When reflecting upon the number of words I could use to describe DRAGONFORCE’s show at the 9:30 Club, the one word that consistently came to mind was “”spectacle‚Äù because there is really no other way to describe the entire evening. There was the spectacle of HORSE THE BAND playing a bone-crushing version of “”Birdo”" accompanied by a friend of theirs on the triangle, the spectacle of ALL THAT REMAINS singer Phil Labonte removing his shirt to reveal his nipple rings and the spectacle of DRAGONFORCE as a whole.

DRAGONFORCE’s music presents an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, as musicians, they are incredibly talented and they take their job very seriously. But, on the other hand, the music itself is lighthearted, fun and irreverent. So it was fitting that supporting acts HORSE THE BAND and ALL THAT REMAINS represented this duality. HORSE THE BAND was as fun and irreverent as you would expect from any band that prominently features an 8-bit synth, while ALL THAT REMAINS was all business and got the crowd energized for the main event. HORSE THE BAND brought that irreverent spirit to their set, mocking hecklers and referring to the song ‚ÄúCutsman‚Äù from their album R. Borlax as ‚Äúa song about cutting yourself.‚Äù ALL THAT REMAINS showed their business-like personae by gunning through a strong set of metalcore that also showed some influence from their Massachusetts peers (UNEARTH, SHADOWS FALL, etc). Guitarist Oli Herbert used the spotlight and fan in front of the stage to full effect as his hair moved dramatically in the light each time he ripped a solo. Singer Phil Labonte was the most active and dynamic member of the band though, jumping all over the stage and alternating between singing and screaming throughout. If you will excuse the clich√©d analogy, ALL THAT REMAINS was the darker yin to HORSE THE BAND‚Äôs lighter yang.

However, when it comes to showmanship, DRAGONFORCE are masters. The band had a large blown-up copy of the Inhuman Rampage artwork with a red LED timer in the center and as the timer counted the minutes and seconds down, SLAYER’s “”Raining Blood”" primed the crowd. Finally, the band hit the stage amidst a blaze of energy and kicked into their first couple of songs. From there, the band would draw from all three of their releases, but primarily focusing on the most recent Inhuman Rampage. DRAGONFORCE had their stage set up to facilitate movement. The drums and keyboards were stage-left and stage-right respectively and in the center were placed two platforms, one in front of the other, for guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman to have their guitar duels while singer ZP Theart would stand behind them and either dance about or sing. Even more awesome was the attachment of a cup holder to the guitarists‚Äô mic stands, each of which held a beer with a straw in it to maximize simultaneous drinking and shredding action. And if that wasn‚Äôt enough, keyboardist Vadim Pruzhanov graced the stage for several keytar solos, truly adding to the spectacle of the entire show.

DRAGONFORCE maintained the breakneck speed throughout their entire set as they played and the guitar solos were, for the most part, note for note perfect (if one factored in the amount of movement on stage and lack of studio effects, of course). The audience was captivated by the band’s energy and even more so by the huge choruses that almost every audience member was singing along to. I had seen an advertisement for Inhuman Rampage on MTV2 a few days before the show and one of the quotes used in the ad referred to the band as “JOURNEY in double time” and it seemed like such a wonderfully concise description of the band and their live show. The energy and the choruses carried the audience through an hour and forty five minutes of non-stop rock and they would have stood for 3 hours if they were given the opportunity. But, everything has to end at some point and DRAGONFORCE said goodbye to the 9:30 Club for the evening, though, rest assured, there are only greater things to come.

Photos courtesy of Eric Denman.