Dragonforce debuted the video for its latest single this week.
The band premiered the single for its single, ‘Strangers‘ Monday. The song is the latest single from the band’s 2019 album, Extreme Power Metal. The band premiered the video for the album’s then latest single, ‘Troopers of the Stars’ in August.
The video for ‘Strangers’ is full on glam. It features the band in classic 80s hair metal apparel and even playing guitars that were played by none other than Steve Vai during his time with Whitesnake and David Lee Roth. This is coupled with footage of people playing video games in what is meant to look like a retro arcade.
Guitarist Herman Li talked about the video and the song during a recent interview.
“This video takes place in the same ’80s world as our last video (‘Troopers of the Stars’), with the same cast and the same director,” said Li. “When Roboshobo pitched the concept, I was immediately into it. I’m a huge fan of the glam rock-era of music – I love the showmanship, the guitar solos, and the endearing cheesiness. And the players of that time were amazing, like Steve Vai, Warren Di Martini, and Reb Beach; I think sometimes the playing gets lost, and people just remember the crazy outfits. So, this video is a loving tribute to that era – while also being authentic…”
Added Li, “Roboshobo told us to get some cool-looking guitars to fit the theme of the video, and the night before the shoot, I was panicking because we still hadn’t found any. So, I texted Steve Vai and told him we were doing a glam rock video. He said, ‘come on over’, and when I got there, he had pulled out THE guitars he used with Whitesnake and David Lee Roth. I remember seeing these guitars in magazines as a kid, so it was incredible to get to use them on set – I almost cried when he handed them to me!”
Li concluded, “Besides the guitars, I think we all looked really hunky in our costumes, especially our hair! For a minute, I was even considering getting a perm…I know people may think we’re not taking ourselves seriously enough, but I think given the state of the world, sometimes it’s just nice to kick back and have a laugh with your mates. That was definitely the vibe on set – we could barely keep a straight face watching the playback. We’re also releasing super-limited merch we did in collaboration with the artist, Teenage Stepdad, at: dragonforce.com/shop. It definitely captures the feeling of the era!”
In related news, Dragonforce has announced the schedule for its upcoming 2022 North American tour in support of Extreme Power Metal. The tour is scheduled to launch March 7 in Santa Ana, CA and to run through April 23 in Berkeley, CA. It features performances scheduled in cities nationwide, such as Milwaukee, WI; Greensboro, NC and Dallas, TX.
The tour’s schedule is noted below. Tickets are available here. Battle Beast and Seven Spires are scheduled to serve as support for the tour.
DragonForce North American tour dates
w/ Battle Beast, Seven Spires
Mar. 7, 2022 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory *
Mar. 8, 2022 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory *
Mar. 9, 2022 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post *
Mar. 10, 2022 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre *
Mar. 11, 2022 – Seattle, WA – Neptune *
Mar. 13, 2022 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom *
Mar. 15, 2022 – Calgary, AB – Palace Theater *
Mar. 16, 2022 – Edmonton, AB – Union Hall *
Mar. 18, 2022 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory *
Mar. 19, 2022 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex *
Mar. 20, 2022 – Denver, CO – Oriental Theater
Mar. 22, 2022 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater
Mar. 23, 2022 – St. Louis, MO – Red Flag
Mar. 24, 2022 – Milwaukee, WI – Rave II
Mar. 25, 2022 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Mar. 26, 2022 – Chicago, IL – Metro
Mar. 27, 2022 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall
Mar. 29, 2022 – Ft. Wayne, IN – Piere’s
Mar. 30, 2022 – Toronto, ON – Opera House
Mar. 31, 2022 – Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre
Apr. 1, 2022 – Quebec City, QC – Imperial Bell
Apr. 2, 2022 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
Apr. 3, 2022 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Apr. 5, 2022 – Reading, PA – Reverb
Apr. 6, 2022 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater
Apr. 7, 2022 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
Apr. 8, 2022 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theater
Apr. 9, 2022 – Greensboro, NC – Arizona Petes
Apr. 10, 2022 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Heaven)
Apr. 12, 2022 – Tampa, FL – Orpheum
Apr. 13, 2022 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution
Apr. 15, 2022 – Dallas, TX – Amplified Live
Apr. 16, 2022 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
Apr. 17, 2022 – Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live
Apr. 19, 2022 – Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater
Apr. 20, 2022 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
Apr. 22, 2022 – Los Angeles, CA – Belasco Theater
Apr. 23, 2022 – Berkeley, CA – UC Theater
* = without Battle Beast
Additionally, Dragonforce is scheduled to join Power Wolf and Warkings next year on a series of live dates across Europe. The bands’ tour is scheduled to launch Nov. 11 in Berlin, Germany and to run through Dec. 4 in Antwerp, Belgium. The bands’ tour is noted below.
DragonForce 2022 tour dates
w/ Powerwolf, Warkings
Nov. 11, 2022 – Berlin, Germany – Velodrom
Nov. 12, 2022 – Munich, Germany – Zenith
Nov. 13, 2022 – Prague, Czech Republic – Tipsport Arena
Nov. 14, 2022 – Katowice, Poland – MCK
Nov. 16, 2022 – Budapest, Hungary – Barba Negra
Nov. 17, 2022 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer
Nov. 18, 2022 – Stuttgart, Germany – Schleyerhalle
Nov. 19, 2022 – Zurich, Switzerland – Samsung Hall
Nov. 21, 2022 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz
Nov. 22, 2022 – Madrid, Spain – Riviera
Nov. 24, 2022 – Milano, Italy – Alcatraz
Nov. 25, 2022 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle
Nov. 26, 2022 – Oberhausen, Germany – Konig Pilsener Arena
Nov. 27, 2022 – Paris, France – Zenith
Nov. 29, 2022 – London, UK – Roundhouse *
Dec. 1, 2022 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Afas Live
Dec. 2, 2022 – Hamburg, Germany – Sporthalle
Dec. 3, 2022 – Saarbrucken, Germany – Saarlandhalle
Dec. 4, 2022 – Antwerp, Belgium – Lotto Arena
*=without DragonForce
More information on the Dragnforce’s new single, video, and upcoming live dates are available online along with all of the band’s latest news and more at:
Website: https://www.dragonforce.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dragonforce
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dragonforce
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