by Jonathan Mariante
DragonForce is somewhat of a rarity, based in London, England they play a style of music that is almost non-existent in the country where they reside. Formed in September 1999 and formerly known as DragonHeart, the band changed their name in December 2001 to DragonForce to avoid confusion with other bands, record labels and movies under the same name.
The band is powered by the twin guitar assaults of Herman Li and Sam Totman, vocalist ZP Theart and keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov. This established core has recently been joined by bassist Adrian Lambert and drummer David Mackintosh.
Ball-Buster: You're released two albums so far. Looks like you career's off to a good start. How have those albums been received, by fans and critics?
ZP Theart: When valley came out every one said fuck that ís cool but, will they be able to carry that same energy and technicality in song writing over in a follow up album? I think weíve just about silenced most of those negative fuckers with ìSonicî. As for the fans, there ís no turning back, once hooked you've been had. We have cast a lot of lines and they' are biting like crazy! A lot went into both these albums and the fans know that, that's why they are fans. We did not want to disappoint, and according to sales and reviews, we did not.
BB: Please give us some band history, like how you got started and all?
ZP: Coming over from South Africa in 1998, (not knowing a single person, as you do) with the soul idea of making a career in music, I went out to all the studios I could get hold of in the yellow pages and stuck up some posters advertising a singer looking for a melodic band in the vein of Iron Maiden, Helloween etc. Next thing I knew, I got this e-mail from a guy called Herman saying himself, and a mate, Sam, are looking to do something in that direction. As they were both already playing in another band, it made life much easier getting some stuff together. Next thing I know we were rehearsing and started writing some material. From there on we started recruiting some members of which some has come and gone over the years, but we got a really strong line-up now, as strong as we need to assure world domination by force of sonic firestormÖ!
BB: Why did you decide to play the style of music you play?
ZP: We never really decided on any style come to think of it. We had all been listening to music for a long time and when it came down to writing some stuff, I think what we were all individually in to and grew up with just took over. Never did we decide that we wanted to sound like this band, or we wanted to write lyrics like that band. The whole writing process in DragonForce is very natural and that gives our music the instinctive uniqueness it has. One thing I can say though is that DragonForce gives a whole new meaning to the word
BB: You're from England but your style is more like many German/Continental bands. There don't seem to be too many bands of your style in your home country. Why do you think that is? Do you think that will change?
ZP: Then again the style of your so called ìGerman/Continentalî bands is a spin on some early English and American metal bandsÖ funny. First things first, most of us are from all over the world actually, weíre only based in England, which may put a different perspective on the question, still, there are actually quite a few local bands that follow the style of your German/Continentalî bands, and that may just the problem. Some of these bands have been going for years and are actually really good, but few people has ever heard of them, or will ever hear of them. Where leaders leave deep footprints, the followers just can't fill them. What ís the point in trying to sound like any other band? I'm happy to say that most of that seems to be changing as of late with a lot of young promising bands popping up everywhere. Maybe there will be a few more good things coming off this island yet in the near future.
BB: What's the metal/rock scene like in England these days? Any bands that come to mind?
ZP: Its been dry for the last few years with all the mainstream shit that's pumped into people's heads through radio and T.V. It was quite scary coming over to the U.K. a few years ago and seeing the land of Sabbath, Priest and Maiden being buried under a pile of manufactured talent less wanna be's and every idiot on the street falling over themselves to try and get hold of this crap. Looking at the turnout at our gigs it's obvious that things are picking up rapidly and it's exciting to be one of the bands leading this new generation into a world where real music again becomes the topic of conversation. Some bands that you can check out, Threshold, Balance of Power, Biomechanical
BB: Any live dates planned?
ZP: We are currently on tour with W.A.S.P all through out Europe and we're planning a headline tour of the U.K. for early October. There are some ideas on the drawing board for after that as well, but you'll have to check out our website for more details on that.
BB: How was Bloodstock? Would you do that again?
ZP: It was an absolutely unforgettable gig. We had a sold out crowd with fans rocking up with swords and shields and the whole shebang! Without a doubt memorable, and we wíll definitely do it again should we get the opportunity to.
BB: What are Dragonforce's influences and inspirations?
ZP: Its quite hard to pinpoint some bands or people that might have influenced the band as a whole as some members have very unique tastes in music. Anything from death, thrash and rock goes well and then some.
BB: Are there plans for a third album in the works yet? What can fans expect from your next album?
ZP: No plans yet. At this point and time we have a very busy schedule and to be honest, a third album is the last thing on our minds. We have a lot of places to visit and a lot of asses to kick before entering the studio again. There ís much more fun to be had on the road.
BB: How did the deal with Noise Records come about? How has your relationship with them been?
ZP: We had quite a lengthy negotiation period of about two years with Sanctuary who then decided to put us on Noise after they became part of the Sanctuary Group. It all took a long time to put pen to paper which tested the patience of everyone in our camp but it was all worth the wait. From the start we have had a very good artist-label relationship, which is very important. All is going well and we got their full support.
BB: Who does the artwork for your album covers?
ZP: The Valley of the Damnedî cover was done by JP Fournier and the ìSonicî was done by Marko Jacobi.
BB: Since you're a relatively new band, have you managed to build up a good fanbase/following? Do a lot of metal fans know of Dragonforce? How have fans reacted at your shows?
ZP: The fans have been amazing where ever we played. Earlier this year we did a tour of Japan with Helloween and that was a sure eye opener! After that we came back to a sold out venue in London and once again the guys rocked up with their swords and a lust to rock that had to be seen to be believed! We have had the loudest and craziest bunch of motherfuckers pitch up at our shows imaginable. That's what it's ultimately about anyway, fans having a good time and us having a good time bëcause they are! Its all an evil cycle really, and they love it! So do us. Weíve got a rapidly growing fan base and we wanna go around and subject them all to our sonic firestorm.
BB: What's next for Dragonforce?
ZP: Touring, touring and more touring and maybe later on some more touringÖ who knows, but weíre gonna make the best of what weíve got right now.
