DF - live album news

Symphony

PQ member
Jan 8, 2002
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Southampton, UK
www.power-quest.co.uk
DRAGONFORCE TO RELEASE FIRST LIVE ALBUM TWILIGHT DEMENTIA ON SEPTEMBER 14:
Dragonforce
, known for their over-the-top, infinitely fun, wildly entertaining live show, which has slayed the main stages of Ozzfest, Rock Star Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and countless headlining shows the world over, have captured the whole shebang on Twilight Dementia, a double-CD which documents their Ultra Beatdown tour. The tour ran from 2008 through 2009 and includes tracks from all of the band's albums, including the hit “Through the Fire and the Flames,” which was featured on Guitar Hero. The two-disc affair will be unleashed on September 14.
Twilight Dementia was produced by longstanding DF collaborator Karl Groom along with band guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman. It features 13 tracks and is an exercise in soaring vocals and advanced guitar pyrotechnics. It was recorded across 19 UK shows, with the very best takes lovingly compiled and mixed by Groom, Totman and Li.
“For years, fans have been asking us to record a live album, but honestly, we never really had the time due to our worldwide touring commitments and studio album recording,” Li said. “However, due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans on the 'Ultra Beatdown World Tour,' we decided to finally put some real thought into it.”
Li continued, “The idea was to record every single show from the last leg of the tour, so we could pick the best take of each song without needing to do any overdubs in the studio; keeping the whole thing live, like all the classic live metal albums. These recordings really capture the raw sonic energy of a DragonForce show in fine detail. It is so real that you can hear the noise of the crowd and experience the show as it was that night – you can even hear the guitar pedals being stepped on!”
The track listing for the collection is as follows: Disc 1: “Heroes of Our Time” “Operation Ground and Pound” “Reasons to Live” “Fury of the Storm” “Fields of Despair” “Starfire” “Soldiers of the Wasteland”
Disc 2: “My Spirit Will Go On” “Where Dragons Rule” “The Last Journey Home” “Valley of the Damned” “Strike of the Ninja” “Through the Fire and Flames”.
Formed in 1999, DragonForce – a multi-national amalgam of players at the very top of their game – have spent the past decade proving that virtuoso musicianship and strong songwriting values can appeal to rock fans right across the board; it's a journey that has seen the band playing sold-out headline shows around the world, including in markets as far afield as China, Hawaii, New Zealand, Russia & Columbia, forging a telling relationship with the 'Guitar Hero' franchise, and tucking four strong studio albums under their collective belt, with sales currently topping the two million mark worldwide.
And now, whilst seeking a replacement for recently departed frontman ZP Theart, the band have delivered a set of recordings that successfully highlight the non-stop energy and entertainment-or-bust ethos of the DragonForce musicians in full live flow.
WebLinks:
www.dragonforce.com / www.myspace.com/dragonforce.
 
"Twilight Dementia" track listing:

Disc 1:

01. Heroes of Our Time
02. Operation Ground and Pound
03. Reasons to Live
04. Fury of the Storm
05. Fields of Despair
06. Starfire
07. Soldiers of the Wasteland

Disc 2:

01. My Spirit Will Go On
02. Where Dragons Rule
03. The Last Journey Home
04. Valley of the Damned
05. Strike of the Ninja
06. Through the Fire and Flames


dragonforcelive.jpg
 
Ah yes I got this email. Good...news? I suppose. I'm not a fan of live albums ("All the songs you fell in love with, but played worse and with bad audio!") but I'll be adding this to the collection. Bad news I'm guessing is that this puts a buffer between now and the next studio album.
 
Ah yes I got this email. Good...news? I suppose. I'm not a fan of live albums ("All the songs you fell in love with, but played worse and with bad audio!") but I'll be adding this to the collection. Bad news I'm guessing is that this puts a buffer between now and the next studio album.
I think losing a singer did a pretty good job of that one! Labels like Roadrunner will want regular releases, so I guess if they couldn't supply a studio album, a live one's gotta do, right?

Steve: Next time they play So'ton, I'll definitely join you again. It was fun the other time.
 
Very happy to see WDR making the list. They'd better thank you on the credits, Steve.

Not happy at all with Dragonforce's sound or direction they seem to be taking with the last couple albums, not sure if we've already drilled this topic into the ground enough or not but it's relevant. 'Futuristic extreme power metal' my balls. I even hate the album title and cover, it's just a pile of passes Vadim threw on the ground and photographed. I guess that's okay for a live release, but still.

I guess I'm just really disappointed with a band I found so many years ago that I thought had insane potential and they just drilled that formula into the ground to the point where I can't take it anymore.
 
They had better do WDR justice this time. They botched the hell outta it on the "Remixed and Remastered" version. Btw we need to find the demo version, I know a guy who is friends with Herman for some odd reason. If I find it we'll have to do a WDR compilation video for ya'll.
 
cool, i think i'll be adding this, i haven't known about power metal for long, and i have only been getting into it recently, i really like the idea of a live album, i never have gotten tired of dragonforces's sound and i am dying to hear what they are going to sound like with a new singer. and someone said something about mentioning you steve in the credits, and they were talking about WDR.. okay like i said i'm a noob, but did you have anything to do with that song???
 
I think losing a singer did a pretty good job of that one!

Yeah fair enough. If it means getting a vocalist who's right for them then it's worth the wait. This could be an opportunity to add a bit of variety and flavour.

Maybe it's just me but DF's artwork seems to have matched their progression: VotD & SF - cheesy & epic, IR - a clock/bomb thing, meh. UB - techno, cyberpunk soldier woman, wtf. The tickets thing works for me though but more Eric Philippe style covers please!
 
well, well... considering that they still haven't found a vocalist - and doubting very much they will be able to find someone soon, for a number of reasons that I do not want to mention - i suppose there was nothing else they could do at the moment

disliked the title too and the cover is just sloopy work

the only good thing is to listen to ZP again :D it is already in my wish list!
 
I find it kind of weird how people hate this album art. I know it is your opinion but the cover makes sense a live album covered in concert passes. What is cooler than that it makes it look more like a live album then a studio album. It just makes so much sense.

But ya I can't wait for this to come out even though my Wal-mart probably won't get it since they didn't get the remixed and remastered album. :(
 
yeah i really like the album art! lol everyone keeps saying to give us something new and not the same old this and that. well new style in cover art is a start at giving everyone something new XD
 
cool, i think i'll be adding this, i haven't known about power metal for long, and i have only been getting into it recently, i really like the idea of a live album, i never have gotten tired of dragonforces's sound and i am dying to hear what they are going to sound like with a new singer. and someone said something about mentioning you steve in the credits, and they were talking about WDR.. okay like i said i'm a noob, but did you have anything to do with that song???

WDR was originally a ballad when I brought it to the table back in the Dragonheart days.......we played it live a couple of times when I was in the band but we had re-worked it by that point to include the faster parts and the guys have developed it a bit since then.
 
Can't really compare what it is now to the original--having never heard the original!--but I really love Where Dragons Rule. The intro-outro is really beautiful, and the sudden kick-ass transition (plus that first howl, "flash of steel in the midday sun!") rules. It's also got one of my favorite solos. I only wish there was a bit more variety in the chorus. :p But very, very happy to see it on this album, especially after the band eschewed the song for so many years!

Also, I really like the cover on this. You can tell Vad actually put a good deal of work into making the colors all fit, and the dogtags with the title are a very nice touch. It's got that whole video-arcade-neon-lights thing that Ultra Beatdown was conveying.

Steve, if Dave Mustaine can play "Am I Evil?" with James Hetfield, is there any reason you can't (re-)take the stage with DF at some point? ^^ Just once, for kicks?
 
WDR is my favorite song on that album. I agree with Fox, that first vocal line kicks some serious ass. They did a brilliant job with the remastered version, the intro really sounds terrific.

And I still stand by my opinion that having Steve join DF on stage for a surprise WDR guest performance for their DVD would be nice. :p