Guitar Heroes DragonForce Live at the Opera House – Toronto, Ontario – March 30, 2022

It was your typical Canadian spring day in Toronto, cold and wet. This however didn’t stop the music fans from lining up in front of the iconic Opera House venue hours before the show.

As things start to get back to normal following the long shutdowns from Covid, promoter extraordinaire Inertia Entertainment brought the popular British power metal band DragonForce to our fine city.

Supporting acts Vision of Atlantis and Firewind got the show rolling. Unlike shows I’ve seen in the past, these two acts had a pretty packed house to start off the show. Typically you would see smaller crowds at the beginning, but these two acts had a healthy attendance. 

Vision of Atlantis, a symphonic metal act, brought the pirate vibe to the show as co-lead singers Clementine Delauney and Michele Guaitoli wore what appeared to be today’s idea of authentic pirate garb. It was my first time hearing of this act and I was not sure what to expect.  I truly enjoyed the Nightwish inspired music and found the operatic vocal range of Clementine to be a fine complement. Rounding out the rest of the band is guitarist Christan Douscha, bassist Herbert Glos and drummer Thomas Caser. Their set was about 30 minutes long, and the crowd definitely loved them.

 

Next up on the bill was Firewind. This Greek Metal act features popular guitarist Gus G (associated acts Ozzy Osbourne) German singer Herbie Langhans, bassist Petros Christodoulidis and drummer Johan Nunez. Around since 1998, they are signed to Century Media Records and have 9 studio albums under their belt. Firewind did a great job with maintaining the continuity of the evening, performing a tight set, full of energy and talent. Gus had no problem revving up the crowd with his wickedly fast licks and face melting solos. A very entertaining band to see.

 

Up next was the headliner Dragonforce. This Grammy nominated band is touring to support their eighth studio album, Extreme Power Metal, which was released in 2019. The set layout had a very old school video game theme going on with two gaming cabinets flanking each side of the stage. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman took advantage of the cabinets and used each as a platform to perform high above the crowd with flares and explosions also a part of this fantastic display.

The evening was filled with impeccable shredding from these top rated guitarists. At one point Sam was standing next to Herman as he was shredding away, pretending to yawn and be unimpressed by his skills. Their playfulness with each other showed just how much they are like a family.

The vibe the band brought was fun and energetic. Herman had a portable recorder on his shoulder, streaming the show on his twitch account. I’m sure he captured the constant moshpit and crowd surfers thrashing to the tunes.

Their set list comprised 13 songs, including Highway to Oblivion, Heart Demolition and of course the ever popular Guitar Hero song Through the Fire and Flames. A fun surprise was a metal cover of the Celine Dion song My Heart Will Go On. 

Dragonforce had multiple special guests that evening, featuring local Youtube creative talents Steve Terreberry, Nik Nocturnal and my personal favorite Cole Rolland. 

Cole Rolland was discovered by Herman Li when he performed Through the Fire and Flames on his YouTube account. To date the video has been viewed over 20 million times. As the final song of the evening, Cole fit right in with the band, showcasing his impeccable talent and the crowd went wild. The huge smile on his face was infectious and showed that he was certainly having a blast. 

Leaving the venue, I could hear people gushing at how much of a great show it was and how it was nice to see such talent perform. 

If you have an opportunity to see Dragonforce live, don’t hesitate, BUY THE TICKETS! You won’t be disappointed!

A special thanks to Noel Peters from Inertia Entertainment for the accreditation.

All images by Sue Hebert