Interview: Thomas Gurrath (Debauchery)

I recently got to do an Email interview with Thomas “The Bloodbeast” Gurrath, vocalist and main songwriter for Debauchery and Big Ball.

Read the interview after the jump.

Dose of Metal: 2010 is almost over. This has been an eventful year for you. Among other things, you released your first album with Big Ball. Has this been in the works for a long time or was this just something you worked on during the downtime with Debauchery?

Thomas Gurrath: I recorded it last year, and it was released in March 2010. It was an important thing for me. I love Hard Rock and always wanted to play this kind of music. Now finally I have the chance to do it. I think it is the result of the Debauchery album Rockers & War. It was the first time I experimented with my voice and tried to get something like Udo Dirkschneider or Brian Johnson. I’m definitely not the overnight sensation, but I’m working on it.
Many music critics hate Big Ball, fuckin’ AC/DC clone, Airbourne number two etc. But what the fuck, many people like the album and we played our first European tour in March with SAXON, then some festival shows, and we will have another tour in December.

DoM: Is working for Big Ball any different to working for Debauchery? Do you write all the songs yourself, like in Debauchery?

TG: Unfortunatley it’s the same working process. I’m doing it all myself because I found no one who believes in the band.

DoM: Debauchery incorporated lots of Hard Rock into their sound on previous albums, especially on ‘Rockers and War’, will this end now that you’ve got a full-blown Hard Rock band and will Debauchery concentrate on Death Metal only?

TG: Yes that’s the plan. But most my plans go awry. So we will see. The next Debauchery record is coming in March 2011 and I recorded it already. No Hard Rock, no Keyboards, no Blastbeat.

DoM: When I’ve seen you live in 2008, in support for the ‘Continue to Kill’ album, your then girlfriend stripped and poured blood all over herself. That was hot. Will you continue to put strippers into your live program?

TG: Yes sometimes, we had a real hot baby at Wacken. She’s also in the new Big Ball Video “Double Demon” (the blond one).

DoM: In lots of recent promo pictures and music videos (especially the video for ‘Death Metal Warmachine’, holy crap [NSFW]), you work with a lot of hot girls.  Where do you find these girls? Can I have one?

TG: They are cheap, I think you can get one :-)… perhaps I should open a Debauchery love shop, where you can buy a Debauchery girl…
Some girls are ex-girlfriends, others are just friends who do it for free and some are payed models.

DoM: 2010 was the year of Big Ball, will 2011 be the year of Debauchery?

TG: That’s possible, because in March comes the new album, but I hope to promote Big Ball too, we will see…

DoM: Have you ever thought of releasing a Debauchery live album?

TG: We have a live recording out, it was on the Torture Pit limited edition. But I like professional recordings, we are in no condition to do a professional live recording. So I don’t think there will be one in the next time.

DoM: When it comes to German Death Metal, which are your favorite bands?

TG: Debauchery…there are not so many other German Death Metal bands. Or I don’t know them anyway.

DoM: You’ve toured with a lot of great bands, i.e. Saxon, Six Feet Under, Napalm Death etc. Which bands would be a dream come true to open for?

TG: For Debauchery a tour with Cannibal Corpse would be cool, for Big Ball a show with AC/DC obviously.

DoM: Lyrically Debauchery are inspired by the tabletop game Warhammer 40,000. Isn’t that geeky as hell?

TG: Hey metal is geeky as hell. At least Warhammer is cooler than Viking stuff. And we have all the naked women to counter the nerdiness of the lyrics.

DoM: Death Metal crowds are usually men only, or women who look like men. Do you sometimes wish for more hots girls in the crowd, instead of bearded fat guys?

TG: Yes that’s one of the many downsides of Death Metal. You do not get rich and there are nearly no women. But with Debauchery we are the lucky ones in Death Metal, because we have a lot of girlies coming to our shows – many for a Death Metal show.

DoM: I’m a bearded fat guy and I‘ve seen you live 3 times, will you continue to tour as extensivly for your bands or will it stop someday when you’ve settled down with your day work?

TG: Death Metal is my day work.

DoM: To many people Debauchery are “these guys who are covered in fake blood and sound like Six Feet Under”, you‘ve targeted these people in your song ‘King of Killing’. Do you think Debauchery aren’t given a deserved chance by these people?

TG: Oh I don’t know, I think most people who say something like that also don’t like Six Feet Under. So I do not think I lose a hardcore Debauchery Maniac, it’s only one more progressive Death Metal Metal loser who will not show up.

DoM: The most important question, which we ask in ever interview, is Cowgirl or reverse-cowgirl?

TG: Real life cowgirl, porno reversed, or do you want to see the face of the ugly guy fuckin’ her?

DoM: Any last message for your readers at doseofmetal.com?

TG: Yes: Kill!!!

DoM: Thank you for your time.