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In January of 2006, DragonForce released their highly anticipated third album, ‘Inhuman Rampage’ which combines a unique metal sound with incredible musicianship. DragonForce is making waves throughout the metal community as the band to watch and not just from a distance as it’s a spectacle of musicianship.

In 2005, they shared the stage with Iron Maiden, a sell-out headlining tour of the UK generating massive metal meltdowns. Perhaps the best summation of all their potential was Rock Hard (Germany)’s prediction that: "DragonForce could become the first British metal band in ages to reap respect from all over the world."

“Inhuman Rampage” includes eights songs which were recorded at Thin Ice Studios in Surrey and guitarist Herman Li's own studio in West London, and some tracks were recorded in hotel rooms while the band was on tour for ‘Sonic Firestorm.’ Winner of the Dimebag Darrell Best Young Guitarist award at Metal Hammer UK’s Golden Gods, Li and his dueling guitar partner, Sam Totman, are eye-candy for a guitar junkie as they are as amazing to watch as to listen to.

DragonForce Live Photos

Alongside Li and Totman, is ZP Theart co-founder of DragonForce. The trio met in London in September 1999, the used the name DragonHeart for the first two years they were together. From the onset, the band’s goal was to have an unmistakable sound of which they have achieved. DragonForce’s success is due to their musical abilities…and believe it or not, Li is self-taught and didn’t pick up a guitar until he was 16 years old.

Herman Li is an amazing guitarist pure and simple. Instead of joining a band, Li decided to form one instead so that he could put together the right mix of musicians to make the music he loves and formed DragonForce (previously known as Dragonheart.) MusicPix climbed on their tour bus just outside the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Noblesville, Indiana during Ozzfest to talk about his influences, what it’s like to play at Ozzfest, and what else he does with his left hand… Here’s our chat:

MusicPix: The United States is just getting to know you as this is your first North American tour & critical acclaim is sweeping over our 50 states. If you were to compare DragonForce to US Metal, what band would you resemble most?

Herman: It’s really hard to say our influences are from so many styles. You could say we are close to thrash metal or even Bon Jovi…it’s really hard to say- we mix a lot of different sounds.

MusicPix: You were supposed on do a North American tour in 2005…what happened?

Herman: They wouldn’t let me in the country so we did Canada instead. They seemed to have some confusion as to who I am.

MusicPix: I’ve seen your ‘how-to’ piece on the Internet…how you make guitars talk, ‘video game speak…’ It’s the first time I’ve seen a guitarist come out like that and in a few simple steps, show how you make those incredible sounds. Do you teach too?

Herman: No, I’ve never been a teacher nor a student. I’m self-taught.

MusicPix: You’ve never studied guitar?

Herman: No, I just watched videos and listened to CD’s.

MusicPix: That’s amazing making your win of the Dimebag Darrell Best Young Guitarist award at Metal Hammer UK’s Golden Gods really incredible…what does it mean to you to have that kind of recognition?

Herman: It’s cool you know…I’m not going to go and say that I’m great after one day..to win a award, especially since Dimebag is the greatest metal guitar player and the best shredder in the world, so it’s really cool.

MusicPix: Well it’s well deserved. I understand that you’re left-handed. Watching you, I think that being ambidextrous, is apart of your unique sound.

Herman: I do things with my left hand usually… wacking! (everybody is laughing on the bus). I can write with my left hand and I punch people with my left hand (still laughing-looking at band mates) but I play basketball with my right hand and I kick the football with my right foot. So I happened to pick up a guitar that was a right-handed style, so I went with the natural feel of things.

MusicPix: I just talked with Andrea from Lacuna Coil and he mentioned that you guys celebrated the World Cup Finals together. It seems like this tour has such a world flavor…

Herman: Yeah, we know those guys from Europe because we’ve played the same festivals quite a few times. They’re cool guys. We go around to people’s buses and to have fun andhave a good laugh. We don’t just sit around on our bus and be miserable and watch TV, it’s boring. We go around to the Second Stage, been the bus with the Disturbed guys…always having a laugh.

MusicPix: Given your here with the OzzFest, and that Ozzie/Black Sabbath really started this whole genre, how do you feel about following in his shoes?

Herman: It’s definitely cool. It’s definitely a big thing for us to be on the Main Stage…it’s the first year in the US- we’ve only been out a few weeks so our official entry is right now. To me anyway… And I’ve known Ozzie for years, through all of his albums anyway. It’s cool to get the chance to play here.

MusicPix: I look at artist tour schedules everyday but yours, well it’s aggressive- through the end of 2006 & worldwide. Are there any dates that you just can’t wait for?

Herman: We look forward to each show because every show is different. We play the same set on OzzFest than our own headlining shows. I guess headlining shows, we look forward to. We do want we want. We change the set lists all the time. If we go to the same place, we’ll change the set list. We always keep changing. We’re always adapting. We never do the same list for a whole tour.

MusicPix: What about when you’re in the United States while you’re here. Is there one particular thing you want to experience?

Herman: Our last show is in Houston, so we’ve been told that we should see the Space Shuttle because it’s huge. I’m sure that we won’t have any time though as usual.

MusicPix: We have a series of questions that we ask every artist we interview called the MusicPix Six:

MusicPix: What is the first musical instrument you played and at what age?

Herman: I’m not from a musical family. I started when I was sixteen for something to do- play guitar for a laugh.

MusicPix: What artist/performer influenced you the most?

Herman: Since I’m a guitar player, my favorite guitar player…[Sam Totman- lead/rhythm electric guitars & Frédéric Leclercq- Bass guitar on listening in on the bus during so they are busy pointing to themselves and laughing as Herman answers…] I would say Steve Vai because he writes his own stuff, does his own production and recording…he exhibits modern day musicianship. Instead of just playing instruments, he understands what’s around it instead of just playing it. The production and engineering-he understands all that kind of thing. Performance, writing, in-studio or on stage…you have to have everything.

MusicPix: If you weren’t in your current band, what band would you like to play in?

Herman: None. I don’t want to play with another band. I don’t want to join another band because I wouldn’t want to be listening to other people telling me what to do as a new member…they’d give me a the new member riot act…what you can say and what you can’t say. I’m happy where I am now.

MusicPix: What are your 3 ‘desert island’ albums?

Herman: I wouldn’t bring them because there would be no electricity. So, it would be a waste of time.

MusicPix: OK, if you had an iPod and it was charged, what would be on it?

Herman: I’d listen to the ocean. It would be boring to listen to the same three albums the rest of your life anyways…

MusicPix: Who do you think is the most over-rated in the music industry?

Herman: Probably me? (Says that sarcastically) I don’t know..

MusicPix: What’s your ‘perfect world?’

Herman: I don’t think that there is a perfect world, so I don’t even look at it that way. What’s a perfect world? Someone is going to suffer…it might be good for you, but times are tough. It’s not something I look into. There are so many things that changes. It’s incalculable. Since there’s not a perfect world, there’s nothing to talk about. There’s nothing really finished you know? You’d have to go back to the pre-big bang.

The Band

ZP Theart – Lead and backing vocals
Herman Li – Lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals
Sam Totman – Lead and rhythm electric guitars, backing vocals
Vadim Pruzhanov – Keyboards, Piano, backing vocals
Dave Mackintosh – Drums, backing vocals
Frédéric Leclercq - Bass, backing vocals
Discography
Inhuman Rampage-2006
Sonic Firesotrm-2004
Valley of the Damned-2003
Valley of the Damned (self-release/Demo as DragonHeart)-2000

The Tour

24th July 2006 Headliners Music Hall Louisville, KY
25th July 2006 DragonForce will not be performing at the Ozzfest in Toronto.
26th July2006 Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mtn Scranton, PA
27th July2006 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center Buffalo, NY
29th July2006 Randall's Island New York, NY
30th July2006 New England Dodge Music Center Hartford, CT
31st July2006 The Chance Poughkeepsie, NY
1st August2006 Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts Boston, MA
2nd August2006 Higher Ground South Burlington VT
3th August2006 Northern Lights Clifton Park, NY
4th August2006 Tweeter Center at the Waterfront Camden, NJ
5th August2006 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Virginia Beach, VA
6th August2006 Nissan Pavilion Bristow, VA
9th August2006 Alltel Pavilion Raleigh, NC
10th August2006 Tremont Music Hall Charlotte, NC
11th August2006 The Masquerade Atlanta, GA
12th August2006 The Beta Bar Tallahassee FL
13th August2006 Sound Advice Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL
14th August2006 House of Blues Lake Buena Vista, FL
15th August2006 State Theatre St. Petersburg, FL
17th August2006 House of Blues New Orleans, LA
18th August2006 Meridian Houston, TX
8th September2006 Wiltern Theatre Los Angeles, CA

Inhuman Rampage Across Europe

21st October2006 Oosterpoort Groningen, Netherlands
22nd October2006 Melkweg Amsterdam, Netherlands
23rd October2006 Underground Cologne, Germany
25th October2006 Logo Hamburg, Germany
26th October2006 The Rock Copenhagen, Denmark
27th October2006 Arenan Stockholm, Sweden
28th October2006 John Dee Oslo, Norway
30th October2006 Zeche Bochum, Germany
31st October2006 Planet Music Vienna, Austria
1st November2006 Rockhouse Salzburg, Austria
3rd Nov2006 Sports Hall Trencin, Slovakia
5th Nov2006 New Age Treviso, Italy
6th Nov2006 Alcatraz Milan, Italy
8th Nov2006 New Backstage Munich, Germany
9th Nov2006 Z7 Pratteln, Switzerland
10th Nov2006 La Laiterie Strasbourg, France
11th Nov2006 La Locomotive Paris, France
13th Nov2006 Transbordeur Lyon, France
14th Nov2006 Hof Ter Lo Antwerp, Belgium

Inhuman Rampage Tour Second Strike

16th November2006 Mandela Hall Belfast, UK
18th November2006 The Ambassador Dublin, Ireland
29th November2006 Leas Cliff Hall Folkestone, UK
30th November2006 Guildhall Southampton, UK
1st December2006 University Leeds, UK
2nd December2006 Rock City Nottingham, UK
4th December2006 University Students Union Cardiff, UK
5th December2006 Academy Birmingham, UK
7th December2006 Octagon Sheffield, UK
8th December2006 Academy Manchester, UK
9th December2006 Barrowlands Glasgow, UK
11th December2006 UEA Norwich, UK
12th December2006 Academy Bristol, UK
13th December2006 Astoria London, UK

By
Gwyn Tyme