| “Through the Fire and Flames” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by DragonForce from the album Inhuman Rampage | |||||
| Released | August 3, 2006 | ||||
| Format | CD | ||||
| Recorded | 2006 | ||||
| Genre | Power Metal | ||||
| Length | 7:22 (Album Version) 5:01 (Radio/Music Video Version) | ||||
| Label | Sanctuary, Roadrunner (U.K.) Roadrunner, Universal (U.S.) | ||||
| Writer(s) | Sam Totman, ZP Theart | ||||
| DragonForce singles chronology | |||||
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Through the Fire and Flames, often abbreviated as TTFAF is a song by DragonForce that was first performed in 2006. It is featured as an unlockable song in the 2007 video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. It a single as well as the opening track of their fourth released album, Inhuman Rampage. It's lyrics were written by Sam Totman and ZP Theart and the music of the song was written by Sam Totman. The song is acclaimed as the most successful song by DragonForce. It also features an opening solo by Vadim Pruzhanov, which in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, they put Vadim's solo part of the notes, even though Vadim is the keyboardist. Many fans of DragonForce and Guitar Hero criticize the game in such ways as, "It's called Guitar Hero, not Keyboard Hero!"
Through the Fire and Flames peaked at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #61 on the Canadian Hot 100. The song has appeared on two compilation albums.
It has also appeared in several video games. The song is considered the most difficult song to appear in the Guitar Hero rhythm game series, first appearing as an unlockable bonus song in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, then again with full band support in the main setlist of Guitar Hero: Smash Hits. It is also one of the most popular songs used by Audiosurf players, is a playable song in Konami's band session arcade games, GuitarFreaks & DrumMania V6, and part of the soundtrack for Brütal Legend, which is played when escaping a collapsing fortress, and unlocked upoon completion. On March 29, 2011, it was also added as DLC for Rock Band 3, with full pro-mode support, allowing players to play the actual notes of the songs in the game. It has been covered by the String Tribute Players in their tribute album, Dragonforce string tribute, as well as the Piano Tribute Players in their tribute album, Piano Tribute to Dragonforce, being the opening track of both tribute albums.
Composing and Recording
During the recording of the song, guitarist Herman Li broke one of his guitar strings. Despite this, DragonForce decided to keep this recording and left it on the final album version.
Music Video
Through the Fire and Flames was used in the very first music video by DragonForce. For the video, a shortened version of the song was used, lasting just over five minutes.
During the guitar solos, the camera focuses on Herman Li and Sam Totman, with an inset shot of whoever is currently playing. During Herman Li's solos, Totman stands to Herman's left drinking. At the start of the solo, a "Pac-Man Sound" is played by Herman, after which the whammy bar that was used to perform this sound is thrown in the air.
Near the end of the music video, five shots of each band member are shown, each one from a different angle. At the very end, the camera zooms away from the band, the same way it zooms into them at the beginning.
The music video circulated through YouTube and various music video channels, including MTV2, and was shown on monitor screens during DragonForce's performances at Ozzfest 2006.
Compilation Appearances
Through the Fire and Flames appears on two compilation albums: The short version of the song, misnamed as "Through the Fire and the Flames", appears on MTV2 Headbanger's Ball: The Revenge, released on April 11, 2006. The full version of Through the Fire and Flames appears on Salvation, Vol. 1, released on October 23, 2007.
Video game appearances
Guitar Hero Series
Through the Fire and Flames had first appeared in the Guitar Hero series of rhythm video games as a playable bonus track in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. It is unlocked and played automatically during the credits after the player finishes the game on any difficulty level. Several reviews at the time of the game's release listed Through the Fire and Flames as the most difficult song in the Guitar Hero series, a title supported by Guinness World Records. The song was also listed as #4 on GameInformer's "Top Ten Villains of '07" list. When challenging Through the Fire and Flames on the Expert difficulty level (the highest level in the game, similar to most video games as "Very Hard Mode"), the loading screen for the Wii and PlayStation 2 versions of the game will display the message "Good Luck", while completing Through the Fire and Flames on Expert difficulty on the Xbox 360 earns "The Inhuman achievement," a reference to the title of the DragonForce album.
Following the inclusion of Through the Fire and Flames in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, sales of DragonForce CDs increased in one week by 126%. Digital sales of Through the Fire and Flames, recorded by Nielsen SoundScan, increased from 2,000 per week to 10,000 per week almost immediately after the game's release, and almost reached 40,000 per week by the end of 2007.
Through the Fire and Flames was also included in the main setlist of Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, which featured popular songs from previous games in the Guitar Hero series and updated them with support for the full band introduced by Guitar Hero World Tour and the "Expert+" introduced in Guitar Hero: Metallica.
Audiosurf
Following the release of the puzzle/rhythm video game Audiosurf on February 15, 2008, Through the Fire and Flames became listed as one of the game's most popular songs. Throughout February and March, it was listed in the top five "Most Played Songs" on the game's official website.
One review has attributed the popularity of Through the Fire and Flames in Audiosurf to its appearance in Guitar Hero III.
GuitarFreaks
The popularity of Through the Fire and Flames in computer games is not limited to the above. This song is also available on Konami's DrumMania V6 and GuitarFreaks V6 musical coordination games.
Brütal Legend
Through the Fire and Flames appears in the soundtrack for the 2009 videogame Brütal Legend. It first appears in a racing level, where the player has to escape a collapsing fortress while driving a hotrod (called the "Duid Plow" oir "Deuce"): after this, Through the Fire and Flames can be heard at any time, as long as it is in the playlist. The game is set within a fictional "Age of Metal", where every element of the graphic and audio design is intended to capture the essence of heavy metal: the song's appearance is a tribute to its place in the canon of heavy metal. Says game creator Tim Schafer, "This soundtrack took years to put together. [...] For those who are not [metal fans] it will either convert them or make their heads explode... or both." Music director Emily Ridgway adds, "It's metal. It's the best. It'll kick your f***ing teeth in."
Rock Band 3
On March 29, 2011, it was added as DLC to Rock Band 3. Pro-mode for this song allows you to play the song with all the real notes on a real guitar, piano, drumset, or bass.
Lyrics
On a cold winter morning, in a time before the light.
In flames of death's eternal reign we ride towards the fight.
When the darkness has fallen down, and the times are tough alright.
The sound of evil laughter falls around the world tonight.
Fighting hard, fighting on for the steel, through the wastelands evermore.
The scattered souls will feel the hell bodies wasted on the shores
On the blackest plains in hell's domain, we watch them as they go,
In fire and pain now once again we know
So now we fly ever free, we're free before the thunderstorm
On towards the wilderness our quest carries on
Far beyond the sundown, far beyond the moonlight
Deep inside our hearts and all our souls
So far away we wait for the day
For the lives all so wasted and gone
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days
Through the fire and the flames we carry on
As the red day is dawning and the lightning cracks the sky
They'll raise their hands to the heavens above with resentment to their lies
Running back from the mid morning light with a burning in my heart
We're banished from a time in a fallen land to a life beyond the stars
In your darkest dreams see to believe our destiny this time
And endlessly we'll all be free tonight
And on the wings of a dream so far beyond reality
All alone in desperation now the time has come
Lost inside you'll never find, lost within my own mind
Day after day this misery must go on
So far away we wait for the day
For the lives all so wasted and gone
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days
Through the fire and the flames we carry on
Oooh! (low)
Woh-oh-oh!
Woh-oh-oh!
Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Woh-oh-oh!
Woh-oh-oh!
Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Now here we stand with their blood on our hands
We fought so hard now can we understand
I'll break the seal of this curse if I possibly can
For freedom of every man
So far away we wait for the day
For the lives all so wasted and gone
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days
Through the fire and the flames we carry on!
(* - This line is usually misinterpreted as "We'll raise our hand to the heavens above with resentment in their eyes"
(** - This line is usually misinterpreted as "Running back from the mid morning light with a burning in my heart")
Trivia
Herman and Theart in the official Through the Fire and Flames music video
- Through The Fire and Flames has been a legend for its amazing solos and crazy pianos, the song was wirtten by Sam Totman and ZP Theart, and people have called this song as "one of DragonForce's best song since Valley of the Damned".
- It was ZP Theart who sang this.
- This song is also featured in Brütal Legend, while escaping the collapsing fortress following Lars Halford's death.
Music video
OFFICIAL THROUGH THE FIRE AND FLAMES MUSIC VIDEO