However, it wasn’t until the November, 2007 release of the Guitar Hero III videogame that DragonForce’s ascent went from a steady climb to skyrocketing. The heavily hyped North American release of the album followed that summer, and as the band landed tour after plum tour, they were well on their way.
When third album Inhuman Rampage hit European stores in January of 2006, the groundswell reached downloaders in North America, word of mouth spreading exponentially, as more and more people told their friends, “You have to hear this.” The video for “Through the Fire and the Flames” was even more ludicrous in concept than the music therein, the band’s willingness to poke fun at themselves adding to the appeal, and the clip quickly became a YouTube sensation. With the release of a couple of energetic albums and an equally energetic live show to offer, the English shredders steadily made a name for themselves among the melodic metal set on the continent, where metal’s more bombastic side is adored. The trajectory of self-described “extreme power metal” band DragonForce started innocently enough, through the usual means. What a difference a couple of years make.