Even the most casual observer of Heavy Metal trends can’t have failed to notice the impact that Dragonforce have had on the UK – and indeed international – scene in the last couple of years. The band’s hard-to-ignore blend of furious tempos, arcade game-soundtrack guitars and soaring vocals has won them a legion of fans across the planet. And among them are massed ranks of young musos who have had their collective jaw dropped by the intensity of the chops on display. Six-stringers Herman Li and Sam Totman do things with guitars previously only dreamt of; but it’s the fearsome double bass bombast of drummer Dave Mackintosh that powers the machine. Power On sat down with Dave just minutes after a triumphant performance at Drumfest 2007 in August to talk TD-20s, triggering and taking it all in your stride…

You looked like you were having fun up there today…
“I was. I’m absolutely made up with the way that I played. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but it’s been a while since I got on a kit and nailed it like that. And I’m glad it all came together here, in front of a few hundred other drummers. It’s really been a confidence boost.”

How does the experience of a big drum clinic like this compare to doing your own huge shows with Dragonforce
“Well it’s funny, but in terms of my playing, this has been a real step up. I’d been prepared for the rigours of being out on the road – you keep yourself in as good a shape as possible - but it’s still tiring: you still stay up too late, drink too much and all that. Everyone knows that’s the deal so you’re ready for it.
What I hadn’t been aware of was how much your playing can go off when you’re on tour for months on end. Because you’re not in a position to just sit and practise very often, you’re playing the same songs every night and not really able to stretch out and push things forward, it’s easy to stagnate.
We’ve always taken pride in our live performances, but I know it’s been a while since I’ve felt I’m firing on all cylinders like today. Because I’ve been able to simply concentrate on drums for a while now, I can sense that things are flowing better, nailing everything as it should be, and it’s a great feeling.”

You have, of course, been incredibly industrious with the band for the last two years…
“We’ve been phenomenally busy. And we’re just doing the new album now. So it’s been pretty much non-stop. But that’s the kind of band we are. We’re very traditional in as much as we’ve always believed in getting out there in front of people, working our arses off playing shows. And it’s paid off for us. It might have taken a while, but it’s worked, and hopefully given us a firm foundation on which to build.”

So what’s the new material going to sound like?
“We’ve had odd comments here and there along the lines of, “You should change what you do, it’s getting a bit boring now”. But I find that strange. How can you just change direction and leave behind what you do if it’s an honest reflection of who you are as a band? Sure, we won’t just retread old ground, but Dragonforce will always sound like Dragonforce.
We’ve always drawn parallels with Iron Maiden a little bit. They’re such a great example of a British heavy metal band, they’re an inspiration. And Maiden have always stuck to their guns. They’ve thrown different things into the mix now and then but there’s always been a discernible ‘Maiden sound’. And I love that – surely that’s what the fans want?”

Talking of sound, you rely heavily on the TD-20 module for sounds on stage and in the studio, don’t you?
“Yes, and I’ve been so impressed with the TD-20K as a whole. It’s an incredible piece of kit. I’ve been usingthe module live as well as for recording – it’s been really useful for kick drum sounds in particular.
“As with a lot of metal drummers, I trigger kick sounds instead of trying to get the perfect acoustic tone from two drums. It’s a nightmare trying to do that and you never get the consistency between them, so triggering isthe way ahead. I don’t even mess around too much with the sounds in the TD-20. There are a couple of bass drum sounds that I know work perfectly for me live, so I justgo to those and maybe give them a minor tweak to suit the venue and I’m set. By working in that way I know I get that in-your-face, aggressive kick drum tone every night.
And of course the TD-20 kit is a brilliant tool for practising or pre-production. I love the fact that I can jump on it and work with sounds that inspire me to play. For getting ready to go into the studio it’s perfect, because I can play along with new material on my own, whenever I want to and get parts down exactly as they should be.”