Ian Samuel Totman is a British-born New Zealand musician best known as guitarist and main songwriter for the

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...

band DragonForce.

Early life

Totman was born in England and grew up mainly in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. He moved back to England around age 22 because England's music scene offered numerous shows to attend every week—an option he did not have in geographically isolated New Zealand. He began playing classical guitar at the age of nine—receiving formal training for several years.

Career

In the late 80s/early 90s, Totman was the guitarist in

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

band Karnage alongside Steve Francis (now of Bulletbelt). They were based in Masterton, New Zealand and released one demo cassette "Dead". Totman was part of the

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

band

Demoniac Demoniac were a New Zealand Heavy metal music, heavy metal band, formed in Wellington, New Zealand, Wellington in 1993 by singer and bass player Lindsay Dawson, guitarist Sam Totman and drummer Steve Francis. They later moved to London, UK. ...

—which also featured his future DragonForce bandmate Herman Li. During his time with Demoniac Totman was referred to as

Heimdall In Norse mythology, Heimdall (from Old Norse Heimdallr; modern Icelandic language, Icelandic Heimdallur) is a Æsir, god. He is the son of Odin and nine mothers. Heimdall keeps watch for invaders and the onset of Ragnarök from his dwelling Himi ...

(the Norse God of vigilance). Demoniac struggled to achieve any real fame outside of

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

despite releasing three albums and relocating to London, UK. Demoniac split sometime in late 1999 shortly after the album ''The Fire and the Wind'' was released. Most of the members went on to form power metal band DragonHeart which later became known as DragonForce. Keyboardist Steve Williams and bassist Steve Scott left Dragonheart to form Power Quest with whom Totman recorded on their demo as well as their first album '' Wings of Forever''. Totman also provided guest instrumentation on the band's following album '' Neverworld''. As the main songwriter for DragonForce, Totman has written both the music and lyrics for a majority of DragonForce's discography.

Playing style

Totman is known for his use of double handed tapping, extensive whammy bar usage, alternate picking, rapid staccato and legato scale runs, sweeping, and many other shred-guitar techniques; both in solo parts and in harmony with fellow guitarist Herman Li. Like Li, he uses many of said techniques to emulate video game music and sounds.

References

External links

Totman's profile at DragonForce.com

DragonForce official website
1979 births DragonForce members English heavy metal guitarists English emigrants to New Zealand Living people Musicians from London Rhythm guitarists {{Guitarist-stub