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The Great Kat Interview in Heavy Metal Universe
By Fred Boschet, Heavy Metal Universe

The Great Kat Interview in Heavy Metal Universe

The Great Kat - Interview with The Great Kat mar 01 2004

The Great Kat is one of these atypical and unclassifiable figures in the Heavy Metal world. Considered as a marginal character in her debut, she has succeed, in 15 years and 5 albums, to be imperative and obtain the recognition of her peers, the proof being her recent nominations in the specialized press where she was elected in the top 10 of the fastest guitarists/shredders of all time by Guitar One Magazine or the fastest female guitarist of the world and the scariest shredder of all time by Spin Magazine. Graduated from a prestigious school as violinist, reconverted a little bit after in the guitar, she built herself an image, a high in colors character around a style of her own: the Hyperspeed, a speed death metal of her invention using cheerfully of the classical repertoire, all of it accompanied by a strong visual as extreme as gore. In other words it was time that HMU meet this character self-proclaimed The Guitar Goddess !

Your two first records (worship me or die, Beethoven on speed) were distributed worldwide allowing fans to discover your unique music. Since then, you choose to self distribute your newest productions but even though online ordering is the 21st century distribution mode, don't you think that it's exclusive and difficult to conquer new fans especially without any distribution of any kind (especially online labels retail stores, press CD samplers, broadcasting...)

That's why it's up to web sites like you, heavymetaluniverse.com, to spread the word of the Great Kat's genius "Shred/Classical" music !! Now go to the Kat website at www.greatkat.com and get into the 21th century !!

You graduate from a school of music as a violinist, playing classical music. Then you change to heavy metal guitarist. When did you become aware that your vocation was to play guitar and rock 'n' roll? And why ? Was it easy to go from violin to guitar ?

After graduating from The Juilliard School and realizing that classical music was dead, I listened to all forms of music, trying to find the style of music that would fit with classical. When I heard the energy, speed and power of Heavy Metal, I decided that Metal was the only way to update classical music for the new millenium !! Being a Juilliard graduate, highly technically trained violin virtuoso, it was very simple to transcribe my violon solos to the guitar. I began mixing authentic classical music scores (Beethoven, Vivaldi, Handel, Paganini, Sarasate, Wagner, etc... making note-for-note actual transcriptions) with Shred Metal. "Shred/Classical" was born.

Your style is quite unique in metal world. With Hyperspeed, you pushed to the extreme what others have created or initiated like the Malmsteen classicism or the WASP gore looking. What pushed you that way and what are your influences ? What's the story ?

The Great Kat is taking the classical virtuosity of Beethoven and Paganini on the guitar and violin, and mixing it with the blood and the insanity of death metal, all of this craziness mixed with a unique, outrageous and one-of-a-kind persona that's called "The Great Kat"!!

Since Beethoven on speed, you have only released 3-4 singles (and a cd-rom). Is the creative work painful, time consuming or a matter of funds ? According to your description of 21st century music, don't you think that your fans will get bored to wait 2 or 3 songs every once in a while ?

The Great Kat's revolutionary "Shred/Classical" music is extremely difficult to compose, edit, arrange, rehearse, and record. The Great Kat is taking actual, authentic classical scores from Wagner, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and other geniuses and taking each note and arranging it for guitar, violin , orchestra and Band !! This is a massive, time-consuming undertaking, which is literally changing the face of both classical music and Heavy Metal !! Now listen to the new 7-song Great Kat cd "Wagner's War" !! "Wagner's War" is a revolutionnary cd, which came directly from the events of 9/11. The Great Kat's "Ride of the Valkyries" (from Wagner's Opera Cycle "The Ring - Die Walkure") is the "battle cry" to war. On "Wagner's war" cd, the song "war" was written out of severe rage and the song "terror" was written in horror out of the terrorist attach on the World Trade Center and my city New York City !!

"Wagner's war" features :
Act I : War
1. Wagner's "The Ride Of The Valkyries" (from the Opera "Die Walkure"). This music is the definitive "Battle cry" to war, featuring opera singers, The Great Kat's symphony orchestra and Shred band !!
2. "War" – heavy and brutal ode to war!
3. "Terror" – "Terror! Horror! Murder!"
Act II : Revenge
4. "Punishment" – Punishment to traitors!
5. "Humiliation" – humiliation and revenge rips through this guitar shredfest!
Act III : Victory
6. Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #2" – The symphony orchestra and shred band join together in this insane version of this famous rhapsody!
7. Sarasate's "Zapateado" – The Great Kat's lightning-fast guitar technique and demonic violin virtuosity shine on this incredible virtuosic showstopper !!

Can you live of your music and passions or do you need another (feeding) job ? Are you involved in the music industry, such as some musicians developing guitars, producing or in the specialized press ? Do you have any Hobbies ? Is the movie of Cradle Of Filth (Cradle Of Fear) an example to follow, something that inspire you ?

The Great Kat composes, records, rehearses and promotes "Shred/Classical" usic 24 hours a day !! Now you go and get inspired by the real insanity on The Great Kat's "Castration" video on the new "guitar shredder from hell" compilation music video !! The maniacal "Guitar Shredder From Hell" compilation music video shreds your brain with 11 minutes of the most sick, twisted, psychotic, demented Kat music videos mixed with extreme guitar shredding and eye popping hot and bloody Kat photos !

"Guitar Shredder From Hell" features 5 Kat Music videos :
1. "Torture chamber" – Welcome to The Great Kat's Dungeon. Meet the Kat Slaves and the Tortured and Abused Victims. Step into her torture devices!
2. "Castration" - The Great Kat's Mini-Opera in 4 Acts : Geisha, Salome, Black Widow, and Operating Room! The ultimate in Kat humiliation!
3. "The Great Kat Live in Chicago!" - The Great Kat's phenomenal guitar shredding live in concert in Chicago! Kat-possessed slaves on stage bow and worship their Goddess Kat !!
4. "Dominatrix" - Kat reigns supreme in this abusive and dominating frenzy!
5. "War" - Concentration camp atrocities, 9/11 attack and WTC aollapse ! Never Forget !

What are your latest news, your projects ? Can we expect to see you on tour ? What are your resolutions and wishes for 2004 ?

Get ready for new upcoming Great Kat cd and digital music downloads, which will include The Great Kat's blinding fast "Flight of the bumble-bee" for guitar, violin and orchestra !!

Concerning touring, it does not seem to be your priority. Any particular reason? How can God bring the holy words to metalheads without performing live ? Also according to your character, I will be very surprised if you do not enjoy performing live. Anyway your fans wait for your words !

The Great Kat would be happy to bless you inferiors with the "Kat shred show" live !! Now go and demand it !!

What kind of music do you listen to ? Are you fan of any living band ? What are your preferred cd ? Any cd that is not metal or classical music ?

I listen to Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Paganini, Wagner, The Great Kat.

Is there any musicians or public personality you'd like to meet and play with ?

Beethoven !!

Who is Katherine Thomas when she's not the Great Kat ?

The Great Kat and Katherine Thomas is the same person : pushy, aggressive, non-stop energy, virtuosic, brilliant, sexy and demonic genuis !!

How would you like your fans to remember you when you'll decide to vanish ?

The Great Kat is eternal and is the new Beethoven of the 21st century !!

The situation of heavy metal in the U.S. is very bad actually. One can say that the main scene is now located somewhere in Northern Europe with all these black metal and symphonic metal bands but this does not explain why the situation is so bad in the U.S. - What is your opinion about that does it affect you and your music ?

The internet has forced everyone to think fast, move fast and react fast !! Shred/Classical is the new heavy metal !! The Great Kat is god !!

interview made by Fred.

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