London based power metal band Dragonforce have been called everything from Nintendo metal and speed metal to power metal or just mad shredders. They’re not overly fussed with genre labels. The guitar playing is meticulously fast with showmanship and mesmerising speed yet still with melodically structured compositions. Amusingly, their live shows have also included keytar solos and instrumental duels with other power metal bands on various tours. They can play their detractors into the corner and still crack a joke about their style in a live setting. This time around, they’ve both slowed down in some parts whilst also recording some of their fastest material yet in the song ‘Fallen World’. Now into their fifth studio album, ‘The Power Within’ is the latest release which also sees them with new lead singer Marc Hudson and a more collaborative approach in order to integrate the front man. So, with the new album freshly put together, Australian Guitar’s Paul Southwell talked to Herman Li, one half of the founding members dual guitar attack that also includes Kiwi born Sam Totman. Herman spills the beans on recording, mixing, equipment and just generally having a blast with his range of signature guitars. Grab your mead filled goblet, jump on your trusty stead and brandish your axe for some insights into what’s been happening after several years since their last pounding metallic operation invaded our shores.
AG: Do you find that with Dragonforce being known for insanely fast guitar solos, it means the rhythm guitar side gets overlooked?
HL: Yes, definitely and most kids do not care about rhythm guitar playing, they just want to hear fast licks and things like that. So, we always try to add new licks inside the rhythm itself. We do that instead of just strumming on the chords quickly. The way our chord progressions work means that most of the time we don’t just do riffs.
AG: Some of the solos are more melodically based on the chord structure on the latest album. Have you been pushing for a prominence of melody linked to chords?
HL: Well, I think that as some of the songs are slower on the new album, it gives us a different way to approach playing. I guess that after making four albums of mainly songs at 200 beats per minute [bpm], a change in tempo actually forces us to play different licks. That kind of makes it what you’d call more melodic.
AG: How do you think the latest albums will sit with the diehard fans?
HL: I think that the fans will be really happy to hear the new album because not only do we have the classic kind of fast songs but we are also able to add some mid tempo songs. They are something between the fast and even faster. We’ve pushed it up to 220 bpm for songs like ‘Fallen World’ and with the slower ‘Seasons’, we are able to diversify. It is a diverse album.
AG: For the songwriting, was it pretty much yourself and Sam [Totman – guitars] or was it more collaborative with the rest of the band?
HL: Yeah, it was sort of the same but this time we got everyone in the band to do what they do best with contributing to songs. Everyone in the band comes from different backgrounds and has different kinds of musical skills. So we were able to kind of put that forward to make the album and it brings in some acoustic songs.
AG: Did you have to change your recording techniques to cater for a new vocalist?
HL: We completely changed the way that we record an album. Let’s say the last three albums, we wrote the music right through, recorded it and went on tour before we even had a chance to really play the song. This time we jammed on the song, playing it together in a rehearsal room and were free to work out the different parts before transferring the energy onto the recording. It was more organic to do this time.
AG: What studio set up are you using? How much is at home using software?
HL: I think we do ninety percent of it at home, really. The only thing we don’t do at home is the drums. Everyone just comes to my place to do the recordings except for our keyboard player as he does a lot of his recording himself. I have a Pro-Tools HD set up at home so it is kind of like this home studio. We built ourselves a vocal booth which is a weird upgrade and got a new microphone.
AG: For amplifiers, what are your thoughts on emulators versus the air moving from a real speaker cabinet?
HL: I don’t use any emulation software. I don’t use plug-ins or guitar tones. For everything, I use a microphone in front of a cabinet and move it around to get my sounds.
AG: What goes into pre-production such as demos and songwriting?
HL: When we do demos we don’t play properly because the last thing you want to do is concentrate on playing. You’re just trying to feel the music so we just play chords like chords but not really concentrating on getting them right. If playing with the band has noises we don’t really care about it, otherwise you’re worrying about production.
AG: I suppose it is saving you a lot of money doing it that way?
HL: Yeah, because we have a new singer we have to do things differently. Apart from this recording studio, I had to make a rehearsal studio in my house too. So, we had rehearsals and recordings in the house at the same time. It was kind of a jam, you can’t just get a new singer and say, ‘hey, here’s the new songs written, learn the lyrics and sing them’. We had to really get to know each other as a band.
AG: Speaking about your guitars, you have a custom EGEN signature model Ibanez guitars. There is a seven string version [of the EGEN18] you used on the new album.
HL: I have a custom made seven string version of it [EGEN18TVF] which I use on the new album. It is basically exactly the same but with seven strings (laughs). It has the same pickups [DiMarzio HLM] and design but with some changes.
AG: One has a seventh string which is fretless?
HL: Yeah, there is one and I had this Ibanez custom [RG7] that they sent from Japan to try out. Just the seventh string is fretless but the rest is fretted normally. It’s got for whacky noises like dives and stuff. Get on the low B string and run up and down it.
AG: You’ve got a 30 fret guitar in there too?
HL: Yeah, that’s a limited edition RG something or other. I can’t even remember the numbers [30 fret Ibanez RG2011SC]. It helps with the harmonies. Even if you don’t use the extra frets, it helps you to play the higher twenty fourth fret or wherever. The sustain on those high frets is definitely harder to get so it does get harder to play it as well.
AG: Some of us remember the Washburn ones in the late 80’s. How would you do it to get up that high, use your pick or something?
HL: We mainly use it to do harmonising. For some harmonies you have to do a higher harmony for the solos so you have to use a 30 fret guitar. In the old days we had one guitar where we had to tune the strings up high to do the harmonies.
AG: How does your EGEN model compare to a stock model EGEN?
HL: They are exactly the same and I see no difference because my one is basically off the production line once they send me one. When Ibanez said they wanted to do a signature guitar model with me, I said, ‘wow, that’s cool but I want it so that it is exactly the same as in the shop’.
AG: What is it about DiMarzios pickups that you like the best of all?
HL: I really like the tone from them and their dynamics. I am not so much into active pickups but even compared to non active pickups, which I’ve got from other companies, DiMarzio pickups have always been the ones that I played the most evenly from when I was starting off playing guitar. They have just got the most tone and the way they feel for what I am playing, like legato and so on. It is those harmonic overtones.
AG: What sort of amplifiers do you use today?
HL: I use a Rocktron Prophesy II pre-amp and a Mesa Boogie Stereo 2:Fifty power amp.
AG: Is it easier to travel that rig and get world service or do you hire a backline?
HL: It depends, I mean, I’ve basically got duplicated racks in America and Europe. I also have a fly rig with the midi pre-amp which is great because I can carry that around and have most of all of my effects programmed in and I can plug it into any head that I need to instead of traveling with so much stuff. It depends but I always try to get the power amp that I like.
AG: What are your thoughts on the metal scene with eight string guitars?
HL: I think that it’s cool that some people do that stuff. My hands are too small for eight strings even though I have an eight string [Ibanez RG2228]. Seven strings I can do but eight strings I am pushing it. It is not just the width but it is how fat the neck gets for that tension. So, I think it is cool that bands are doing that kind of stuff and it is healthy for the bands and musicians. The more variety you’ve got, the better it is.
AG: Can we expect a tour soon since you missed Soundwave in 2012?
HL: Yeah, unfortunately we couldn’t make it for the Soundwave festival earlier this year but we are definitely working on some shows right now. We’re hoping to get them locked in but nothing is confirmed right now. It has actually been four years since we played in Australia.
Playing live music to a rabid crowd whilst attempting to unleash rapid fire guitar solos with technical precision is certainly not an exact science. Many variables can impact upon a performance but it is preparation and rehearsing that makes all the difference. Herman discusses live playing and his thoughts on live recording.
AG: For recording live shows, do you listen back and pick things apart? Or do you just accept it was a performance and just say, ‘that’s done and dusted’?
HL: Oh, for the live thing, I don’t even care. We got someone else to mix it. We don’t have to do anything and it is the least amount of work, ever. You can always say that ‘this should be better’ but we’re a live band and we weren’t playing standing still, you know, we’re running around. So if the chord goes a bit funny, it’s honest. Some people don’t understand about live music and sometimes it is hard to convince them. I don’t want to listen to the album if I thought, ‘well actually I didn’t play any of this, I sat at home and just recorded and dubbed the whole thing’, you know.
AG: You’ve also got Sam running around madly so how do you two keep in sync?
HL: We’ve been playing together for a long time so maybe that is the way to do it so I can explain it. To get your cue, say you’re going to play a lead after a certain part or certain singing bit, you have to basically be ready to get there before you have to start. You have to know that your fingers are going to go there, visually. Otherwise, if you get there just as you’re supposed to start, you may hit the wrong note anyway. If you hit the wrong note the first time, you probably won’t get the next twenty notes and you’ll be out of the song.
AG: If you’re thinking that way throughout the performance, doesn’t that kill any creativity, jam vibe or improving that might be possible?
HL: It is just knowing that when you get there it is like preparation or being prepared. Sometimes if you miss something you cannot get back into it until after maybe four bars after the drum fill or something. You just feel lost or disconnected and that is the worst thing. When you practice something, you practice it from beginning to end.
AG: Do you listen to the snare, hi hat or bass to keep in time?
HL: You need the kick and snare drums to keep in time, that is the minimum requirement, without that, you basically cannot play. Well, you can play but it ends up being guess work. Even if you don’t hear the toms you can count them out.