When and why did you start playing drums? What
musicians were your role models?
When I was 13, I started listening to punk rock and
bought a guitar. As they say, everyone who knows three chords on guitar can
play punk rock. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out for me and the guitar was
soon left in the corner. A friend of mine founded a punk rock group called
Access and they needed someone behind the drums. Therefore, I decided to sell
my guitar and become a drummer. As it was a bit too late to start playing an
instrument at the age of 16, I started taking music lessons in the Academy of
Music in order to catch up with other musicians as quickly as possible. My role
models were Jörg Michael and Uli Kusch, and I was lucky to get to know them
both.
What makes you different from other drummers? What
type of song did you like to play: fast ones or slow ones?
I learned to play drums in the Academy of Music of
Stefan Ulrich, who was a jazz musician. He wasn’t my relative despite the
similarity of the names. I learned from him the basics of music theory, how to
sit behind the drums and many technical skills. It always made everything look
very easy when I played because I didn't have to try so hard due to the
technique I learned. Nevertheless, what really made me different was that I was
left-handed and played on a right-handed drum set, so I didn't rebuild
everything. A fun story: Thorsten Koehne, the guitarist with Attack and Eden's
Curse, is also left-handed but plays right-handed guitar, which he simply
turned over. At first, I loved faster songs, but later I loved slower ones as
well, because every type of songs has its own charm and demand, but you have to
learn first to understand such things.
Unfortunately no, and that’s one of the reasons why I
started studying harmony and learning piano. Today people can produce music
themselves, professional equipment is available for a lesser price and thanks
to Digital Audio Workstation, you can write and arrange music alone. We are
living in such an amazing time when it’s no longer the big budget that decides
if you can do good music or not, but your knowledge and skills.
Was Charger your first band? Or was it Mendacious
Messiah?
As I said, that was Access, the punk rock band, and
then I joined Charger. With Mendacious Messiah I only practiced a few times to
help them with a show in 1993. However, nothing came out of that, because as
far as I remember, the guitarist was in a hospital.
How did you get in touch with Reiner Huxhage and other
members of Charger?
We ran into each other by chance at some rock cafe and
started talking. Then we discovered that we both were musicians and that
Charger was looking for a drummer. At that time, I had only been behind the
drums for a year at most, but I learned a lot and quickly from my gifted drum
teacher and through my intensive practice.
However, why did you and Thommy Grimmig quit Charger
eventually?
This is a really sad story. Years later I spoke with
the singer Snoopy from Charger about how that all happened. To make the story
short, Snoopy played music because he enjoyed it, but when Tommy and I joined
Charger, we wanted to practice more and become more professional. Therefore,
there were less and less breaks between rehearsals, and we started arguing
about that. Our interests and demands were different and because of that the
band members were drifting apart, which led to our departure from Charger. You
have to learn something like that over time and I also see the blame is mine,
because I'm a perfectionist.
I read that you and Tommy formed a band after the
departure from Charger. How long did it last? And what Tommy is doing
now?
Unfortunately, Tommy never played in any other band
after Charger and later he died. I tried to get him in Living Death, but the
band preferred another musician. After that, we lost contact, because I moved
to Velbert.
Charger is active again. Did Reiner ask you to rejoin
the band?
Yes, he did, and that was a pleasure for me, but I had
to decline his offer as I quit drumming by then.
How did you get the job in Stainless Steel? And why
did you stay with them only for one demo? By the way, was “Molten Metal” a demo
or was it an official EP?
Hucky of Charger brought me to Stainless Steel.
Originally, “Molten Metal” was a demo, which we recorded in our rehearsal
space, but later it was re-released on vinyl.
I guess that was your first time in a professional
studio. What do you remember about the recording of “Molten
Metal”?
I did the first studio recordings with Charger, so the
sound engineer still had to tune my drum skins correctly. I was so
inexperienced at the time. I was excited and proud but also a bit skeptical
about possible success. That has always protected me from exploitation, because
the music business often thrives on exploiting musicians' dreams and keeping
them going with illusions.
Actually, I didn't leave Stainless Steel as I always
played with them even when I was a member of another band. I loved playing with
Stainless Steel as we had good relationships and mutual understanding, but the
music the band performed wasn’t really my thing. It was always more about the
fun that we had together. I played various shows with Stainless. I remember one
particular show in 1992 at the festival in Resita (Romania). In the concert
ditch in front of the stage, the army stood in a line and guarded everything.
The army guarded even the truck with the equipment. We had the option of
staying in a hotel or privately. Everyone had chosen the hotel and I thought
I'd rather meet Romanian heavy metal fans and decided to stay with private
individuals. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a big mistake. While everyone
else continued to party in the hotel after the concert, I sat at the table of a
Romanian family that had absolutely nothing to do with heavy metal. Only her
12-year-old daughters were learning German at school and were supposed to speak
to me. Nobody really knew what to do with the other, an embarrassing event for
everyone involved. I still stay in touch with Hubert via Facebook.
In 1988, you joined Fairy White. The band had many new songs but never
recorded them. What happened?
I played a few shows with this band but then I had to
quit because I joined Living Death and had to move to Velbert. Unfortunately,
apart from Krücky, contact with the other members has broken off.
Living Death was a well-established band when you
joined them. How did you get to know the Kelch brothers?
Living Death placed an ad in Metal Hammer music
magazine. I applied and after the audition, I became their new drummer. One of
my biggest dreams became true, as I was a big fan of the band. After all,
Living Death was one of the pioneers of German speed/thrash metal. If the band
hadn’t been broken-up, they would be one of the biggest bands in this
genre.
You joined the band in 1989 but the album “Killing in
Action” came out only in 1991. Did you play many shows during those years? Was
it possible to live off the music for you?
Perhaps this sounds weird, but I didn’t earn a cent
from Living Death. All the money was used to cover our expenses for the
rehearsal room, driving to the shows, studio production and so on. Later I was
offered to be a part of a general partnership and become a business partner of
the Kelch brothers but I declined. I lost the income from the CD sales but I
also had no financial risks. I played with Living Death in December 1989 in the
Czechoslovakia at the time of the Warsaw Pact in a stadium in front of 15000
spectators. That was still during the time of the Warsaw pact or when the
velvet revolutions had just begun, so Czechoslovakia was going through drastic
changes, and that was an absolutely unique period in history which will never
repeat. As far as I remember I played with Living Death some shows and one
festival and then I joined Holy Moses. Gerald Thelen (the singer) was a real
friend to me during this time and we had really wild times together and a lot
of fun! Gerald was a son by profession, since his father was the owner of a
large company. He didn't really have to work for his money. Gerald was already
driving a Porsche back then and was always having parties in his huge apartment
with a garden. He had a large circle of friends and they were all very nice and
super cool. Gerald's parties were always the wildest and best, but we also went
to many festivals during this time and always had a lot of fun. A time I look
back on fondly.
Could you tell me about the recording of “Killing in
Action”? Was it hard to record your parts in the studio? Were the Kelch
brothers demanding, or did they give you a free reign?
I had total creative freedom, and the Kelch brothers
supported me and tried to get the best out of my playing. “Killing in Action”
was my first album that came out on CD, therefore I practiced the songs so much
like I hadn’t done before or after. I put a lot of time, hard work and blood
into that album.
What happened to the band when the album came
out?
When I lost my living place in Velbert, I could not
find another one and had to return to Bielefeld. At the time, I did not have a
driver license, so it was impossible for me to go to Velbert for rehearsals.
Because of that, the connection between us was broken. As far as I know, as
soon as they found another drummer to replace me, I was out of Living
Death.
Doug is such a good person! He invited Frank Fricke
(Siren, Mekong Delta, U.D.O, Laos, Living Death) and me to the USA for a few
weeks and spent every day with us. I am still grateful for everything he did
for us! When I read a while ago that he resurrected Siren, I was so happy for
him! After all, the band was formed in 1981 and for me they are a real cult!
Therefore, I have only fond memories about Doug, Siren and the time in the
States. For Frank Fricke and me that was the dream which came true. Even Doug’s
parents and friends spent time with us, so we had a fabulous time in Florida. I
only played live with Siren in Germany, which Jörg Michael was supposed to do.
However, as far as I can remember, he was active in other bands at the time, as
so often. A pre-production [Take it] was recorded 1990 with Jörg Michael, Frank
Fricke and Johan Susant [Target, Crossfire, Holy Moses] and later released on
the “Up From The Depths” album. I wanted to do another band with Johan because we
got along so well musically. For this, he came to Germany from Belgium a couple
of times, but unfortunately, it fell apart again.
Next stop was Holy Moses. How did you get in touch
with Andy and Sabina Classen?
When Atomic Steif left the band, I approached the
band, knowing that they were in the middle of recording of “Terminal
Terror”.
And why were you credited as Angel Death? Why didn’t
the band mention your real name?
They did it after I left without asking me, so I can
only guess why that did it.
Again, how was it to work in the studio with Holy
Moses? How long did it take to record the drums?
At first, I had some troubles, because I had not
played so fast before I joined Holy Moses. Nevertheless, the more you work, the
easier it goes. Back then, drummers played real drums in studios and everything
was recorded live. Today there are a lot of triggers and samples or even
computer software instead of real drums, which makes everything easier.
However, in my opinion the old way of recording was more honest.
As you mentioned, Holy Moses played heavier than any
band you had been before. Did you really like it?
Yes, at the time that was exactly that type of music,
which I wanted to play, and I was a fan of this band before I joined them. Even
today, I prefer listening to Deathcore or Metalcore, when it comes to
metal.
Did you play any show with Holy Moses before you quit
them in 1992?
Yes, I played one show with them outside of Germany.
Sorry, I do not want to talk about why I quit them. I hope you understand!
Absolutely! And what did you do between 1994 and 1995?
I was in Stainless Steel, and by 1994, I joined Grave
Digger.
Did you like the time you spent with Grave Digger? What
are your best memories about the time?
That was definitely a very good time with many unique
memories about recording, shooting a video, tours, shows and fans. I was
treated well and fairly, and the band kept all the promises they made.
So why did you trade Grave Digger for X-Wild then? How long did you stay in this band? Was there something remarkable about studio sessions or live shows?
After being fired from Grave Digger over the phone by
Chris, I went back to being an independent drummer. As is often the case in
life, X-Wild happened to be in the studio recording “Savageland”. So I was contacted
and I was happy to help out with the recordings. Of course, I would have
continued to play with X-Wild, but unfortunately, they broke up after the
recording of “Savageland”.
Is it correct that you also were in Attack? Is the
band still active?
Yes, this is correct. I recorded an album called
“Deadlocked” but unfortunately, it will not see the light of day. You can
listen to an “Instrumental Rough Mix” of one song from this CD on YouTube. We
planned to play live and record more songs, but before that happened I quit
playing drums.
But why? Why did you do that? And have you ever
regretted your decision?
Around 1997 I decided to sell my drum kit: 11-piece Sonor
Singnature drum set including 15 Paiste cymbals and cases. I felt I achieved
everything I dreamed of, and to outdo my achievements I would have to quit my
job and concentrate only on music. Of course, I could keep playing drums as a
hobby with bands from my hometown, but that would be a huge step back.
Therefore, I had no choice but to set new goals, create new dream and look for
something new that could excite me. As the saying goes, stop when it is most
beautiful. There is a lot of truth in these words, and I regret nothing, I
still have many good memories about my time as a drummer.
Do you stay in touch with members of Holy Moses, Grave
Digger, Living Death or X-Wild?
I was in touch with a few of them, but when I quit the
bands, the contacts somehow expired. Over the years, I had no contact with
members of the bands listed above. However, I still chat with some fans of
these bands via Facebook.
Which band was the best in terms of the chemistry and
relationships and which was the worst?
Of course, there were also bands that didn't cover
themselves with personal fame, but this usually only crystallized towards the
end or later and often only came from individual members of the band. However,
in each band there were musicians who I could call friends. As a musician you
have to reflect about yourself, hold your ego back and think if that was your
own fault that you went separate ways with your band mates. Being in a band is
no different to working with your colleagues — you can be friends but sometimes
you can get on each other’s nerves. After so many years, only good memories remain
and there were so many of them. I owe something to every band and even negative
experiences can help you progress, it's always important how you evaluate what
happened afterwards and that's up to you.
“Savageland” by X-Wild is the album I still like to
listen to. I received the tape with the songs a few days before going to the
studio and had one weekend to play my parts, and the band gave me free reign in
my playing. The same was with “Deadlocked” by Attack, which unfortunately, as
already mentioned above, has not been released until today. Ricky was the
producer in his own studio and allowed me to record everything in a relaxed
manner with a lot of freedom.
An interesting thing: you replaced Atomic Steif twice
- in Living Death and in Holy Moses. Do you know him in person?
I briefly met him at a party, when he came to pick up
his drums. Strangely enough, he also picked up my then girlfriend — that’s
definitely a weird coincidence. (Smiles.)
And another interesting thing - you recorded only one
album with each band you played with. Why didn’t you stay longer with some
band?
My ultimate goal has always been to improve and
develop myself. If it had been up to me, I would have loved to work as a studio
musician. I have only stepped in for many bands and from the start nothing more
than a studio production or live performances were planned. Some bands broke up
after I played there — I hope it was not my fault. (Smiles.)
What have you done after you quit the music
business?
Since 1995, I have put all my time and money into
building a professional recording studio, which is now complete. If you are not
an audio engineer like me, you have to learn a lot and plan very carefully,
what you want to acquire next. I thought it would be easier, so I needed a lot
of patience until everything was finished. My perfectionism often gets in the
way, but mostly it helps me to move forward. Since I have already realized
myself twice in my life and no longer have to work, I can now approach things
in a more relaxed manner. My last dream, which I still want to fulfill, is to
improve my playing on the piano and to produce my own music in my own studio
just for me, without anyone interrupting me. All other time belongs to my
beloved wife, with whom I do all the things that I used to miss in my life. We
travel a lot and are often outside, where I enjoy the peace and quiet. I have
had enough parties and action over the years, and when someone calls me a
retiree now, I take that as a compliment. Sometimes, even after all these
years, fans of the bands I played with write to me on Facebook and send me
friend requests, which I am always really happy about.
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