DragonForce Interview

DRAGONFORCE – EXTREME POWER METAL

By Thom Hazaert

As the legendary DRAGONFORCE prepare the release of their 8 th studio album (which will be out by the time you’re reading this), Thom Hazaert and Rock N’ Roll Industries caught up with resident shredder/livestream enthusiast Herman Li to get the skinny on the bands latest opus, EXTREME POWER METAL.

RNRI: Damn Herman. It looks like you guys have a lot going on!

Herman: Yeah, we have the album launch this week, we’re gonna play at this huge video game convention, TWITCHCON, so it’s gonna be pretty crazy.

RNRI: Yeah, didn’t it sell out in like an hour or something?

Herman: Yeah, I think it took 2 hours, and it was done. Sold out. It’s gonna be streamed to, I think, 5 million people as well? So, it’s gonna be crazy. We’ve been preparing for that, it’ll be great promo for the Megacruise as well.

RNRI: The new album, Extreme Power Metal, didn’t you track some of that live on Twitch on your channel?

Herman: Yeah, that’s right! We actually recorded a lot of the parts for 6 months streaming it online on Twitch. It was fun, you know, you’ve got the fans watching as you’re recording, as I’m recording the guitar solos, live. It was pretty crazy.

RNRI: It seems like that video gaming thing, I mean look, you guys were known for being the hardest song ever in Guitar Hero, and that’s always been a part of the DragonForce legacy, but it really seems like, the new video “Highway to Oblivion” it’s really video-game centric, and it seems like with this album, all the artwork and promo around it, that’s come even more to the forefront.

Herman: yeah, we’ve always been into it, but the theme of this album is all about fun. So we’re really putting together all the things we enjoy, with the artwork, and the video games, even some stuff about movies, Starship Troopers, which was kind of a cult movie, we’ve got a song about that. We’re kinda mixing all of the retro stuff together.

RNRI: So what can people expect from the new show? It looks like you guys, your shows are already selling out for next year, you’ve got some European dates. What’s the new show going to be like? It looks like at TWITCHCON you’re going to have all kinds of giant arcade

machines. It looks like the whole show is themed around Zero Wing - maybe a giant screen that just flashes ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US?

Herman: Laughing. Well I can’t give the whole show away, but we’re gonna have the dragon from the actual album cover, we’re taking him on tour. We’ve got massive arcade machines, I actually see another two of them being built in front of me right now. We’ve actually got four of those giant machines. This is gonna be a long World tour, and we can’t wait to get these things out.

RNRI: That’s exciting. And when does the album officially come out? Next week?

Herman: Yes. Exactly the same date as TWITCHCON, September 27 th , the

launch date is that Friday.

RNRI: And the show on the boat, is it gonna be a lot of the new stuff, a mix? I mean you guys have like 8 albums now, it’s gotta be getting harder and harder to choose.

Herman: We’re gonna do a combo. Probably a bit more new stuff, because we really like the new songs, and if people have seen videos, or know anything about DragonForce playing on a cruise, they can expect something crazy. We always bring it. I mean, I’ve played guitar in a jacuzzi, under the water, last time we did a cruise I was playing a snorkeling

guitar solo, like playing a guitar solo while breathing underwater, so. I don’t what we’re gonna do this time. Set me on fire maybe?

RNRI: Yeah, not sure how the Hell you’re gonna top that. Do you fear at all for your safety?

Herman: It’s ok. You just have to practice. Practice your breathing. I mean it worked out great last time. We will be doing something crazy again.

And it’ll be great because we’re going to actually bring the TWITCH on the tour, and be livestreaming on the TWITCH

channel, behind the scenes everything, so if you wanna see something beyond us recording, or playing video games, we’re really gonna being everyone behind the scenes on this tour.

Follow Herman on TWITCH at TWITCH. TV/HERMANLI

Follow DRAGONFORCE on TWITTER/ FACEBOOK @DRAGONFORCE

-Thom Hazaert