Stauch frankly speaks about his first days behind the kit, his recent departure from Blind Guardian and his future plans containing his new projects Coldseed and Savage Circus - amongst many other topics...

Drummerszone: Who and what made you want to play drums?

Thomen Stauch:
I started playing drums in 1983, at that time I was a big Peter Criss (Kiss) fan and I wanted to learn what he did on his drums, so... I bought a drumset! I received lessons from Georg Heidkamp, a jazz drummer from Krefeld, who gave me private lessons for about six months. Then I developed my own ideas and created my own style.

You were longtime drummer in Blind Guardian, but decided to leave the band in March 2005. Why did you leave?

I left Blind Guardian because we had several personal and musical differences during the last 3-4 years. We wanted to prevent from betraying our fans, because not having the same vision for a band and its future, but still playing together only for being still the same line-up wouldn´t have been true and loyal to our fans and also bad for Blind Guardian and me.

Can you tell us what you have learned from playing with Blind Guardian during these years?

Be loyal and true to your fans, and they´ll still sing your songs at your grave. After so much years working together successful as a band, even the best democracy in a band can fail someday.

What have you learned from your time with Iron Savior?

That it´s a good experience to play also with different musicians next to your main band.

Looking back at all the different bands, recordings sessions, tours, etc. during the years, what has made the most impression on you as a musician?
I have to mention more than one thing. After finishing your newest album, to listen to your own songs you created and recorded for the last month in the studio, again and again, is one thing.

Another one is the show at Wacken 2002. A headliner show in front of aproximately 40,000 people, that was amazing! And of course the first Japan Tour in 1992, that was a different planet for us, when we arrived there, I remember. Great times we had there!

Your new band Savage Circus features musicians of a Swedish band named Persuader. How did you discover them?

My friend Piet Sielck, a musician and sound engineer [known from Iron Savior], played the album to me the first time in Spain during his holidays, where I visited him to play my three songs for Savage Circus to him. I got the contacts and called Emil and Jens of Persuader when I got back home. They liked to join me in the band and we asked Piet as our second guitarist as well later. Finally we were a band!

From there, how did things develop?

We went on writing songs in our studios at home and met very often at Piet´s studio in Hamburg to write songs together like a band in its rehearsal room. It was a great time we had there!

Could you tell a bit more about your upcoming release, \"Dreamland Manor\", for those who are not familiar with Savage Circus yet?

Savage Circus was planned as a project in a style of old Blind Guardian albums. We followed those roots and when I split with Blind Guardian in March 2005, I made it our main band. Jens sings like Hansi back in 1990. His voice is scaringly similar sometimes! We play melodic power metal like Blind Guardian in 1990, but with own elements and a sound production from nowadays.

Could you tell us a bit about the process behind the recording?

We recorded the drums in the Ex-Karo Studios, nowadays called Hammer Studio in Brackel, and all the rest in Piet Sielck\'s own studio in Hamburg. Piet was the engineer and mixed it.

Is there anything you would like to learn or to develop more as a musician?

Yeah, I´d like to play more metal and rock styles to develop my skills always for different projects and my own ego as well, of course.

Several months ago you recorded music with Coldseed, your other project featuring Björn \"Speed\" Strid of Soilwork fame. Any news about this collaboration?

Yes, we \'ve recorded almost everything now and have already interests from big labels for it. Björn did an outstanding job, simply amazing! I never expected he´d be able to sing that various and sooo good! We´ll mix the rest of the songs around November and let´s see what happens with the deals for a release in 2006.

What can fans expect from this upcoming release?

Various musics tyles, but still sounding like one band. Very fast and also very groovy, slow songs. Brutal and melodic voices. The style became a very own thing midwhile, since we changed lots of stuff in the studio finally as well, so it´s still kinda modern metal but also includes very different vibes, like in one song a bit of the character like Green Hell, the cover version by Metallica. It´s hard to explain, listen and decide by yourselves.

Any chance you are going to play live as well with Coldseed?

Yeah, we are a project, but anyhow also a band with goals, so of course we want on stage anyday as well!

What are your plans for the near future?

Touring, composing new good songs for Savage Circus and Coldseed and getting successful more and more hopefully...

What is your favorite studio in which to track drums?

I think the afore mentioned Hammer Studios in Brackel are great because it has the best recording room in a human price category and I always work with really nice people I \'ve known since the first days with Blind Guardian.

What is the most important thing that every drummer should know about recording drums in the studio?

Try to get out of the studio, having recorded what was the vision of your music, that´s most important. Follow your own imagination of sound and listen to experienced engineers i.e. who give you support, but never leave your base and ideas about it.

What is the biggest mistake most drummers make in the studio?

Mostly young bands don´t know they have to be well prepared for what they want to record finally.

What do your colleague drummers think of you?

Ha! I don´t know, but hopefully only good things :o)

Thanks for your time! Anything to add about drummerszone.com?

Drummerszone.com is a good way to find info about lots of drummers and to inform yourself about everything related to drums and percussion. Good work so far, go on guys!