DRAGONFORCE Sign With ROADRUNNER For U.K., France, Australia And New Zealand

Roadrunner Records has announced the signing of "extreme power metal" icons DRAGONFORCE, for the U.K., France, Australia and New Zealand.

The truly multi-national London-based outfit is fronted by South African-born frontman ZP Theart and completed by drummer David Mackintosh, Ukrainian keyboardsman Vadim Pruzhanov and the twin-guitar assault of Herman Li and New Zealander Sam Totman. Hong Kong-born Li was the recent winner of 2005's Metal Hammer Awards' Dimebag Darrell Award for Best Guitarist.

"We are very excited about signing to Roadrunner and look forward to working with one of the most respected rock labels in the world" said Li. "This will give us the opportunity to take the band to the next level and beyond!"

2005 was a stellar year for DRAGONFORCE in their mission to take on the world and establish themselves as one of the U.K.'s most successful and notorious metal bands. They shared festival stages with IRON MAIDEN and played a sell-out headlining tour of the U.K., generating scenes of utter pandemonium. Bouts of intensive touring to accompany the band's two albums to date — "Valley of the Damned" in January 2003 and 2004's "Sonic Firestorm" — saw their fan-base escalate dramatically and the word spread like kerosene-fuelled wildfire across the press.

Against all the odds, DRAGONFORCE have single-handedly revitalised power metal in their U.K. homeland, awarding credibility to a genre that 'till their arrival was regarded was little more than a joke. Their third and most accomplished album; the faster, bolder, heavier "Inhuman Rampage" (to be released on January 9) will be accompanied by a U.K. headlining tour, for which tickets are already selling fast. The album CD also includes an enhanced section that features exclusive "behind-the-scenes’ footage shot in Japan and at 2005's European festivals, plus a Windows theme package that includes screensavers, mouse icons, wallpaper, etc.