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A few years after that, in 2010, I had a few death metal songs ready, and we were on break in DragonForce. So, it was like, “One day, we should so something together.” That’s something a lot of musicians say, but it usually never actually happens. He was like, “Fuck yeah, no way! You’re into death metal?” It turned out that it was a common interest. I ended up talking to Joey one night, and I mentioned death metal. One of the bands we were playing with was Slipknot. I was on tour with DragonForce, playing at the Mayhem Fest. I always thought, “One day, I’ll do death metal.”įast-forward to 2008. Then, DragonForce came along and took a lot of my time. I kept playing that music, but just for myself. In my home town, no one was playing death metal like I really wanted. I discovered the death metal genre that I really liked. As you say, people will think of me as a bass player, but I am more than that.Īs I guitar player, I always picked up ideas. Later on, I recorded rhythm guitar tracks for the Ultra Beatdown album, and on the next two albums, a good half of the rhythm guitar tracks and some leads. ESP gave me a guitar to use for that spot. We did a thing during live shows where I held a guitar battle with the keyboard player. We assume you were still playing some guitar at the time, though, right? Being a guitar player, and not being able to express myself fully on the bass. But really, it took me a few years to accept that. So, I didn’t plan on playing bass in a power metal band! The guys were great, and the gigs were good. “Do you want to keep going as our bass player?” “Yeah, that’s fine.” At the beginning, I thought, “I’m gonna grab a bass and just play it like a guitar.” I did a few shows with them, and then there was a European tour coming. I never got into all the technique, the playing with my fingers and all that. I thought, “Surely I can play bass.” I never pretended to be a real bass player. I kept playing guitar as my main instrument all the way up until DragonForce called and asked, “Would you like to help us out?” Herman said that they needed a bass player for a few shows. So, I started playing guitar when I was 12. At the time I found it interesting, but never really made a connection with the music. I actually started on piano when I was a kid. No, because I started as a guitar player. Is there a challenge moving between bass and guitar? Some people were surprised to find you taking the role of a guitarist in Sinsaenum, since you’re well known as the bass player for DragonForce. I’m actually playing that one right now as I'm talking to you! I have other ESP models, one tuned to D, and I have a Viper. My friends tried it, and said, “What the fuck is this guitar?” It’s the model coming right from the shop.
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I’ve recorded most of the songs on the album with this one. I said, “I want to have a baritone neck.” I got the guitar a few months after that. I saw it and right away, I said, “I want that guitar! But I want it in red.” I was playing in a drop A# tuning. Among other great guitars, I saw an Antelope with a neon green outline. I went on vacation to Japan and visited the ESP custom shop. I have an ESP Antelope, similar to the FRX model that’s sold in the US. What kind of guitars are you using in Sinsaenum? I’ve been endorsed since 2006 because of both the instruments and the people.Īre you still playing your ESP custom basses in DragonForce?
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Everyone uses the word “family”, but I really feel like a family member with ESP. I’ve always felt very accepted by all the people at ESP. Was that original relationship focused on your role as a bass player in DragonForce?Įven from then, I was playing both guitar and bass. The tech said, “I can get you a deal with ESP.” I was like, “What?!?” A tech friend was building guitars for me, and I was on tour with DragonForce. ESP was always one of them.įast-forward years after that. You’ve got four or five of those big names. To me, ESP was always one of the big brands. I’d be seeing photos of Metallica and George Lynch with their ESPs. I saw the brand because it seemed it was always played by everybody. I discovered ESP visually, in metal magazines. Fred is one of the very rare members of the ESP family who is part of our endorsement roster as both a guitarist and bassist.ĭo you remember your first experience discovering and playing ESP? In addition to the spot he’s held since 2006 as the bassist for DragonForce, Frédéric is also a member of Sinseanum, a death metal supergroup of sorts that he helped found earlier this year with former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison and others. Frédéric Leclercq may be one of the busier musicians in all of metal.