Sick Drummer Magazine

Keep up with Lille here:

www.myspace.com/defeatedsanity





I Started playing guitar and drums at the age of 6. I have recorded about 150 songs experimenting with different styles ranging from Jazz/Rock over Hardcore to Black Metal and Death Metal, with the help of a Tascam 8 track home recorder from the age of about 10 until 16. At the age of 12, I recorded the first real DS rehearsal demo in 1994, then a demo 1996 and 1998. With the demo in 1998 we got in contact with our first real band members, and played some shows in the south of Germany. One for example supporting Krisiun, one supporting Voivod. At the age of 17 I started taking classical guitar lessons and continuing that for 9 years! First studying at the "Berufsfachschule für Musik, Dinkelsbühl" beginning 1999, then at the "University of Arts, Berlin" beginning 2002.

Once moved to Berlin, I took several session jobs besides my work with DS. Bands I have played for are: Sinners Bleed (the only band I have played guitar in yet, played there for 3 years), Belphegor (several European shows and USA/CAN tour in 2006), Mucopus (European tour 2007), Feeble Minded (album My Annorexia).

With Defeated Sanity, I have recorded two full length albums: Prelude To The Tragedy 2004 and Psalms Of The Moribund 2007. Currently, I am working on the 3rd album Chapters of Repugnance, hopefully out in late 2009.

Lille Gruber Interveiw:



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

Lille: I started playing guitar and drums at 6 or 7 years.

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

Lille: No, I prefered to play Metal stuff always.

SD.com: Who are your top 5 metal influences?

Lille: Stephen Shelton (Confessor)
Alex Marquez (Solstice)
Lee Harrisson (Monstrosity)
Chad Walls (Brodequin), Engman ruled as well
Ricky Myers (Disgorge)

SD.com: Who are some other of your favorites?

Lille: Tony Williams
Jack DeJohnette
Billy Cobham (with early Mahavishnu, dont like his dance music)
Dennis Merrick (Earth Crisis)
Jordan Burns (Strung Out)

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

Lille: Right now:
Guttural Secrete - Reek of pubescent Despoilment
Iced Earth - Night of the stormrider
Strung Out - Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues
Turmoil - From Bleeding Hands
Mutilated - Devirginated Genital Pulp

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

Lille: Just playing along to the band before us. I don't have pads with me ever. I just play on my legs, get comfy with the sticks and for the feet I just stomp on the ground. Also do some stretching before going on stage as it can get cramped and uneasy when you are SETTING UP your drumkit which requires some weird movements at times. That can give you some cramps and pains even before the show which doesnt help with your stage fright or whatever.

SD.com: Do you read music? Regardless of answering yes or no, please tell us how it might have effected your playing?

Lille: I learned reading notes during my studies of classical guitar. I never dealt too much with drum notes though, I just played my own beats. Learning to read music helped me a lot because I can explain much better what I want to say and I also can figure out parts that someone plays to me/that I hear on a Cd. It is improving your understanding of the music.

SD.com: Can you tell us about the gear you use?

Lille: I use whatever they have in the drum shop I go to haha. No cheap shit though. I usually go with Sabian or Zijldian for cymbals. My drumset is a Pearl Master Series. My snare drum is an inherited Ludwig Black Beauty of my dads. As for sticks I recognized I can play everything light, just no thick ass Heavy Metal sticks. Pedal wise I think I prefer a solid Rock pedal to the Axis. Just something normal like a good, solid DW or what I currently use, my Iron Cobra. Not saying Axis doesnt make amazing pedals but it is not the miracle that I thought it was. It is not like you buy this thing and then you are Pete Sandoval with it. It's all in your foot/head anyways. That goes for all equipment if you ask me. An amazing drummer could get something out of shitty equipment.

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

Lille: Learn to play slow, groovy stuff and incorporate dynamics in your playing. Because machine like drumming as you hear on the first Decrepit Birth or Nile records can destroy your ability to play anything else / swallow up all the time for anything else. You have to see that the drummers playing for those big bands are exceptional talents in what they do, you have to keep your options open for the case you can't play double bass as fast as that. There are other ways to make amazing music, have fun and impress people. Just don't forget about that.

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

Lille: Probably Disgorge at the Fuck The Commerce 2002! Also I saw Death during their Individual Thought Patterns tour 93 with Hoglan, DiGorgio and Craig Lociciero from Forbidden. That ruled! I was 11 years old!!! Or Confessor and Nocturnus even before that I think 92. I was damn impressed and the musicians were pointing at me and showing me thumbs up for being there at that age haha.

SD.com: Aside from drumming, what else do you like to do?

Lille: Playing guitar, watching movies, hanging out with friends, going to shows, I would like to start playing soccer again but I don't have any time left.