The ESP Guitar Company

Frédéric Leclercq may be one of the busier musicians in all of metal. 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. 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.

Do you remember your first experience discovering and playing ESP?
I discovered ESP visually, in metal magazines. I saw the brand because it seemed it was always played by everybody. I’d be seeing photos of Metallica and George Lynch with their ESPs. To me, ESP was always one of the big brands. You’ve got four or five of those big names. ESP was always one of them.

Fast-forward years after that. A tech friend was building guitars for me, and I was on tour with DragonForce. The tech said, “I can get you a deal with ESP.” I was like, “What?!?”

Was that original relationship focused on your role as a bass player in DragonForce?
Even from then, I was playing both guitar and bass. I was endorsed for both. I’ve always felt very accepted by all the people at ESP. Everyone uses the word “family”, but I really feel like a family member with ESP. I’ve been endorsed since 2006 because of both the instruments and the people.

Are you still playing your ESP custom basses in DragonForce?
Yes.

What kind of guitars are you using in Sinsaenum?
I have an ESP Antelope, similar to the FRX model that’s sold in the US. The Antelope is a model I saw in Japan. I went on vacation to Japan and visited the ESP custom shop. Among other great guitars, I saw an Antelope with a neon green outline.

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. I said, “I want to have a baritone neck.” I got the guitar a few months after that. The pickups are Seymour Duncan. I didn’t change the wood or anything. I’ve recorded most of the songs on the album with this one. It’s the model coming right from the shop. My friends tried it, and said, “What the fuck is this guitar?”

It has a Floyd Rose as well. It looks great. I have other ESP models, one tuned to D, and I have a Viper. I’m actually playing that one right now as I'm talking to you!

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. Is there a challenge moving between bass and guitar?
No, because I started as a guitar player. I actually started on piano when I was a kid. I was classically trained. At the time I found it interesting, but never really made a connection with the music. Not as much as when I discovered metal.

To me, metal equalled guitar. So, I started playing guitar when I was 12. 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. I thought, “Surely I can play bass.” I never pretended to be a real bass player. I never got into all the technique, the playing with my fingers and all that. 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. “Do you want to keep going as our bass player?” “Yeah, that’s fine.”

So, I didn’t plan on playing bass in a power metal band! The guys were great, and the gigs were good. There was lots of energy. The band was getting popular. But really, it took me a few years to accept that. Being a guitar player, and not being able to express myself fully on the bass.

We assume you were still playing some guitar at the time, though, right?
I did, even in DragonForce. We did a thing during live shows where I held a guitar battle with the keyboard player. ESP gave me a guitar to use for that spot. 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. As you say, people will think of me as a bass player, but I am more than that.

How did Sinsaenum come about?
As I guitar player, I always picked up ideas. I discovered the death metal genre that I really liked. In my home town, no one was playing death metal like I really wanted. There was nothing too evil and serious. I kept playing that music, but just for myself. Then, DragonForce came along and took a lot of my time. I always thought, “One day, I’ll do death metal.”

Fast-forward to 2008. I was on tour with DragonForce, playing at the Mayhem Fest. One of the bands we were playing with was Slipknot. I ended up talking to Joey one night, and I mentioned death metal. He was like, “Fuck yeah, no way! You’re into death metal?” It turned out that it was a common interest.

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. A few years after that, in 2010, I had a few death metal songs ready, and we were on break in DragonForce. It was the right time to express a darker side of my musical personality through death and black metal. I asked Stéphane Buriez from Loudblast, who were the pioneers in France for that genre. I’ve known Stéphane for over 20 years. We had kept in touch. I said, “Hey, I’ve got those songs. Would you like to do something with me? Have a listen and tell me what you think.” He said, “This is pretty cool. Let’s do something.” I kept working on songs, sending them to him. Nothing too serious.

Then one day, Joey texted me. “Hey man, what are you up to?” I told him, “I’ve got songs. Would you like to listen?” Two days later, he replied. “Fucking awesome. Who’s playing drums?” I said, “No one.” He was like, “I’m in!” So then it was more serious. We have a drummer, and it’s Joey Jordison. I wanted to do the band with friends. Luckily, I had friends that were all great on their instruments. I said, “Let me call Sean from Dååth, and Attila from Mayhem. Let’s also try him for a few songs.” The mix of the two singers was great.

Stéphane Buriez (left) and Frédéric Leclercq (right) of Sinsaenum. 

Is your bass still part of Sinsaenum?
Yes, though it was definitely obvious that I would play guitar primarily in the band. I play both guitar and bass on the album. I wrote songs on guitar most of the time. I’m happy to express myself on any kind of instrument now. The instrument that I really express myself best with is guitar. It’s the most natural.

What do you look for in a new guitar or bass?
Reliability. It has to survive the touring, survive the stage. On the bass, that’s very important to me. My ESP bass model is very straightforward. One pickup, one knob. It looks good, and it survives these shows.

As far as guitar is concerned, same thing, but it’s also about the feel. The shape of the neck is important. I want a guitar that feels great to play with. I’ve got a few ESP Horizons, an Eclipse, and an M-II DX. I’ve also recently got a custom ESP Arrow we named the FL SIN-6B. It’s a baritone Arrow with the same lines as my Antelope. I had the Sinsaenum logo put on instead of the neck pickup. It goes with what we do in Sinsaenum. It’s aggressive and harsh. It looks good, but ESP has always made good-looking guitars.

Some people can’t even devote enough time to one band, much less two. How do you divide your time and attention between two huge bands like DragonForce and Sinsaenum?
I don’t know (laughs). It’s difficult. It takes a lot of my time.

At the end of the day, it’s passion. It’s music. I need to do it. I don’t count the hours. I spend less time with my girlfriend. But if I didn’t do music, I’d be a sad kid. You always find time. There are 24 hours per day. You sleep a little less. You spend less time on the Internet, on watching TV.

I’m not going to lie; I’m very busy with both bands, but even so, I’m still thinking of doing other stuff. I’m involved in an upcoming tribute to Massacra, an old French death metal band, and I’m learning nine songs on guitar for that, on top of touring with DragonForce and working with Sinsaenum. Oh yeah, and I'm going on tour with Loudblast during the fall, this time as a bass player.

Honestly, that sounds sort of crazy.
Look, I’m grateful that people trust me and ask me to do these things. I’m super grateful to play with Joey and Attila, and the fact that they trust me. I’m blessed and grateful. I don’t take anything for granted. I don’t take any opportunity for granted. When someone asks me to play, I take it as a compliment and say yes. When I say I’m too tired, tell me to shut up.

What’s some advice you have for young players? How did you push past the normal limitations we all face as musicians?
When I first started out, all I did was imitate other players like Kirk Hammett, and Mick Mars, and the guys in Maiden. I’d do that all the time. One day, it was like, “Okay, what’s next?” You need to expand your musical taste a bit. If you get confined in one genre, you’ll find its limitations soon.

For me, I remember the day I discovered arpeggios. I had a shit guitar at the time. A girlfriend gave it to me. She left me, but I still had the guitar. I spent a long time in my student bedroom, working on those arpeggios, having discovered Yngwie Malmsteen. I started on three strings, and ended up playing the "Woody Woodpecker" theme. Point is, I ended up being able to play arpeggios.

The real secret is to keep on playing. If you go, “I’m never gonna get better,” then you won’t. I always felt I would be good musician. I don’t want to sound presumptuous, but deep inside, I always knew I was going to be a musician. What’s important is to believe in yourself. If you keep playing all the time, and challenge yourself, it will happen. Keep your guitar on all the time. Watch TV with it. Play the Cheerios ads, or whatever. And always challenge yourself as well.