DragonForce + Aerosmith/Run-D.M.C. Go Platinum, Godsmack Go Gold

Congratulations are in order as DragonForce and Aerosmith/Run-D.M.C. have just received platinum song certifications while Godsmack nabbed a gold certification from the RIAA.

In 2006, when DragonForce unleashed "Through the Fire and Flames," it captured the ears of a young generation of metalheads who were awestruck by the absurdity of Herman Li and Sam Totman's ambitious guitar solos.

On May 23, the song was officially certified platinum after having gone gold in 2008. "Through the Fire and Flames" also reached an impressive milestone on YouTube recently, hitting 100 million views back in March.

Somewhat surprisingly, the groundbreaking rap-rock collaboration between Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. on "Walk This Way," had not reached platinum status until May 23. The single was certified gold in 1993.

As for Godsmack, it's a new song that got them the RIAA honors. "Bulletproof," one of the singles off last year's album, When Legends Rise, reached gold status on May 22.

Since the RIAA started to incorporate streaming numbers as a factor for certification, plenty of rock and metal artists have achieved similar accomplishments for songs and albums both classic and new. In addition to physical units sold, 10 permanent track downloads now equate to one unit and 1,500 on-demand audio and video streams equate to one unit as well.

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