OK People. You Can Rest Easy Now. Dragonforce Has A New Singer.

Yes. It is true. Dragonforce has finally replaced the perfectly coiffed vocalist ZP Theart with a 23 year old unknown ginger by the name of Marc Hudson. Here is the new guy's quote.

“I'm really excited about being a part of the DragonForce family,” said Hudson. “It's always been my dream to dedicate my life to making music. I'm going to bring all the power and emotion I can to the songs, and help make the killer new record the fans have been waiting for!”

And here is Herman Li's quote on the matter.

“After almost a year of searching around the globe, it's great to be able to finally tell our fans the good news. Marc's expressive and melodic vocals are sounding phenomenal on the new songs, adding another dimension to the DragonForce sound that I am sure all the fans will love.”

After the jump is some thoughts and a video of Marc's audition demo.

Devil Music A-Z: Dragonforce

Still nothing of interest for me to post about today. Maybe I need to expand my musical horizons and not be so picky.But it gives me time to continue on with this project. Next up is everyone's favorite power metal band with blazing fast music and sound effects lifted straight from video games that made their breakthrough with the now defunct Guitar Hero franchise.

Dragonforce.

I swear I've defended my guilty liking for these guys somewhere in the archives but damned if I can find it.It was probably along the lines like "Yes I like them, suck it". I don't know. But yeah I was digging these guys for awhile. It was cheesy but in an enjoyable manner and then it got boring after the last album Ultra Beatdown. I saw them live which you can see here. I wasn't too impressed and then ZP Theart left and there hasn't been much of a whisper if they're getting a new singer other then auditions took place. And now that Guitar Hero is going away the chances of anyone continuing to give a fuck about this band is slim to none.

I'll still play them as a shuffle band but unless the new singer is good in a way I'll like them and not good in a way a typical power metal vocalist is I've moved on. I'd play some videos but I don't feel like it so unless you really want to see them let me know in the comments and I'll put some up.Otherwise I'm almost done with the D column. Yay!

Goodbye Guitar Hero. It Was Fun while It Lasted

I've probably violated all kinds of copyright laws with that picture. Oh well. Yes, it was announced today that the Guitar Hero series is being discontinued. Though I haven't played the games in a long time because Sony were a bunch of fucking pricks that wouldn't make most PS3's backwards compatible I had a blast playing those games. Here are the questions that should be asked in the wake of the disappearance of Guitar Hero.

Are kids going to continue to play Rock Band? Are kids going going to continue to pick up real instruments and learn to play them? Will this hurt the hard rock and metal community and by how much? How will Dragonforce go on?
All I ask for then is to make all of the versions of the original series be available one last time for the PS3 and we can conclude our business together over the years.

And Dragonforce's Demise continues

Blabbermouth reported that Dragonforce was parting ways with vocalist ZP Theart. Within a half an hour the source had been yanked down. Which means the official word is inevitable. Here's my view on the demise of Dragonforce after the jump.

First of all, if there is a split I'm willing to bet that one camp wanted to do something different on the next album and the other camp didn't. The most likely scenario is going to be ZP will take his water bottles and go home to start a new band, probably more traditional power metal. Dragonforce will get a new singer with hardly the look or the vocals they're looking for.

Ultimately what this means is that Dragonforce's ship already came and went two years ago and this is going to make people care even less. I wouldn't be surprised if there is the dismantling of Dragonforce and three power metal bands spawned from this.All three failing by the way.

If ZP is leaving this won't really surprise me. There was a weird vibe onstage like the fun was forced anyway. DF is going to have to find a vocalist who doesn't mind the amount of downtime as they incessantly noodle on the guitar and take a backseat to said guitars unlike most bands where the vocals are the focal point. I'm not to sure there is someone willing to do that unless they're desperate to get noticed. Vocalist and narcissism is not something I think blends well in this camp.

An Evening with Dragonforce

Alright, so last night was the Dragonforce concert in San Francisco. You're probably saying...."Dragonforce?!!?!? Seriously?". With which I would respond to "Yes....really". Let me explain. Dragonforce is a power metal band at it's core. Corny, uplifting lyrics and bombastic music but with a twist. That twist is break neck blazing speed and video game effects with the instruments. I don't take them seriously just as they don't take themselves seriously. It doesn't have to be "brootal" all the time. Alright enough of my self conscious defense of myself, on to the evening.

The event was held at the Grand Regency Ballroom where I had previously seen Opeth. Not a bad place to see a show if you like hot humid conditions. The bill included Taking Dawn and Sonata Arctica opening up. Let's start with Taking Dawn. All pictures and vids taken by my bud Draeden.



Apparently they're a band out of Las Vegas and it was an entertaining show. Chris Babbitt is the lead vocals and the lead guitarist and at times it seems he was channeling Ted Nugent and Sebastian Bach. Mikey Cross is the other guitarist and it was fitting that he wore a bandanna on his head because it was Talk like a Pirate Day. Yeah random thought....so what? anyways, I don't know how far these guys are going to get with the retro late 80's to early 90's sound but good luck to them.Go here to check out their My Space page.



Next we have Sonata Arctica. Let me preface this by saying I'm not a huge fan of the band before I went to the show. I've listened to some tracks and they really fell into the same category with me as Evergrey. I want to like them but there is always some element missing. I don't know if it's an identity search as they always seem to cross from rock to prog to power metal regularly.



Anyways back to the show. It was actually pretty good and I've come to realize what a great bunch of fans they do have. It's been a pretty long time since I've heard a crowd really get into a band without much provocation. There was much loud singing and clapping with minimimal prodding by lead singer Tony Kakko. The beginning of the set it appeared that Tony's vocals were having a hard time with pitch but as the set progressed his vocals seemed to improve. Honestly for a band that has such a great following in this area apparently I was surprised that their set wasn't longer. I'll need some help with what they played but I think it was only about 7 or 8 songs. I'll go into that more later.I would recommend checking them out if you can and have a taste for power metal/prog rock. Go here to check out some of their tunes.



Now for the main event. The lights dimmed and the strobes come on to the sounds of electronic sci-fi sounds. The guys immediately jump out and get into a Fury of the Storm. And it was pretty fun and though I've heard alot of criticisms of their live performance in the past they seemed pretty sharp across the board. But here is where things start to deteriorate. With every song each of the band members had 2 or 3 "schticks" they would do throughout. Best way I think to relay what I mean is to break it down by members. I'll exclude Dave Macintosh the drummer because the poor guy was in the corner of the stage just playing away so didn't really have any "schticks" to do that I could see.

Herman Li: Every solo interlude he would point at Sam and give the wank sign or the yawn sign and then alternate. He loves the taste of his fret board as he would constantly lick it up and down or tongue it. Kind of phallic in a way. Plus he would do this jumping knee thing with his guitar. Here is video evidence of that move.



Sam Totman: He would reciprocate Herman's solos with his own wanking motions or drink beer from a straw. Apparently Sam was sad all night because he would pooch his ass out and make the sign of a single tear down his face. He also apparently likes to have his butt kicked by other members of the band. Alot of butt pooching.

Here is some sychronized jumping by the both of them.



Frederic Leclercq: Basically plucked one bass string and chorded 3 other strings. I honestly still couldn't tell if he was truly playing bass as the bass is never really present on the albums nor was it here. He basically played off of the shenanigans from the other guys the whole night.



Vadim Pruzanov: This guy was dressed like something from the LA sleaze glam era. Think Poison meets Faster Pussycat. Vadim enjoys the keytar alot. He also enjoys laying on the ground and kicking like a baby having a temper tantrum. The highlight of the evening is when Henrik Klingenberg of Sonata crashed Vadim's solo and they had a battle. Check it out.



ZP Theart: Ah ZP. The consummate front man stuck in a band with a bunch of noodlers. His vocals were pretty strong but what the fuck do you do when you've got two sometimes three guys up there just ripping away and showboating. Make your own mark we say right ZP? Wow the crowd looks parched, let's fling water from water bottles at them. Because if you fling it at them they won't fire back. Oh and then have conversations like you're the crowds best buddy even though they can't hear you.

And these kind of things happened with every......godamn.... song. Three or four songs in and it got really tiring. Here's the setlist.

Fury of The Storm
Heroes of Our Time
Operation Ground and Pound
Reasons To Live
Starfire
Where Dragons Rule
Fields of Despair
Keyboard Solo
Disciples of Babylon
Last Journey Home
Valley of The Damned
----------------------------
Strike of The Ninja
Through The Fire and Flames

So yeah. Anyways the show was definatly high energy and they did try to entertain but I can't help but think that this ship will run it's course soon. The albums sound the same and the concerts follow suit as well. I would recommend checking them out once but if I was going to see them again but it wouldn't be on purpose is the best way I could put it.

Let me turn back to Sonata if I could. One interesting note was when we got to the Grand Regency and the merch table, Dragonforce had as many people as Taking Dawn did which was a couple. Sonata had a pretty good line going on. Now after the show my friend Draeden wanted to hang by their bus because the last time he saw them they hung with the crowd and signed autographs and such. Therefore now that he knew the band better he wanted to do the same but get his cd's signed. So we did and waited probably a half hour by the bus.

Sure enough Henrik Klingenberg did come out and talked with the small crowd. About 20 minutes later the rest of the band came out and mingled. These dudes are very mellow and approachable and when I commented I wish they had played longer they agreed and I sensed some frustration as if elements out of their control prevented them from playing a full set. Anyways I wanted to give them some extra props because this is how bands and fans should interact. If there is to be any sort of repairing of the music industry more artists need to be like Sonata Arctica and be real regular dudes appreciating their fans. Because it will be returned.

Good luck Sonata Arctica on the rest of the tour and here's a toast to continued success. I shall endeavor to give it another go and listen to your music and be a complete fan:)

Here is me with Tony Kakko and drummer Tommy Portimo (who apparently was stunned by how awesome it was for Tony to be standing next to me or of Draeden's picture taking skill or something)



And here is Draeden with Marko Paasikoski(bass)

A look back on 2008

So 2008 was a pretty damn good year in the metal and hard rock scene. Alot of top name bands released material and while not all of it was good there was some solid stuff out there.

AC/DC(Black Ice):Nice to see them have huge success after all these years. The time was right for some straight forward rock it seems.

Ayreon(01011001)Another prog masterpiece that wraps up the story created way back in '96.

Battlelore(The Last Alliance)Good release from these guys(and gal) but not nearly their best.

Circle II Circle (Delusions of Grandeur)Another solid release from Zak Stevens and crew.

Communic(Payment of Existence)Really good CD but not as good as Conspiracy.

Disturbed(Indestructible)One of the only nu metal bands I enjoy everything they've done.

Dragonforce(Ultra Beatdown)More of the same from these guys. Couldn't get past the fact it seems they stayed with the same formula to capitalize on the sales boost they got thanks to Guitar Hero.

Guns n'Roses(Chinese Democracy)What more could be said. Probably the biggest flop not of the year but ever. After all the rumors,changed release dates and just plain years of waiting on this, there were debut albums that were better then this mess.

Jon Oliva's Pain(Global Warming)Disappointed in this. The previous albums were dead ringers for Jon Oliva's days with Savatage but by the time this came out I was sick to death of preachy save the world, stop the war albums.The whole CD is just one big message that we've heard before over the last 8 years.

Judas Priest(Nostradamus)We get it Rob, this is an epic album. No need to sing each and every song like it is a 80's power metal song. Probably the most overrated release of the year to me.

Lordi(Deadache)Yeah I know I suck for liking these guys. But I do so tough shit. Nothing new here just good old fashioned hard rock with trick or treaters playing the music.

Metallica(Death Magnetic)The other big story of the year. The first few listens were refreshing compared to the last few releases but I know this will wear on me over time in fact it already has. Lars get rid of the crap kit you use and go back to the gear you had on Master or even the Black album. And mix the bass better. Five years Trujillo has been with you guys and you finally release something with him on it and I can barely hear the bass. Listen to your fans about the production and remaster or remix this thing and you will pull in more of the fans you guys lost over the past decade.

Opeth(Watershed)Excellent album. The perfect balance between heavy and mellow. In fact the mellow songs on here are the best since Damnation. The concert I went to for them was kick ass too.

Sabaton(The Art of War)Pretty meh album compared to Primo Victoria or Attero Dominatus.

Scar Symmetry(Holographic Universe)Superb release. Tainted because of the knowledge that Christian is no longer the vocalist. I don't get into too much growling but his is the perfect tone and pitch for me. Pretty sure the next release from them with two singers is going to be average at best.

Testament(Formation of Damnation)After 9 years what a comeback. This album is how thrash should be played and should be the template for all bands that play this genre of metal. They brought back alot of old crew and it showed as it's the best selling CD they have ever had.

Warrel Dane(Praise to the War Machine)Highly overlooked album. Some great great songs on here. It does take a few pages from Nevermore but that's a good thing. His singing on the cover of Lucretia gives me chills. Supposedly late 2009 will be the new Nevermore album. Can't wait.

I've been perusing some of my sites to try and get an idea of who is releasing stuff this year. I'm anticipating Megadeth, Dream Theater, and hopefully Nevermore coming out with stuff this year. I'm not expecting a big year but here's hoping it will be a good one nonetheless.

\m/ //. .\\ \m/