HERMAN LI Explains Why He’s Running DRAGONFORCE Again: “In 2018 We Got Rid Of Management”

In a recent appearance on The Candid Mic With Fran Strine, Dragonforce guitarist Herman Li opened up about the band’s evolving lineup and its shifting approach to business, one that may surprise fans used to seeing bands as static units rather than living, changing entities.

When asked whether he and fellow founding guitarist Sam Totman are essentially the only real members of Dragonforce, with the rest of the band functioning more like hired help, Li didn’t shy away from the reality of modern band dynamics.

“Well, Sam and I started the band, and we always did pretty much all the work for it,” Li said (via Blabbermouth). “So, in a way, it hasn’t really changed. It’s just some people’s lives change, and that’s what happens [to cause lineup changes in a band]. And every time we make a change in a band, it’s because we’re trying to make it better.”

According to Li, lineup shifts aren’t rooted in drama but rather in natural transitions. “Someone here isn’t happy — they’re not able to give it a hundred percent. They have other things they need to do, or they just want a change in their life. And that’s kind of what happens. And it’s normal,” he added.

Comparing band turnover to staffing changes in the tech industry, Li offered a grounded analogy: “It’s like a company. If you’re buying an Nvidia graphics card, someone, an engineer, decides they’re gonna do a different job, are you gonna say, ‘Wow, what’s going on? This GPU is not gonna work.’ Or this camera, someone is making this camera. But in a band, because of what you see, who performs, sometimes you think, well, you might have some ideas.”

This pragmatic approach also extends to how Dragonforce navigates the shifting sands of the music industry. As Li recounted, the band made a major pivot in 2018, scrapping traditional management structures that no longer served them.

“It has changed a lot. And because the industry is changing… So the story is this: in 2018, we got rid of management, we got rid of everything. Our old business system which was put in place by our old manager, we just kind of got rid of it because it’s, like, ’Well, this needs to be changed here. This is not working out.”

Li revealed that he had actually managed the band himself in its early days, up until the release of Inhuman Rampage in 2005. That album, which included their breakout hit Through the Fire and Flames, catapulted Dragonforce to global attention, especially after the song was featured in the Guitar Hero video game franchise.

“I managed the band up until basically the third Dragonforce album, our big hit album. At that time, the band exploded, so managing the band wasn’t even possible anymore,” Li explained. “Especially if someone’s gonna come to me and say, ‘Well, I can manage the band. I work with these other bands.’ Who am I to question saying, ’I know better than this guy.’”

After several years under outside management, Li took the reins again. “So we did that for a number of years, and then I realized, ‘Well, this is not actually any better.’ So now I have the experience, I’m gonna do it. I’ve been doing enough, and I’m sure I can do a better job.”

He believes this shift has paid off. “So that was the big change. So I can say we had the downtime, unfortunately, through, I believe, mismanagement, because the music hasn’t got worse. And now, luckily, we’re more successful and popular than at that time during the Guitar Hero explosion.”

The band’s continued relevance is evident in the renewed popularity of Through the Fire and Flames, which Li notes was recently added to one of the most played games in the world.

“And now we are actually doing better. And funnily enough, that song Through the Fire and Flames just got released on probably one of the biggest video games in the world right now, Fortnite. It came out last week and it’s been an absolute hit. It’s been crazy. I mean, how many people play that game, Fortnite? It’s insane.”