HERMAN LI Says DRAGONFORCE Was Huge Way Before Their Guitar Hero Appearance

The inclusion of DragonForce‘s blisteringly fast track “Through the Fire and Flames” in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is often credited as the moment the band exploded into mainstream awareness. The song, known for its lightning-speed solos and relentless tempo, became a final boss of sorts for players, earning a near-mythical status in the rhythm game community. But according to guitarist Herman Li, the band’s success wasn’t born in a video game — it was merely amplified by it.

In a recent interview on the Andertons YouTube channel, Li reflected on the long road DragonForce traveled before Guitar Hero sent their name soaring. He recalled the early days of the band, which he co-founded in 1999 with fellow guitarist Sam Totman, and emphasized how much groundwork they laid before the gaming boom.

“I did it the old-fashioned way, right? So, with my demo CD, I would go harass record label people backstage at festivals like Wacken Festival. I did it the old-school way. We played our shows, and I would show videos of our live performances. You had to show that part still, back then.

“In 2004, actually on our first album, we got to Japan already with Helloween! It was like, ‘Wow, this is cool. It’s my dream come true. I can’t believe it—I’m playing in Japan, doing a tour.’ And then things kind of moved quickly. In 2004, we did the Iron Maiden tour in Europe, right? Like for the Early Days tour. We also did our own headline shows and played in front of, you know, two to three hundred people.

“Then, when the third album came out – which was about a year, maybe a year and a half, before Guitar Hero – it already kind of blew up. We did Ozzfest, which was our first time ever playing the main stage and doing a U.S. tour. Before that, we had even sold out a U.S. tour without ever releasing an album. So it was kind of blowing up. Then they wanted to put us in Guitar Hero.”

Li also touched on shredding at a time where shred wasn’t cool: “People used to laugh at us back then, in the early days. They’d say, ‘Why are you playing this kind of stuff? No one listens to this anymore. Why are you playing guitar solos? This is so lame.’ So it was like, well, ‘if it’s lame, then we’re going to do more of it and go even faster.’ As we evolved, by the time the third album came out, it was still similar to the first one, but we had more experience. We got better at everything, and that just made it all even more over the top.”

“Looking back to 2006, I wouldn’t say we started it, but we were definitely part of a movement that made guitar cool again — slowly. Playing guitar solos became interesting to people again. People used to say to me, ‘Wow, you’re so good on guitar.’ And I’d say, ‘I’m not — trust me, I’m not that good.’ Grunge came. Nü-metal came. And they kind of wiped out all these amazing guitar players. So suddenly, people thought I was good. But I wasn’t.”