Herman Li Discusses Dragonforce's Success

Band Photo: Dragonforce (?)

Sven Hunter of Play Louder recently talked with Dragonforce guitarist Herman Li.

Herman Li, is decidedly apathetic about mainstream success when we interrupt his afternoon guitar practice:

"I actually don't care about it. We make the album the way we want to hear it; we don't listen to anybody else. We think we know what's cool. Some people would disagree, probably, but we've been listening to metal for a long time and we want to make albums that nobody's made, and that we want to hear; albums that our heroes never made: a combination of everything. We listen to so many styles of metal, and take the best out of each style. Whatever happens after that, that's just how it's going to be. If you like it that's cool, if you don't that's cool. I've got friends who don't listen to metal; they still hang out with me! That's how it is. It's not about people worshipping us or shit like that. If people don't like our music it doesn't mean anything. It's only one thing about life."

Surely you must be pleased with the massive critical acclaim though?

"We won four awards in Guitar World magazine America; apparently that's a big deal. That's cool. Well, the way we see it, we don't get too excited about these things. We don't expect anything more. If you stick with the idea... we keep doing what we're doing, the stuff we like - all these long guitar solos, seven minute, eight minute songs... we're not supposed to be big at all. We're not supposed to be on radio or TV. If you accept that fact, then you can be happy in a band."

That's all very well, but with only metal titans like Slayer, Mastodon and Iron Maiden beating you to the top spot in Metal Hammer's top 50 albums of the year, you're in danger of becoming pretty huge.

"Hardly anyone has actually heard of us."

Okay, for the benefit of those who haven't, what exactly is Dragonforce?

"If you take the origins of what we're doing, it's a thing called power metal, but we've taken that sound and it's an evolution of the style. If you mix certain styles, people like it. We mix death metal, power metal, thrash metal... everything. The evolution started on the second album, I think that people just didn't hear that album."

Read the full article at Play Louder.

Source: Play Louder