Thorsten Bertram

Keep up with Thorsten here:

www.myspace.com/suffocatebastard
www.myspace.com/apocalypzemetal

Already in Elementary School I have been in the school orchestra and played Xylophone there. When I was eleven years old I felt the need to play an instrument of my own choice. It should be a drum kit back then but my parents thought that would be too expensive and loud, of course, and persuaded me to rather learn Guitar instead. I reluctantly agreed and went to musical school to study guitar, which I did for two years. I had some fun with it and could play quite well, but realized that this was not the instrument which I really wanted to play. So I stopped und asked in that musical school for drum lessons. When they told me I had to practice with a wooden board for at least a year to learn the basic stick holding techniques before being allowed to use a real drum kit, I quit and decided to learn it by my own, however that may be. I started with the (in)famous wooden spoons of my mother and tried to play after the songs of my favourite bands of those days Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, by beating the spoons on my bed.

At my sixteenth birthday my parents surrendered and presented me my first own drum kit. It was from Sonor, and coloured pink, haha. My “practising” seemed to be successful, as I immediately could play some basic rhythms. Three months later I joined my first band. From there on I learned everything else just by regularly practising and playing live with the bands I played in, which were:

1989 Lykanthrophy (Thrash/Hardcore, Stuttgart, Germany)
1990 – 1995 Provocation (Grindcore, Marl, Germany)
1995 – 1998 Castigate (Death Metal, Marl, Germany)
1999 – 2003 Torn (Death Metal, Marl, Germany)
2004 – today Suffocate Bastard (Death Metal, Herten, Germany)

Links playing live:

Drum Cam Huenxe Open Air June 2007, Germany:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp441TRm1KY

Two other links with my whole band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJUTYS16asc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2-iZ5F-QII

Thorsten Bertram Interview:

SD.com: How old were you when you started playing?

Thorsten: As said before, I “practiced” with wooden spoons since I was 14 and got my first drum kit with 16.

 

 

SD.com: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?

Thorsten: Yes, in Elementary School I played Xylophone in the School Orchestra.

 

 

SD.com: Who are your top 5 influences?

Thorsten:

1. Suffocation
2. Deeds Of Flesh
3. Dying Fetus
4. Cryptopsy
5. Disgorge (US)

 

 

 

 

SD.com: Assuming that influences doesn’t mean favorites, who are your favorites?

Thorsten:

1. Divine Heresy
2. Suffocation
3. Passenger
4. The Berzerker
5. TaTu

 

 

SD.com: Let us know 5 CD’s that are in your current rotation…

Thorsten:

Divine Heresy – Bleed the Fifth
Amy MacDonald – This is the Life
Passenger – Passenger Promo 2003
TaTu – Dangerous and Moving
All That Remains – Overcome

 

 

SD.com: What do you do to warm up before a show?

Thorsten: Well actually nothing, I sit down and start playing.

 

 

 

 

SD.com: Can you remember a night you think was your best playing ever? If yes, when and where?

Thorsten: Hard to say but I think my best playing has been just recently on our tour with Beheaded and Inveracity at the 23rd of August, 2008 when we played the Escape club in Vienna.

 

 

SD.com: Do you have a favorite brand of drums or cymbals?

Thorsten: I prefer Tama drum kits and Zildijan cymbals.

 

 

SD.com: If you could give one piece of advice to young drummers, it would be…

Thorsten: If nobody teaches you, do it on your own. This will make your personal style of playing.

 

 

SD.com: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?

Thorsten: This was probably Suffocation at the Mountains of Death festival in Switzerland 2006. Though the bass player had a broken knee and had to play while sitting and only Guy Marchais could be there, it was a fucking brutal performance and an amazing moment w hen nearly all musicians of the whole festival were on stage enjoying it, me personally standing directly next to Mike Smith. Awesome.

 

 

SD.com: If you had to stop drumming, what would you want to do with your life?

Thorsten: Regarding music, I would switch to Guitar or Bass, which I can play quite well. I already play bass in a side project called Apocalypze (http://www.myspace.com/apocalypzemetal)