DRAGONFORCE / VISIONS OF ATLANTIS (Live)

at The Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR, USA, March 10, 2022

Herman Li and Sam Totman - DragonForce (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA, March 10th, 2022)
Herman Li and Sam Totman - DragonForce (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA, March 10th, 2022)
Photo: Bryce Van Patten

Extreme Power Metal on the Road

It was a cold and rainy night in Portland, Oregon on a Thursday night with Judas Priest in town playing to several generations of metal fans, while at the Hawthorne Theatre a younger metal crowd packed the sold-out house for England’s superstars DragonForce. Finally able to resume their Extreme Power Metal Tour that was interrupted back in 2020 due to the pandemic, the band kicked off their tour just days before with supporting acts Seven Spires, Visions of Atlantis and Firewind (joining the tour later).

Marc Hudson - DragonForce (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA, March 10th, 2022)
Marc Hudson – DragonForce (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, OR, USA, March 10, 2022)
Photo: Bryce Van Patten

The Hawthorne Theatre is a small little club in the hip Hawthorne district, and offers bands a very intimate experience with their fans just a few feet from the small stage. Though bands can rarely utilize their full stage show, it does give fans a chance to see great acts like DragonForce up close and personal, and with Covid restrictions finally lifting it was great to experience the thrill of live music again.

Visions of Atlantis

Hailing from Austria, Visions of Atlantis have been building their fan-base since 2000, and now promoting their 8th full-length album Pirates they hit the stage with high energy that was instantly infectious. The stunning vocal duets of Clémentine Delauney and Michele Guaitoli thrilled the audience as they performed songs from the new album like “Master the Hurricane”, “Clocks”, “Melancholy Angel” and “Legion of the Seas”. The band was extremely tight with guitarist Christian Douscha and bassist Herbert Glos locked in to the solid drumwork of Thomas Caser, delivering a powerful Heavy Metal punch in the face to the standing room only crowd.

Clémentine Delauney and Michele Guaitoli - Visions of Atlantis
Michele Guaitoli and Clémentine Delauney – Visions of Atlantis (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, OR, USA, March 10h, 2022)
Photo: Bryce Van Patten

DragonForce

When DragonForce hit the stage, the avid fans were pumped up and ready for the shredding onslaught that is Hermann Li and Sam Totman on the guitars. Though the band was one tour bus and half of their stage gear short due to a breakdown just outside Sacramento, the crowd neither noticed nor cared as they performed the opening track “Highway to Oblivion” with extreme vigor and smiles all around. Though drummer Gee Anzalone was forced to play on a kit provided by the opening act, he seemed nonplussed and full of energy while hammering out the lightning speed double bass drum riffs that are the bands trademark.

Playing their homage to the game Skyrim, the band performed the anthem “Last Dragon Born” to screaming fans that ate it up. With fun little breaks like the Sega adverts and singer Marc Hudson doing a very cool guitar solo, the show had plenty of variety to keep you guessing as to what was coming next. The band was always smiling and sharing their enthusiasm with the crowd, making it a more than memorable experience for all. If you get a chance to see this tour, don’t miss it.

Herman Li and Sam Totman - DragonForce (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA, March 10th, 2022)
Herman Li and Sam Totman- DragonForce (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, OR, USA, March 10, 2022)
Photo: Bryce Van Patten

DragonForce Setlist

Highway to Oblivion
Fury of the Storm
The Last Dragonborn
Ashes of the Dawn
Sega Commercials 
Heart Demolition
Dracula’s Castle / Fight On! – (Marc on guitar)
Banjo Solo / Guitar Solo – (With Visions of Atlantis and Seven Spires)
Black Fire
Cry Thunder
Remembrance Day
Valley of the Damned

Encore:

My Heart Will Go On – (Céline Dion cover)
Through the Fire and Flames

Visions of Atlantis Setlist

Master the Hurricane
A Life of Our Own
Return to Lemuria
Clocks
A Journey to Remember
The Deep & the Dark
Melancholy Angel
Heroes of the Dawn
Legion of the Seas

Sam Totman and Alicia Vigil - DragonForce (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA, March 10th, 2022)
Sam Totman and Alicia Vigil – DragonForce (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, OR, USA, March 10, 2022)
Photo: Bryce Van Patten

DragonForce – Lineup

Marc Hudson – lead vocals
Herman Li – guitar, backing vocals
Sam Totman – guitar, backing vocals
Alicia Vigil – bass, backing vocals
Gee Anzalone – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Christian Douscha, Michele Guaitoli and Clémentine Delauney - Visions of Atlantis (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA, March 10th, 2022)
Christian Douscha, Michele Guaitoli and Clémentine Delauney – Visions of Atlantis (Live at The Hawthorne Theater, Portland, OR, USA, March 10, 2022)
Photo: Bryce Van Patten

Visions of Atlantis – Lineup

Michele Guaitoli – male vocals
Clémentine Delauney – female vocals
Christian Douscha – guitars
Herbert Glos – bass
Thomas Caser – drums

Photos: Bryce Van Patten

Author

  • Bryce Van Patten

    Bryce is an audio engineer and a graphic designer here at Metal Express Radio. From the day he purchased his first album (Machine Head by Deep Purple), he has had a passion for heavy music, which has influenced his whole life. Bryce is from the great Pacific Northwest in USA, and has played in metal bands like Babylon, Holy Terror, The Wild Dogs, Warhead and Egypt through the 80s. He had his first interview for the Portland, Oregon publication The Rock Rag with guitarist Paul Gilbert in his Racer X days. Then he was honored to get to have drinks, and talk for an hour with the legendary Dan McCafferty of Nazareth for his second interview. In 2013, he spent an amazing hour talking to Andi Deris of Helloween, which was the high point of his heavy metal journalism.   In the year 2001, he formed Man in Black Music Publishing. They released recordings by several local bands, and in the spirit of the old Metal Massacre compilations, he created a 2-album series called The Defenders of Metal. The albums featured classic styled Metal bands from all around the world, with bands from Australia to England, and from Argentina to Russia. Currently, he is the producer/creator/vocalist of the Metal band The Black Tuesdays.

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