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Interviews : “I’m looking forward to Australia, just make sure there’s no spiders!” – An Interview With Frédéric Leclercq (DragonForce)

By on February 20, 2015

DragonForce2015

Frédéric Leclercq – DragonForce

DragonForce have long been a staple of mine when it comes to power metal playlists, or just for those moments where I feel like some cheesy, metal goodness. It wasn’t until very recently that I ever really saw the band any different from either of these two mentions. At least not until the release of last year’s ‘Maximum Overload’, an album that for the first time since the band’s inception saw DragonForce truly experiment anew with their sound. Whilst ‘The Power Within’ hinted at good things on the horizon from the British sextet, I feel ‘Maximum Overload’ truly laid home the assault to the senses with an explosion of new influences, thanks in part to the welcomed addition of songwriting credits from DragonForce’s bassist, Frédéric Leclercq. As a result, it was my recent pleasure to speak to Frédéric in light of the band’s upcoming appearances at Soundwave 2015, as well as their Sidewaves in Brisbane and Sydney alongside fellow British band Judas Priest. Ever the joker, it was a fun interview to say the least!

After exchanging pleasantries, we got right into the thick of it, asking after how he felt returning to Australia for Soundwave 2015, after their last time here for Soundwave back in 2013. “We did Soundwave in 2013, and it was good. It was a great festival and we’re really happy we’re playing it again this year!” Not only are DragonForce prepping up for Soundwave, but they will also be playing two Sidewaves in Sydney and Brisbane alongside legendary heavy metal band, and fellow Brits, Judas Priest. I pondered at Frédéric’s excitement at such an opportunity. “Yes, because I’ve never seen Judas Priest live. So not only am I going to see them, but I’m going to play before them, which is completely awesome! I’m going to have a chat with Rob and see if I can borrow his motorcycle and drive it while they play any song (he then makes “woo!” sounds whilst he envisions himself riding around stage)!”

Interestingly, when asked if they were an influence on him, Frédéric’s response surprised me. “It’s not a name that comes directly when I say ‘what’s your biggest influence?’ I always go for Maiden, Morbid Angel, Alice Cooper, and Metallica, but I never mentioned Judas Priest. [But] I realise that, yes, they’ve been a part of my musical life since I started because I bought ‘Painkiller’ in 1990 and that’s when I started listening to heavy metal. So they’ve always been there and I love their music. I especially remember spending summers listening to the tape and one side was scene after scene and the other side was ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing!’. So it’s been a big influence, but it’s not one that I mention, it’s just somewhere there.”

Mentioning a few of his more eclectic influences, Frédéric and I got to talking about Morbid Angel, and I found out that, like me, they’re one of his favourite bands, with lead guitarist Trey Azagthoth in particular being one of his biggest musical influences. “Yeah, I love Morbid Angel! I’ve got Les Trésors de Satan tattooed on my arm. It’s the cover for ‘Blessed Are the Sick’. It’s my favourite album and I love Morbid Angel.” It’s always awesome to discover a musician you already admire lists his favourite album as ‘Blessed Are the Sick’, especially considering I’m no stranger to mentioning that this for me is the album that solidified my own love and respect for death metal; being the first ever proper death metal record I heard.

Going to speak about DragonForce’s incredible latest album ‘Maximum Overload’ (which featured at number 8 on the Internationals my Best of 2014 list), Frédéric was ecstatic with the largely positive response the album’s been receiving since its release. “It’s great. That album features myself co-writing all the songs, so as opposed to the previous works that we’ve done with Sam [Totman], the guitar player, writing most of the stuff, on this one, we just co-wrote everything together. So I’d like to think that what people enjoy, and what seems new about the new album, is because of me. Because I’ve brought all my influences and put them them in it, and I think people really did enjoy those progressions. There’s a bit more prog, a bit more of everything. We’re very happy, and I personally am extremely happy, and I feel proud.”

I wondered how it must be for him, having started out initially as a session musician for DragonForce, to then go on to become a full-time member of one of the power metal genre’s most recognisable names. As before, his response was unexpected. “It was cool, I was not a big fan of the band, and they already had a guitar player. But I liked the guys and I was having fun on stage, so yeah, I thought ‘why not? Travelling the world, that seems cool’. It made me who I am right now. I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of people, to meet a lot of musicians and bands, and see a lot of different places in the world. It’s been amazing! I was in Singapore recently and I was like ‘Hey, this is actually pretty sweet!’ I’m in Singapore and the weather is quite nice, and I’m here because I’m playing on five string going doo doo doo and that’s great! I don’t take anything for granted and I’m still grateful that I get to do what I do. It’s been a nice ride so far.”

As the interview drew to a close, I asked Frédéric if he had any words he’d like to tell his fans anticipating DragonForce’s appearance in Australia very soon. “I’m looking forward to seeing you guys. You’ve always been nice to us, and every time we’ve played in Australia we’ve had a great time. Whether it’s with the boys or with the girls drinking, as well. It’s always been great. I’m looking forward to being there, just make sure there’s no spiders. So have a look for me, I hate spiders! Keep listening to our music and let’s make this a party together. Let’s have some fun!”

Catch DragonForce at this year’s Soundwave 2015 festival, and watch them perform alongside Judas Priest at the band’s Sidewaves in Brisbane and Sydney!

Get your SW15 tickets now by clicking here. And for your Sidewave information and tickets, click here.

About

Jonathon is an aspiring fantasy/sci-fi novelist and music journalist. Thanks to the influence of the music he grew up with, he has always possessed a keen interest in metal and rock. He is also a huge fan of mythology, legend, and folklore from all across the world. You should follow him on Twitter.