots of ‘Guitar Hero’ players playing on expert but there is one element that they completely miss out on the experience,” Li said. “It’s the fun part. Where’s the jumping in the air and strumming the guitar? Where’s the big stroke bang? I haven’t seen anyone doing it properly. Playing with your tongue or teeth or something like that. That’s what we need to do.”

He added, “And absolutely no sitting down on the chair and playing. You have to move around and jump off the table. That’s the real fun part. It’s just rock ’n’ roll.”

So, does Li actually play “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock?”

“I’ve got the game and I finished it, but the game is just a game,” Li said. “After you leave the screen, you’re back to whatever you were before you started. They say the ‘Guitar Hero’ game is a fantasy of being a guitar hero in a band. And guess what, I’m actually doing it for real.

“That’s right. So for me pretty much, what’s the point?”