Of course, if this was being released as a look into the tour and the band member’s journeys to get to that point, with the concert spliced in between, then it would make perfect sense. It’s a nice idea, but in reality it would have been far better to keep them separate and allow the viewers to power their way through the set and then relax by having the extra footage to watch afterwards. With the setlist played that night at only 11 songs long (and even then opening track ‘Defenders’ isn’t present), there’s sometimes only one track played before we’re back to seeing what they get up to offstage, and that stalls the momentum. The issue, though, is this hasn’t been brought out as a documentary, but a live CD and DVD. At no point do any of the members come across as arrogant or stand-offish they’re incredibly humble and grateful of the opportunity they’ve been given to fly around the world and play music for a living, even thanking the stage crew and the fans for all the support over the years. The Behind the Scenes excerpts give an great look into each band member’s own lives, from Sam Totman’s love of pinball machines to Frederic Leclerq jamming ‘Smoke on the Water’ with his parents and their tomfoolery inside the Resident Evil hotel. It’s also expertly shot and edited to give every single viewer as epic an experience as possible. They also found the time to learn a bit of Japanese in order to speak to the crowd in their mother tongue which is a wonderful touch. Displaying an abundance of energy and a set worthy of headlining the second stage, it’s a triumph in every aspect. Then there’s the big hitters in ‘Cry Thunder’, ‘Valley of the Damned’ and THAT song from the aforementioned Guitar Hero which naturally cause even more bedlam. Tight as a drum and whipping up the 37,000 strong crowd into a frenzy, they sound fantastic in every respect. From the power of ‘Fury of the Storm’ to the beauty of ‘Seasons’ and even throwing in a rare gem in the form of ‘Black Winter Night’ from 2003’s Valley of the Damned, they’re inciting circle pits across the arena floor. Given that the band decided a few years ago that performing sober was the way forward, the live performance is second-to-none. It’s also the first release with new drummer Gee Anzalone, who joined before the release of latest album Maximum Overload but did not play on the record. Recorded at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan (a country that has always warmly received them well) when they headlined the second stage at Loud Park Festival 2014, it’s interspersed with Behind the Scenes footage of the band on their off days and what they get up to when they’re not on stage. They had the Maverick tent at this year’s shenanigans at Donington Park overflowing and now they’ve brought out their debut live DVD. Couple that with a somewhat wane in popularity over here recently and you’d think they were all but finished. Loved and hated in equal measures across the UK, they’ve battled through lineup changes, the wrath of Machine Head and Trivium fans on 2007’s ‘Black Crusade’ tour and then picked up the rather demeaning moniker of ‘That Band from Guitar Hero’.
#DRAGONFORCE ALBUM RAR DOWNLOAD#
If band positions on festivals were awarded based on soldiering on in the face of adversity, Dragonforce would have headlined Download moons ago.
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