Once in awhile, although not very often, there comes along a group of musicians that are so remarkably unique and original in their art that you have to stop and marvel at the world’s ability to produce such wonderfully gifted individuals. When all has been said and done it really, in fact, hasn’t. While nothing today can ever be construed as pure, the fusion of various musical styles has enabled an entirely new generation of music fans to revel in the magic that is created. Calling themselves Extreme Power Metal, U.K. based rockers Dragonforce are a band who has achieved remarkable success thanks to their exotic blend of Power Metal and Thrash. They are probably the fastest band in existence today or at least the fastest that play with such precise execution of their abilities. Melodic, speed-driven and virtuosity are the key ingredients to their sound. After making some amazing headway during this year’s Ozzfest and a couple of solo runs across the States, Dragonforce are now one of the most talked about bands in the business. In an effort to discover the legacy of speed and skill that they command, as well as why it’s taken them three albums to get the world’s attention, I spoke with guitarist extraordinaire and founding member Herman Li during some of his off time to get the details behind their sudden rise to power.

OT: Well cool. So I hope it’s not too early for you over there right now.

Herman: No that’s alright, I wake up kinda around this time anyway.

OT: That’s good to know because when I talked to your publicist she said that you guys don’t like to get up early and I’m there with you on that one, I don’t like to get up early either.

Herman: Usually I wake around ten, it’s not like we party every night because we’re rock stars or something y’know?

OT: (Laughing) Well I hope not ‘cause that’d be a way to shorten your life span considerably.

Herman: Yeah. It’s pretty boring at the moment here at home, just cool.

OT: Well right on, very cool. Now first off, I know that there have been some confused fans wondering what happened with the U.S. release of the new CD Inhuman Rampage. I know that you signed a deal with Roadrunner Records, but what was the delay in getting the album out in the first place? I know it was originally due to be released by Sanctuary and then, all of a sudden, it wasn’t. What happened with that?

Herman: Well it was supposed to come out on Sanctuary originally, they actually printed the CDs. And then, basically, Roadrunner approached us because not much was actually done on the previous two albums in America. So we thought, ‘Well maybe we’ll actually get a chance to have the album released to where you can go and buy it in a music shop and everything.’ And when we started talking to Roadrunner, I think after we finished recording the album, we re-signed with them in England and some other countries as well, and now the U.S.

OT: So how did the deal with Roadrunner come into play?

Herman: They just emailed me through the website.

OT: (Laughing) Oh that’s very cool, they sought you guys out.

Herman: Yeah, yeah! And they just said, ‘We love the stuff and what are you guys doing? Who you signed to? What’s going on?’ It just kind of came like that, kinda weird huh? Just straight out, what’s up?

OT: That’s very cool, when an artist doesn’t have to try so hard and you’re good enough to where they’re actually comin’ after you. That’s great man. So the style of music that Dragonforce plays is a combination of old-school speed metal and traditional power metal, but unlike anything that has been done before. When the band formed was speed a primary focus for you guys?

Herman: That part comes from more of the thrash metal and the death metal we listen to. I mean I used to play in a thrash band, death metal band and so did Sam, so it kind of just happened naturally when we started playing, straight away. I mean we like all this power metal and traditional classic rock and everything, but we also like a lot of the newer, like, death metal and older thrash and the Scandinavian stuff. That kinda came out with At The Gates all the way to whatever... the progressive stuff, so the speed part comes from the heavier stuff.

OT: That’s interesting, really. A lot of people set out to try and force something to happen; it’s great when it can happen naturally that way, especially something like this. Most musicians just can’t ever play as fast as what you guys do.

Herman: (Laughing) Yeah, I mean the first band I played in was a thrash band and the first band Sam ever played in was a death metal band, so he played a gig opening for Carcass in New Zealand when he was fifteen.

OT: That’s awesome. So how did you develop your skill and has it been difficult to maintain that level of intensity as a whole band? I mean it’s one thing as a solo musician, you can stand alone and do your thing. But trying to find people who can actually keep up with you, has that been a problem?

Herman: I mean it has been a problem, we have changed the line-up from the demo and the first album through now, and we have another bass player now. But I think it always takes some time, the band, not just in terms of playing music, but when you begin touring a lot some people do find it difficult. I mean not now - we’ve definitely got it together.

OT: So the style that you play and your skill, how have you developed that, as far as maintaining the speed and precision that you use in the music?

Herman: I don’t know, playing guitar for ten years pretty much left it like that. We don’t do any special practicing or anything like that these days; actually the skin on my fingers is falling off ‘cause I haven’t played for awhile now.

OT: Oh, no.

Herman: Yeah, they look really horrible. When you’ve been on tour for so long your fingers become really scuffy, the skin becomes really hard, yeah? But now it’s kind of falling off and reverting back to normal. But after playing for so long you just figure it out through the ages by listening to, I don’t know, hard rock and I really got into solos and instrumental stuff and I just kind of figured everything out.

OT: Right, I hear what you’re saying. You guys seem to have gathered some of the best musicians from around the globe to complete your line-up. I mean knowing that you guys are all based in the U.K. you have a real international mix within your ranks. How did you come to accumulate such an impressive line-up?

Herman: It all just came by luck, it was never planned to find anyone from anywhere. Whoever they are, if they want to play in a band and they’re into it, and they can do it, then that’s it. Most of ‘em, I just met them randomly in a rock bar or something like that. Sam, he and I just met in a rock club one night, drunk. And Fred, our new bass player, he used to play guitar for Heavenly, we did some shows together.

OT: So everything just kinda fell into place. You guys are havin’ some pretty good streaks of luck so far.

Herman: Yeah, it’s not like… we’re not like this Super Group where it’s all planned out with guys from different bands that come and make an album, we just come pretty much from out of nowhere.

OT: That’s very cool, very cool. Now I did find the last song on the CD, “Trail Of Broken Tears” to be a bit of a shock as it slowed things way down and really stands out from the rest of the album. Was this just an effort to show that you can slow it down if you wanted to?

Herman: Um we always did a ballad anyway, one on each album. We were gonna drop the ballad on Inhuman Rampage and put in a fast one but we thought a lot of people really can’t handle so much fast; pretty much, seven songs - four to seven minutes - each fast. So at the end we liked the ballad, it fit in at the end when we were listening to the track after we finished recording, so that kind of just got it in there at the end. We’re never gonna play mid-tempo or anything like that though.

OT: I know it was like, from one extreme to another, that’s what cracked me up about it; it was so different. But when it comes to your fans do they accept you doing those ballads? Because it’s so drastic of a change, have they still enjoyed what you guys do there?

Herman: Yeah, I mean we get loads of requests for the ballads even from the third album or the second album. We have done, like, two ballads before on the tour, at the moment we’re only doing one. A lot of rockers like these kinds of ballads anyway, they just don’t wanta say it. And some people hate it but it gives them time to go and get a beer from the bar.

OT: Right, right yeah. I’ve always been a ballad man myself too, but I think I’ve grown a lot with my musical interests over the years and I’m kind of startin’ to lean away from that and I’m liking things a lot faster and heavier these days.

Herman: Yeah I mean, we like heavy stuff but we’ve always been into those kinds of hard rock ballads; that comes from influences like Bon Jovi and bands like that.

OT: What do they say? Every rocker’s got a soft side too? (Laughing)

Herman: Exactly and it will give us a chance to get some female fans maybe.

OT: (Laughing) Yeah there ya go.

Herman: To be honest we always ask ourselves, ‘Should we play the ballads, do they care? Or should we play this song because it’s ten minutes and there are so many guitar solos? But I guess people like us because of that.

OT: Right, right totally.

Herman: We do come a lot of times and we say, “Do we want to play this song, do we want to play “Fury Of The Storm” because it’s got really heavy long solo sections?” And we just say, “Well the people come to see us because they expect those, that’s why they like it.”

OT: Very cool. So in your opinion, looking at where you’re at right now, do you believe you’ve been able to hit a niche in the market that will elevate you to some pretty high places?

Herman: I think so. I think even since the second album there was something there that was missing, something that we have kind of put into the scene that was pretty much missing. A lot of people listen to heavier stuff and they don’t mind power metal but they just hate the stuff all over it, not necessarily the image but a lot of the things they find too soft and whatever. We kind of balanced it with a mixture of other stuff - blast beats and stuff - so we’re getting fans that are not really power metal fans anymore. It’s kind of strange really, we’ve got fans that slip from emo to there isn’t like a boundary any more. I think first that this kind of music sounds just like Roadrunner as well; that kind of label.

OT: Oh definitely, definitely. Yeah I think the melodic death metal aspect has really hit big over here now. I don’t know, the U.S. has just kind of not really opened up until the last couple of years but they’ve started to open up to some of the more extreme forms of metal. They got out of that whole ‘nu metal’ groove and are really looking to what’s happening over in Europe and Scandinavia now and I think that’s a really good thing ‘cause that’s where my heart lies as far as music goes.

Herman: Yeah, yeah. Arch Enemy and Children Of Bodom, they’re getting pretty big down there aren’t they?

OT: Yeah they are. In Flames is pretty big right now as well. Yeah, it’s all happening. And of course Opeth, I just saw Opeth play twice and they’re doing extremely well. But it’s good to see you guys are able to come over here and do your thing. Now, I know oftentimes there’s been a slam against power metal bands for singing about dragons and what not. But despite your name, Dragonforce, this isn’t really the case with this band. What led you to choosing this particular name and has it been a conscious decision to keep the writing content away from that Medieval-type thinking?

Herman: I think there was a combination of a few different weird things. We said the name has to be short enough, but long enough for people to shout at the gig, yeah? “Dragonforce, bababa, bababa.” Good for people to shout in the crowd, a name easy to remember and easy to read for all different nationalities and countries to speak. We also said whatever name we choose people are gonna have something to say about us, good or bad, so it doesn’t really matter. So it happened that way I guess.

OT: Right, right. So you didn’t really put a lot of thought into what people would think about the name but obviously there are those that are gonna group you in with the traditional power metal element and think that you’re singing a lot about dragons and wizards and such. And although you may touch on that at times, it really doesn’t apply to you as much. Have you run into many problems with people trying to stereo-type you?

Herman: Yeah we get a lot of some people who keep thinking we sing about dragons and crap, you can read it all on blabbermouth, which is really funny and I actually enjoy reading it. Sam and I just laugh all the time at the drama on blabbermouth… bands slagging us, slagging us off of other bands; it’s like kids in school. We actually knew what we were gonna get into so it’s not really a problem. Since the lyrics are open for interpretation, a lot of them can mean so many different things. So if people are like into those kind of bands they think they can relate in that way, but a lot of people also don’t relate in that way. So it’s ok, I think we’ve pretty much cut a fine line of love and hate. A lot of people, with us they either love us or they really hate us; that’s just how it is at the moment.

OT: I’ve always believed that there’s just no way possible to please everybody out there. All you can do is what you do best and stay true to yourself and I think people respect you for that, even if they don’t necessarily like the music or where you’re coming from.

Herman: Mhmm.

OT: Y’know, to be honest with you, when I first heard the band it was with the release of Sonic Firestorm and I wasn’t really ready for that extreme sound. What I heard - I was pretty unsure what to make of it. For the most part, I buried it in the back of my brain and forgot about it. But when I received the promo for the new album, for Inhuman Rampage, it was like night and day; suddenly I got it and it was the most awesome sound that I’ve ever heard. What do you think it is that has made this latest release stand out in people’s minds more than any of your past works?

Herman: I think, to be honest, I think Sonic Firestorm was a great album. When we finished it we thought, ‘Yeah this is it. This is gonna show them.’ So I think a fan, he needs the words around, and people sometimes hear the album and they don’t notice it the first time because a lot of things are happening on the album and there’s all kinds of things influencing the brains of the people listening to it. Like me, I’m listening to some bands, I go off, ok, but then later I listen to it and I think, ‘wow this is brilliant.’ I think it’s just the whole thing that we’ve been going for. I think with Inhuman Rampage, it’s definitely the most over-the-top, so over-the-top that you can’t not notice it this time. I thought Sonic Firestorm was over the top, but this time, really it just takes it to a whole different game, production and everything; you definitely notice it immediately. But, hey, some people still don’t get that kind of thing. We get a lot of people saying, “Oh it’s just to far, there’s too many guitars, there’s too much everything.” But that’s ok, they might get it in a year’s time.

OT: Yeah I think people, especially when it comes to something that’s so new, they have a difficult time adjusting and moving out of that comfort zone, and if it’s not something they’re familiar with or can really relate to it takes awhile for it to grow on ‘em; it just takes awhile for things to develop.

Herman: Yeah it’s like the first time I heard thrash metal I thought that was really heavy, y’know, that kind of thing – wow. But I think we’re kind of a bit at this kind of stage at the moment, people listen to this they go, ‘Whoooh.’

OT: Right, right, absolutely.

Herman: They don’t even know what’s happening, they’re like, ‘What’s going on? I never heard anything like this.’

OT: (Laughing) Now some have speculated that you might not take the musical style that you play all that seriously at times. And what I mean by that is it seems as though there’s an attitude that the band has to basically have fun at all costs so as not to sacrifice the joy of playing for the sake of superior musicianship. I mean watching your video, picking up the beer, puttin’ it down while you guys trade solos; I mean it came off kind of humorous. Would this be an accurate assumption?

Herman: Um I think it’s just the personality, not the people, coming across. We’re not really that kind of a… sit around the backstage, not saying anything. There’s always something… talking, jokes or whatever, that’s how it is. And the drinking thing on the video - it actually was happening. We were filming this video and Sam was getting bored and was, “Oh I’m gonna start drinking, this is gettin’ boring.” (Laughter) And the director just looked at him and goes, “Oh, you just keep doing that we’ll have him play the solo.” So that was it, it was just a natural kind of thing.

OT: That’s actually pretty cool.

Herman: Yeah, I mean we like to have a laugh on stage and everything, it’s just you go out and have fun when you play in a band, I guess; I think that’s how it always should be.

OT: Right, right yeah, totally. Looking at your first tour of the States prior to Ozzfest, it showed some pretty impressive results having sold out a good portion of the date’s, months before the tour even began. Did that surprise you in any way?

Herman: It was a risk because the album’s not even out. To be honest, everyone was surprised and was saying, ‘You guys are insane, you shouldn’t be gong to America, forget it.” But I have been in this band since the beginning and I’ve been reading email and guest book signings and everything on the internet, so much from American fans. For me; I was expecting a good turn out. I mean not sell-out all the shows, but expecting a good turn out. So, in a way, the emails and all that stuff that people have been writing for how many years have made this tour happen. There’s no kind of reason, ‘cause really when we booked the tour, the deal with Roadrunner wasn’t done yet.

OT: I absolutely hear what you’re saying. I’ve got a lot of friends and people that I’ve spoken with that, as soon as they found out you were playing in L.A., they tried to get tickets and they just went so fast that a lot of people weren’t able to get tickets. So I assume you’ll be touring here more often?

Herman: Oh definitely, I mean we’re already planning to come back and play the places we’ve missed and places we’ve played again, so it’s definitely on the planning king of thing, yeah. We never advertised the shows on the magazines; it was just internet, email, and word of mouth so it did take us by surprise how fast it sold.

OT: That’s actually really cool for me to hear because being an internet-based publication, I always like to think we’re doing our part but much of the time we get shunned by publicity for print media because they always take priority, so it’s cool to see the internet actually help somebody out and make a difference.

Herman: Yeah, I think the internet - I mean I’m a computer geek, if you wanta call me that - I think it really has made a difference, actually more than people think. When we did our demo over the internet, that’s how we even got a record deal and shows at the beginning because the demo was just downloaded off the internet. It wasn’t print or anything and the tour… the same thing now, yeah.

OT: Very cool. So what are you hoping to achieve with this latest release, are you looking for a giant leap or just the next step?

Herman: To be honest, when we started the band we didn’t expect anything other than just playing the music so I guess, at the end of the day, it’s all painted out; we just wanta do what we do, play the music and play to the people that enjoy it. And push it, push ourselves to the next level of live, and I think live we always try to do something different and add to the show more than just playing songs. So whatever the date - big or small - we’re gonna do our best.

OT: That’s the best attitude to have man, that’s usually the people who make it in this business, the ones who aren’t striving to be rock stars and huge and sell millions of records, but just wanta put the focus on the music and that’s where you’re gonna get the most respect - so kudos to you for that one. I thank you so much for your time Herman; it’s been a pleasure speaking with you.

Herman: You too. Alright then, have a good day.

OT: Okay, have a good one.

Herman: Alright, ‘bye.