Dragonforce is a metal band that blends metal and rock styles into one. We have aggressive guitars, all mixed together. I think that's what we do.”

 

Herman Li: Hello.

Wikimetal (Daniel Dystyler): Hello, may I speak with Mr. Herman Li, please?

HL: Yes, this is Herman, how are you?

W (DD): Hi Herman, how are you? This is Daniel and Nando from Wikimetal, from Brazil. How are you?

HL: Very well. It's a pleasure to speak with you.

W (DD): I'll start by asking, back in the day, what were the main influences, bands and guitarists, that led you to pursue a career in heavy metal?

HL: I started listening to a lot of rock guitarists, listening to… I think I started listening to bands like Bon Jovi, and then, you know, Metallica, Megadeth, Dream Theater, all that… Great guitarists like Steve Vai, Satriani. And the band, we started listening to a lot of thrash metal, death metal, power metal, prog metal, so you know, that's the music we liked to listen to.

W (Nando Machado): You've received many awards for being able to play so fast. What's the secret to being able to play guitar at the speed of light?

HL: I don't know if we won the awards for playing fast, you know, there are a lot of people out there who can play fast. I think maybe we won the awards for everything about the band, you know, the way we play live, you know, how we compose the music, and what our albums are like, and, you know, I think it all comes together, it's not just about being able to play fast. I think that's important… I think that's just a small part of everything we do.

W (DD): Herman, we have a classic question on our show, which is: imagine you're listening to the radio on a rock station, or driving your car, or whatever, you're listening to your iPod or any MP3 player on shuffle, and suddenly a song starts playing that makes you lose your mind, and you feel the need to headbang immediately, no matter where you are, you can't contain yourself. What song is that so we can listen to it on the show now?

HL: I think probably Megadeth… Which one? “Tornado of Souls”.

W (NM): Speaking specifically about you, you're a great live performer, and we're looking forward to seeing you live in Brazil. In your opinion, who are the greatest guitarists in terms of performance?

HL: That's an interesting question. I mean, you know, live performances… There are many ways to look at it. Technically, I like to see a person sitting or standing just playing guitar. It's an incredible feeling, making the guitar work. They don't need anything else, you know. And there are shows where you play live with people running all over the place, doing crazy things with the guitar, you know, like they're possessed by the guitar. And, you know, for me, frankly, I like both. I remember seeing Steve Vai play and that was an incredible experience, and there are many other guitarists I've seen who were great and had a great stage presence.

W (DD): Let me congratulate you on your latest album, it's very, very good, and Mark Hudson is great too. How has the reception been for this album so far, and what is Mark like playing live?

HL: The fans really liked having Mark in the band, and that's great. The reception to the new album has been incredible, you know, really, really good. It seems like they really liked the idea of ​​the album, how this album is different from Dragonforce's previous ones. More than ever, we're preparing for the tour, doing jam sessions and rehearsing, so, you know, we're already rehearsing for the new album tour.

W (NM): Speaking of video games, Herman, we know you've used some video game elements in the past, like sound effects… Do you still use those things? And do you think video games like Guitar Hero help promote your music?

HL: Ah… I mean, for sure we’ve already done a lot of crazy, video game-like sounds on the guitar, on the “Inhuman Rampage” and “Ultra Beatdown” albums. And I think we took that to another level. So on “The Power Within,” we kind of held back a bit, and played the guitar in a slightly different way. Without so many crazy noises, like we did on the previous albums. You know, it’s the way we composed the album’s production and its theme. And about Guitar Hero, or I would say Rock Band, those are the two most popular video games, I think anything that helps musicians in today's world, you know, the main thing is that if people can enjoy the music without judging you based on your image or where you're from, I think that's a good thing, and video games somehow don't judge you in relation to that, because, you know, a lot of people hate bands just because they're not from a certain place, or they have a specific look, or because their friends don't think it's cool to like them.

W (DD): Still on the subject of the new album, it was really cool that you had Emily Ovenden as a special guest. How did that idea come about?

HL: I've known Emily for a few years now. We always wanted to add a great female voice to the choir and backing vocals, but we didn't know anyone, and we couldn't think of anyone for years until Emily, you know, we wanted to try different things in the backing vocals and also in the lead vocals, and she really did an amazing job.

The response to the new album has been incredible. It seems they really liked it, especially how different this album is from Dragonforce's previous ones.”

W (NM): We've read some very funny ways of defining your music, as you said before, something like "Nintendo Metal" or "When Journey meets Slayer." Is that right? How would you define Dragonforce's style at the moment?

HL: You know, it's interesting how people create all sorts of different labels, and I think that because people were a little shocked by our music when they first heard it, because it was very different from what they were used to hearing in terms of melodic metal, like the guitar sounds on "Inhuman Rampage," that was a real shock, so they had to create a label, a kind of name. But for me, Dragonforce is a metal band that mixes metal and rock styles into one style. So we have the beat of thrash metal, the energy and melody of power metal, we have the violent guitars, all mixed together. I think that's what we do.

W (DD): And what was it like playing with the great legends of guitar history, like Tony MacAlpine, Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai, whom you've already mentioned?

HL: You know, of course for me, as a guitarist who's been playing guitar at home in my room since I was a kid, it was like a dream, the best thing that ever happened to me, it was truly incredible. It was a really great experience for me to be able to play with these legendary partners. I can't think of anything better, few people have had the chance to do this, so I feel honored to have been invited to play with these guys.

W (NM): And now we'd like to hear a Dragonforce song on our show. Could you choose a Dragonforce song that you're very proud of?

HL: I think the band is very proud of all the songs we've made, particularly on this album, we're very happy, so I think since "Cry Thunder" was the first single we released from this album, we could listen to that, we could listen to "Cry Thunder".

W (DD): Excellent. “Cry Thunder” on Wikimetal. Is it possible to say that “Through the Fire and Flames” is the most important song in Dragonforce's career? What does this song represent for you?

HL: I think that “Through the Fire and Flames,” for me personally, to be honest, I never thought it was one of our best songs. I think people heard it and were introduced to a different kind of metal, because, you know, power metal or melodic metal or whatever, is heavily criticized by many people. So we wanted to show that we can play melodically and still, you know, in a different way.

I'd like to extend a big, warm invitation for everyone to come to the show. We're going to do everything we can for our fans in Brazil, and we can't wait.”

W (NM): Is it true that you're a fan of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? And if you practice Jiu-Jitsu, aren't you afraid of breaking a finger or something like that?

HL: I've been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 2005. Of course, when I'm on tour, it prevents me from training much, and also when I'm in the studio I worry that if I hurt my hand it will affect my guitar playing and the album, and that would be a problem. So I try to train as much as possible, but we've been doing a lot, so I haven't been able to train as much as I'd like.

W (DD): What kind of advice would you give to a young person who dreams of becoming a rock star, or starting a band, or learning to play guitar?

HL: I think one of the most important things is not to think about playing music because you want to be a rock star. I think that's the wrong way. You play music because that's what you want to do and it's what you want for the rest of your life, because you're passionate about it. So if you become a rock star, great, you know. I think you should just play in a band and enjoy it, not because you want to be on TV and become a rock star and all that stuff. That's… That shouldn't be your goal.

W (DD): Mr. Herman Li, I'm sure we'll have great shows here in Brazil with you and Trivium. Could you please invite all the Brazilian headbangers to the show?

HL: Of course. I'd like to extend a big, warm invitation for everyone to come to the show. You know, we can't wait to play in Brazil, this will be our second time there, with our great friends from Trivium, and we promise it will be one of the best shows you'll ever see. We'll do everything we can for our Brazilian fans, and we can't wait.

W (NM): Thank you very much, Herman, we will definitely be there. I hope we can meet to say hi before or after the show, but I wish you a great trip to Brazil, and all the best, we have a very good show with Dragonforce and Trivium in September, and we are looking forward to seeing you live.

HL: Yes, please. Please come say hi after the show, we can't wait to play for the fans.

W (DD): Excellent, thank you very much, Mr. Herman Li, on Wikimetal.

HL: Thank you.

W (DD): Bye!