Thomas « The Bloodbeast » Gurrath, mastermind of Debauchery, Balgeroth and Blood God, answered my questions about Monster Metal, a split album between his three bands.
Hello and first of all, thanks a lot for your time! Would you please introduce Debauchery, Balgeroth and Blood God with your own words please?
Thomas « The Bloodbeast » Gurrath (vocals/guitar): Hello, thanks a lot for your interest in the Debauchery Universe. The three Blood God overlords of the Debauchery Universe are mighty dragons with demonic powers. They are Dracul Drakorgoth (Debauchery), Setekh Drakorgaur (Blood God), and Balgeroth. Together, they are the Trinity of Blood Gods.
At the beginning, there was only Debauchery, how did the idea to create Balgeroth and Blood God on the same basis came to your mind?
Thomas: When I started with my Hard Rock stuff called Big Ball in 2010 I was just one guy, without big label support or anything and I couldn’t manage another band. So I had the idea to make something that is part of Debauchery but has another sound. Like Warhammer and Warhammer 40000. I changed the name from Big Ball to Blood God. When I recorded the first Blood God album I made a bonus CD with the Debauchery monster voice. So it began with those different versions of every song. In 2015 Balgeroth joined in and it became the Trinity of Blood Gods. Balgeroth is in German.
How did you have the idea to create such a visual identity for your projects?
Thomas: Because I’m a big fan of monsters like Alien, Predator, Tyranids and others, it seemed natural to have the look of a monster & play Heavy Metal.
Monster Metal, an album that regroups your three bands, is about to be released. Are you satisfied of what you achieved with this one?
Thomas: Yes of course, otherwise I would not have released it. I worked on many songs in 2019 and 2020 and Monster Metal is the first release.
Can you please tell us how does the composition process happen?
Thomas: Most songs are on the guitar first. I just jam some riffs until I have something cool, and I go on from there. I write the lyrics separately and figure out how each title, the lyrics and the riffs fit together. I try different lyrics and titles with every song, the process may take a while. I do this until I’m happy with the result. I have made so many albums I don’t feel I have to rush anything, but I was one year at home and made nothing else, so I wrote many songs in 2020.
I know that you also did the artwork, what was your guideline for this album? Was it different from the previous albums?
Thomas: I paint and create monsters all the time. I also make many different versions of each monster, some for T-shirts, some for the videos or flyers. The best monster that fits to the CD title becomes the cover monster.
On Monster Metal, the eponymous song, there is a guest appearance of Tim « Ripper » Owens, how did you get in touch with him? How does the collaboration happen?
Thomas: I tried to get him for some guest vocals many years ago, but it didn’t happen at the time. But now, with that covid thing everybody sits at home, perhaps he needed some money, haha. For me it’s awesome. I love his voice on the Jugulator, Demolition and Live Meltdown. I’m just a big Judas Priest fan and Ripper fan too. Jugulator is one of my favorite albums and one of the main influences of the Debauchery sound.
If we look at song basis, they all have the same direction: bloody and epic riffs, hooking groove and communicative energy, as well as fantasy lyrics. What does inspire you to compose music and/or lyrics?
Thomas: When I heard my first Metal and Hard Rock songs I was totally into that music. It started with the Appetite for Destruction album from Guns’N’Roses, then Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead and of course AC/DC. I started to play guitar because of Angus Young and I wanted to make my own songs ever since. I write new riffs every time I play the guitar. It comes naturally. For the lyrics I have created my own universe over the time. It helps a lot and I like to explore it myself. I think about the conflicts, the states, the cities, the fears, dreams and abilities of the protagonists. Most of the lyrics are about the Blood Gods – dragons with demonic powers – and their wars against the demons of Hell and against mankind to free the animals from humanity’s oppression.
Which vocals are the easiest for you? Debauchery, Balgeroth or Blood God?
Thomas: The most difficult are the Balgeroth lyrics. In English you can change the pronunciation, or slur the lyrics and many things. In German every syllable needs its place on the guitar riff.
Unfortunately Covid-19 fucked a lot of things up since last year, did it have any impact on this album? How did you manage to handle this period as a musician?
Thomas: It’s strange to have no concerts at all, but so I had time to write even more music than I thought. But otherwise the release schedule is as planned.
I know that the future is still very uncertain, but do you already have plans for the bands you could tell us? What about the album release?
Thomas: I have booked a Debauchery tour for the new album in autumn and winter, and I have another Balgeroth tour as part of a festival tour postponed from last year. But I think nothing will happen in 2021. At the moment I hope to release the next Blood God album early 2022 and tour with Debauchery and Blood God in 2022 for the new Monster Metal album and the next Blood God album. But we will see. Most plans go awry.
The band is alive since a bit more than twenty years (a bit more if we also consider Maggotcunt’s existence), what can you say about the Metal scene’s evolution? In your country and worldwide.
Thomas: I started to play guitar in 1995 and started with Debauchery in 2003. When I began the Pagan and Viking scene was really big, and there was also this Technical Death Metal thing. There were also a lot of Hardcore bands. I don’t see a special movement at the moment I think, only some big bands. But they are all different, like Ghost or Five Finger Death Punch. But I was always into AC/DC, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Iron Maiden. So the biggest change for me was the death of Lemmy and the end of Motörhead. They played a tour every year and made a new album every two years.
Is creating music easier with time?
Thomas: Yes, in the beginning it was so expensive to make even a demo, and I could not play everything I wanted to play, and I couldn’t sing the way I wanted.
I heard about your previous job, that you have to leave due to your “too violent music”, which is in my opinion really sad. Can you now live with your music’s incomes, or do you still have another dayjob aside?
Thomas: Yes, I’m a full time musician for more than 10 years now.
What are your other hobbies, aside from music of course?
Thomas: I love Warhammer and other tabletop wargames, also painting of course, 3D modeling, making monsters, stuff like that.
Debauchery played several times in France in the past, what memories do you keep from France?
Thomas: I would like to play more often in France, most shows were great. My favourite show in France was at the Fall of Summer Festival, that was really great.
Balgeroth and Blood God didn’t play that much on stage, would you want to do more live shows with those bands?
Thomas: The first real Balgeroth record was 2018, I toured with the Balgeroth album two years and was in many European countries, but unfortunately not in France I think. 2020 there was another Balgeroth tour planned, but postponed to 2021, we will see. Blood God had a tour in 2016 with the Thunderbeast album. I hope to play with Blood God again, when I have a new album out.
What are your best and your worst live memories as a musician?
Thomas: I have many terrible live memories of the first years of Debauchery. I mean, no money, no audience, hate inside the band, no catering, terrible live performance, lost merchandise, and so on, haha. But most bands have to endure this. The best shows were at the Bang Your Head Festival, my favorite Metal Festival. The Bang Your Head Festival is something special. I played there with Debauchery, Blood God & Balgeroth.
Do you remember the first time you picked an instrument up back in time? When and how was it?
Thomas: The first year I had a guitar teacher who didn’t knew Heavy Metal and stuff and it was not so good. But one day he gave me a number for another teacher and told me I should check it out. From that moment on it was great. The best moments are always when I hear the new songs I had in my mind when I record them in the studio.
To which dish or beverage could you compare each of your bands?
Thomas: I have no idea, but all vegetarian of course.
What is your dream tour for each of your bands? I let you create three tours, one for each as opener.
Thomas: Balgeroth as opener for Rammstein, Blood God as opener for AC/DC and Debauchery as opener for Amon Amarth.
That was my last question, so once again thanks a lot for your time! Final words are yours!
Thomas: Thanks for the questions and I hope you enjoy the Monster Metal album. And check out my homepages for more stories about the Blood Gods of the Debauchery universe. Check out my YouTube channel too, every song of the new album will get a video. And stay healthy 😉