On my way through the fire and flames in a fried-out Kombi on a Saturday night…

Posted by Rampant Coyote on October 25, 2017

Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock. That was when many gamers first heard the song “Through the Fire and Flames” by DragonForce. But it wasn’t just the hearing… no. During the credits after “beating” the game, this blistering 200 beats-per-minute song appeared with the chart, and was thereafter unlocked as a bonus song. It was clearly in a difficulty tier all by itself, and getting into the 90% range on expert difficulty became a badge of honor and a sign of true Guitar Hero mastery.

Well, that was ten years ago, almost to the day of the North American release. I liked the song, because it was technical challenge of insane levels, and because DragonForce was keeping shred alive. Not to mention drawing inspiration from fantasy and video games. While I didn’t put them in the same category as true shredding virtuosos (like John Petrucci, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, etc.), they made up for it with sheer balls-out speed and spectacle.

The song also came out for Rock Band III, and was available for Pro Mode. I was one of the (apparently few) people with a Squier Pro Guitar controller, so it was pretty close to playing the real thing… minus key elements like string bends, vibrato, harmonics, slides, etc. However, I’d lost a bit of interest in the game by then (even after spending all that money on the guitar!), and I knew that I was nowhere the skill level I needed to give it a serious attempt. So I think I tried playing it at an easy skill level a few times, and that was it.

Anyway, once I discovered Rocksmith, and got serious about using it as a training tool and “digital songbook,” DragonForce has been on my shortlist for DLC. Ubisoft has been whittling away on that list for a while, mostly through singles but occasionally with full packs devoted to a long-awaited (for me) artist. Finally, this week, DragonForce can be taken off the list. Oh, the band has several other songs I’d like to see in Rocksmith, sure. But Through the Fire and Flames is finally an official download. Huzzah! And it’s every bit as insane as expected. And eight frickin’ minutes long. Even the rhythm part (which seems much more within my realm of capability) is a bit of an endurance test at that length.

Fortunately, the entire pack (Variety Pack XII for Rocksmith Remastered) is pretty awesome. Besides TtFaF, it has Men at Work’s “Down Under” (2012 version), Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fitghting”, and Rusted Root’s “Send Me On My Way.” Through the Fire and Flames and Down Under have additional alternate lead parts. These all seem like fun songs, and I’ve made some pretty good progress getting the main lead guitar part down on Down Under.

So – for fun – Elison Cruz takes on BOTH guitar parts in his playthrough of Through the Fire and Flames for The Riff Repeater. My hands hurt just watching him. I think this is now the hardest song available in Rocksmith Remastered, and it is absolutely one of the fastest and most note-dense. However, in a library of well over a thousand songs, there are a bunch of ’em that give it a run for its money.

And here’s the official trailer / sampler of the whole pack:

Have fun!

 

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