Dragonforce @ The MetroTheatre, Sydney (29/10/08)

Mon 3rd Nov, 2008 in Gig Reviews

Nothing could have possibly prepared me for the onslaught of extreme power metal that I was to witness this evening at the Metro. Although not quite selling out their second Sydney show in a row, the crowd seemed more than appreciative for their opportunity to be entertained by these gods of geek-metal.

Dragonforce ploughed through their set without delay and sent the crowd into a frenzy with the sheer speed of their guitar work. Herman Li and Sam Totman traded lengthy guitar solos in almost every song as they performed their trademark acrobatics, while frontman ZP Theart belted out soaring, high-pitched vocals.

Although not as serious a metal fan as some attendees, I found myself being utterly entertained by the hilarious mix of dorky fart jokes, tongue-in-cheek hedonistic rock star behaviour (fans perfectly placed for flailing hair during guitar solos) and unparalleled technical ability.

Some of the more memorable moments included a speedy reworking of Metallica’s Last Caress and a cheeky rendition of the Super Mario Bros theme – both of which went down well with the entranced crowd.

Dragonforce’s recent album, Ultra Beatdown earned itself a decent airing with tracks, such as The Warrior Inside being particularly well received. However, as expected, Through the Fire and Flames (of Guitar Hero 3 fame) was played as the last song of the encore and blew everyone away. I was particularly impressed by seeing this performed in the live arena. The gem was unshackled from video game folklore and thrashed the way it was intended – with big hair, face-melting solos and a good few hundred sweaty metal heads running into each other.