I enjoyed watching the YouTube series in which your bandmate Sam Totman writes a song in ten minutes in the style of a well-known metal band. Will there ever be a sequel?
As far as I’m concerned, yes, if we have time for it again. This year we are on tour a lot and that won’t work. But why not do it again? We did it during the lockdown period and when we were short on time. Dragonforce is not a traditional band that only tours and makes albums. At least, I don’t see it that way. I am a content creator and can often be found on Twitch and YouTube. I don’t have to do that every day. I am not dependent on it in terms of income, so I can choose when I take a longer break. But it’s a lot of fun to do and we’re always busy coming up with new things to post.
It’s probably a lot harder to write a second song in the style of a band if you’ve already used all the clichés.
We naturally write in the style of Dragonforce, so we actually always do that. Just try to make another Dragonforce album, and another, and another, haha.
Do you write new songs without thinking much about them, or are you consciously coming up with new angles?
We are certainly working on it. The music itself is created in a spontaneous way. Still, you have to think about what you’ve done before. Part of your brain is always busy with the big picture. Early in our careers, the writing process started to become more and more difficult. That’s why we wanted more dynamics in our music. The first four albums only contained fast songs. Now we vary in pace. Life is too short to focus on one specific style.
It is known that that change came with the fifth album The Power Within. So that was what you had in mind at the time?
After Ultra Beatdown we couldn’t imagine how we could be even crazier, faster and more over the top. It seemed impossible to us. That was a good time to see if we had more to offer. For example, for the first time we had a mid-tempo song, something we said we would never make. It became Cry Thunder and it has now become a fan favorite. At the time, no one complained about it, which they did when we launched yet another speed demon. Nowadays people complain if we don’t release a fast song.
Warp Speed Warriors is the fifth album in that ‘new style’. Is the album your highlight in terms of variety?
We have made nine full-lengths in total. On the first four we constantly play at high speed. Nowadays it is much easier for us to make a varied record. The first four albums still exist and we still play songs from them. It wouldn’t be sincere to make that kind of album again. I’m sure the fans wouldn’t like a record like the old days nearly as much. Mind you, we are definitely still making speed breakers. Beat Sabre is faster than most of our fast songs. We haven’t forgotten how to do it, we just don’t want to do it all the time anymore.
Warp Speed Warriors is also the fifth album with singer Marc Hudson. This means there are officially more albums with him than with ZP Heart.
That was not a goal in itself. That arose naturally. Ultimately you don’t know how long a band member will stay with Dragonforce. But indeed, Marc now officially has more records to his name than ZP. Coincidentally, we recently did our most successful tour ever across the United States. The shows were bigger than they ever were when ZP was there.
Do you have an explanation for that success?
The US is a difficult market. There was a moment when we were most successful there. That was after our participation in Ozzfest in 2006. After that we did no fewer than three sold-out tours in a row. But success is fleeting in the US. The public’s attention is always focused on the latest hypes. This is not the case in Europe.
The following probably also has to do with the successful tour. Our old management did something that we were not happy with. That obviously didn’t help the band. It has even caused problems. We fired that management in 2018 and I’ve been doing it myself ever since. Our albums have not done any worse than before in all this time. But the business side had become quite a mess. I had to fix all that. That makes a huge difference. That’s how we managed to do that Through The Fire And The Flames in the trailer of Dispicable Me 4 occurs. It appeared during the commercial of the semi-final of the Superbowl, which has a huge reach in the US.
Dragonforce comes across as a jolly band with band members who mainly have fun playing the music they like. But you also have frustrations about certain things.
We’re nice. Management tells you everything. And we just accepted it, because we were too friendly to argue. We were shouted at, saying we were idiots and all that kind of shit. You hear things like that in the morning for no real reason. There finally came a time when we said: Fuck this! Ultimately, these people are working because of us, so why are we being blamed for it? 2018 was the year that changed.
In the Netherlands you were soon playing to full houses. For example, I remember a sold-out Oosterpoort in 2006.
That was the year of our breakthrough. Suddenly we were a world phenomenon. Through The Fire And The Flames was used in Guitar Hero and the band was featured on television. That was definitely a highlight. But every band has its ups and downs. So if you’re lucky enough to be increasingly successful, keep in mind that the tide can turn just as quickly. Fans come and go as their interests change. It takes willpower to continue. We are stubborn and we just love the style of music we play. I cherish every album, but it always has to be sold. That is why in recent years we have focused on how we can best do this.
Video clips have been released for three new songs. Power Of The Triforce has the most views. Did you expect that?
We can never predict which song will become the most popular. I thought that Doomsday Party would be the most watched, despite the fact that it would be divisive. Of all the videos, this one is my favorite. And then that of Beat Sabre.
By Doomsday Party two videos have been released. The second version is with guest singer Elize Ryd from Amarante. How did that happen?
We wanted female vocals in the song. Elize was our first choice and she immediately accepted. We just didn’t dare to ask her right away. We only did that when we were already shooting the first video clip. We’re just a bit strange in that respect. We hesitated for several months about approaching her. She was the first choice because she can also dance well. I could already imagine that she would appear in the video clip through a TV screen. So we added that in the second version of the music video.
Dragonforce often works with guest musicians, as sometimes happens on stage. Have you made all those contacts thanks to your Twitch channel?
Since 2020, we have been inviting musicians to our shows. That was a conscious choice. There is so much talent on the internet and I felt that everyone deserves a chance to be seen and heard. In this way we help the guitar scene. Many well-known YouTubers have now been featured. It makes the shows more fun and different.
In a reaction video you respond to Extreme’s much-discussed solo Rise. It gave you the motivation to practice hard again. Did that influence the solos in the new songs?
Yes, but I constantly learn from all the guitar talents I see. That’s because I see myself as the worst guitarist in the world, so I have to constantly improve myself. I keep getting inspired. I also don’t feel comfortable asking how a certain guitar part should be played. That pedantic stuff isn’t for me. In addition, I want to be constantly updated about new recording techniques and equipment for the stage. Dragonforce is therefore always being upgraded.
What about your guitar partner Sam. Does he also think he is the worst guitar player in the world?
We especially think that about each other, haha. That always makes us laugh. We’ve been doing that ever since we met. We will never say that we are good guitarists. So people can criticize us, we cannot be accused of arrogance. We play guitar well, don’t necessarily have talent, but are just hard workers.
But you do understand that for the average listener you are an above-average guitar player, right?
It makes me happy when fans can enjoy my guitar playing. But I will never say that I am better than the rest. There is always someone better.
In the early days, the band members of Dragonforce were quite wild and crazy on stage. Did you even think about how you could maintain that level?
Haha, we just always do our best. Of course we have become a day older. During the last tour I fell off the stage once. That was the first time. Now I have to go to the physiotherapist to prepare for the upcoming performances. Only now do I realize that my body no longer functions as it used to. Fortunately I have recovered well.
Did you learn anything from the fall?
Nope. Nothing will stop me from putting on a good show, haha.
Tags: Interview Dragonforce April
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