Dragonforce
1st July 2017
The Kings Arms Tavern, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
The rain outside maybe torrential tonight but that wasn’t going to stop any of the hundreds of fans that had turned up on mass to witness the mighty Dragonforce in action. With two Kiwi metal bands also featuring on the bill tonight, fans were certainly going to be spoiled for choice.
Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control I arrived after Auckland’s Heavy/Power Metal experts Stormforge had left the stage. However judging by previous occasions where I have had the pleasure of seeing them perform live I can guarantee that their set would have been exceptional.
Second act of the night is the infamous Wellington based black metal band Bulletbelt. As they take the stage the fans press in close keen to connect with the kiwi legends. Lead singer Joelene Tempest corseted in black, her flaming red hair flowing from her head stands before us clutching a 1950’s style mic in her hand. Her eyes pierce through the crowd as she raises the mic slowly to her lips and lets her vocals pour forth the intensity of which makes your eyes water. This is indeed New Zealand metal at its finest. Steve Francis is in his usual position behind the kit; every inch the inked machine from the depths of purgatory, all muscle and adrenaline as he pounds the skins before him. By their second track of the evening, the spine tingling ‘Thou Shall Not Suffer a Witch to Live’ the crowd are completely under their spell, hair windmills in the front row paying homage. Bulletbelt’s set consisted of eight tracks of pure bliss; including the awesome title song to New Zealand horror film Deathgasm (honestly if you have not seen this yet – why not??). Tempest announces to the crowd that this (‘Dig You Up’) will be their last song before the mighty Dragonforce takes the stage – the crowd showing their full appreciation for what they have just witnessed.
A short interval sees a flurry of activity on stage as equipment is swapped out and risers installed, the old school sounds of Rammstein, Rob Zombie and Tool’s ‘Learn To Swim’ serenading us from the house speakers. As the stage hands depart and smoke slowly wafts across the stage the crowd begins to pulse, the anticipation becoming too much too handle as they realise they are mere minutes away from Dragonforce arriving; several young fans in the front row scan the area in front of them watching for the slightest of movements.
Gee Anzalone is the first to arrive, the crowd roaring in approval as he strides towards and sits behind his impressive kit. The rest of the band members follow one by one stepping up onto the riser at the front of the stage. Last but not at all least Marc Hudson lead singer of the band since 2011 steps out immediately grinning as the crowd roars. Immediately it was noticeable that Hudson’s right arm was in a sling, the story of why we were to find out shortly. First however we are blasted with the track ‘Ashes of the Dawn’ from their brand spanking new album Reaching Into Infinity released this year. Followed closely behind by ‘Operation Ground and Pound’ from their 2005 album Inhuman Rampage and it is obvious that we are to receive a nice selection of tracks this evening.
“You’re a bunch of good cunts aren’t you?” Hudson addresses the audience laughing as they cheer. Hudson then goes on to explain that the reason for the sling is due to the fact that he was forced to jump from the tour van in Melbourne after the handbrake failed and that due to this he had seriously damaged his right arm and ribs. “But Dragonforce never cancel a show!” – a fact that just adds more weight to their mass appeal amongst their fans.
Back into the music and each of the members continue to circulate around the stage, taking turns to step up onto the riser as a sea of outstretched hands, fingers mimicking the guitar shredding movements give praise. There is a camaraderie between the members that sets Dragonforce apart from many other power metal bands – and despite numerous lineup changes over the years their fan base has remained loyal throughout, much in part I believe due to the quality of their music and sheer entertainment of their live performances. However the aforementioned camaraderie is not just limited to the stage. Each and every member of the band connects with members of the crowd in different ways, whether that be with eye contact, a shared smile during a particularly devastating solo or silly facials of which Sam Totman is definitely the king of as he sneers at the water bottle in his mic stand while gesturing for another beer.
Mid-way through the set, the stage is bathed in red as the majority of the members exit leaving just Anzalone and Frēdēric Leclercq (who has swapped from bass to guitar) to impress us all with their finally honed skill set. Leclercq takes the lead, before Anzalone joins in, a jaunty little jazz number thrown into the mix for fun. The full band returns and once again we are back into the metal, ‘Heart of a Dragon’ raising the already humid temperatures inside the venue by another few notches, sweat dripping from the each and every member as they continue to move about the stage.
After Hudson speaks of how the band have a couple of days off after the NZ leg of the tour before beginning their American shows, (and that means getting loose) a tray of jack n coke held high above the crowds heads makes it way towards the stage much to the delight of Hudson who then graciously thanks the bar staff. ‘The Edge of the World’ again from the new album, is Dragonforce’s longest track to date coming in at just over 11mins, an epic display of guitar shredding throughout, Herman Li at one point blowing on his strings – yes in jest – but one could believe that they would be running hot after the slaying they just received. ‘Crying Thunder’ sees Hudson split the room in half and orchestrate a sing off, sure it may be cliché as hell but when everyone is having as much fun as we are tonight there are no complaints to be had.
A rather eager fan catches Hudson’s attention demanding for a shoey to be completed, Hudson offering to chug a beer with him if the fan gets up on stage and performs one himself – the fan gleefully complying. What ensued was one of the most civilized shoey’s the band had ever witnessed (for the uninitiated a shoey is when a person drinks a beer from their shoe). Sadly we have arrived at the end of the night, an encore of the classic ‘Through the Fire and the Flames’ serenading us into the early hours. In true form each of the members of Dragonforce lingered after the show, signing autographs and taking photos with fans – their genuine appreciation obvious for all to see.
Live music I find always feeds the soul, but tonight I feel absolutely renewed.
Dragonforce:
Bulletbelt:
Stormforge:
Were you there at the Kings Arms for this speed metal masterpiece? Or have you seen Dragonforce perform somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Ashes Of The Dawn
- Operation Ground & Pound
- Judgement Day
- Seasons
- Curse Of Darkness
- Fury Of The Storm
- Heart Of A Dragon
- The Edge Of The World
- Cry Thunder
- Through The Fire And The Flames
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