Dragonforce at theBlack Heart, London - live review

It’s unbearably sweaty inside the Black Heart but a sold-out crowd, undaunted by the prospect of heatstroke, have gathered to see Dragonforce play their most intimate gig in years. The band are here to give us a taste of their seventh album, Reaching Into Infinity, and singles Judgement Day and Curse Of Darkness are given a hearty welcome. Vadim Pruzhanov is absent tonight and without his histrionic keyboard there is a rawer, metallic edge to anthems like Seasons and Cry Thunder. The band barely fit on the tiny stage but that doesn’t stop Sam Totman and Herman Li goofing around in a lightning-fast shredfest while frontman Marc Hudson hands out shots to punters down the front. The band have hinted their new album will contain some “brutal” vocals but tonight focuses on the familiar: power anthems and technical guitar wankery played at demented speeds. As Marc crowdsurfs to the back of the room and the crowd go wild to Through The Fire And The Flames, we’re reminded that there are few bands in the game who are more fun than this lot.