The German axeman believes he has a unique approach to the creative process. He says: "I'm a gut player - I just play what I feel. I'm not somebody who sits down and practices all day long, and waits for a nice melody to come his way.

"I do the opposite. I sit and think, 'What could the song really need?' as if it was a vocal idea, then I work it out that way. I sing it to myself first, then teach myself how to play it."

Hoffman also discusses some of the artists who influenced him, name checking Ritchie Blackmore and describing Uli Jon Roth as "probably the best of them all."