1. I'd start at the beggining and sak you about of the origins of STAHLTRAGER, and why this name?
TOM: Before the foundation of Stahltrager in summer'96, Hendrik Drescher and i played at Mortal Fear. Atomic came to us  a guest drummer, he helped  us with making a demo tape,by witch we wanted to try to find a qualified drummer .Liking the harmony and the cooperative behaviour, between musicians, Steif decided to change   to Mortal Fear,after he broke with SODOM.After our bassist left the band we formed a new band :Stahltrager .New band, new name. Stahltrager was a good decision, a name which symbolises the features of heavy metal: Strength, hardness and indestructibleness.Really made for a thrash metal band.
ATOMIC: I´ve to add that  Mortal Fear started in i..think -92, so this   previous band existed a pretty long time before i joined guys.
2.ATOMIC,can you give us a Bio of your life how drummer in big bands: (Sodom,Violent Force,Living Death)
ATOMIC: Well,it would take a lot of time to describe it in detail.So i'll just give you a kind of personal biography about the bands i've played.In first of all there was   HANNEN, a just-for-fun-group at which i started to play whitin a band.That was in 1983,i think.Then followed  by  several "rehearsal-communities" up to '84, in which  VIOLENT FORCE was founded.In '86  i changed to LIVING DEATH and recorded my first  records .During '87 and '88 i played in VIOLENT FORCE  too. But when LD split in '88 , even Violent Force stopped to exist by several reasons.Maybe the most important was,that Lemmi guitar and singer of VIOLENT FORCEV joined to SACRED CHAO, the result of the split within Living death. But even this band ended in '89. After that Lemmi and i tried to revitalized Violent Force, but it doesnt work.So i started to jam with several musicians.Out of this came  a band called  DAY , in which i played beside HOLY MOSES, which phoned me in '90 to join them after the loss of their   drummer. After a tour with ARTILLERY and HOWLIN MAD, i left them about one year later, After the split of Day in 92/93 i heard about the drummer seeking of Sodom i became a member of those Thrashband. Unfortunately Tom changed his opinion about  the band structure (Employed studio musicans) instead of a band of members, so i took my sticks and left  SODOM,  (to continue see at 1)
3.Your favorite band how drummer?
ATOMIC: Well,this  a very difficult question, cause every band i played  in had some special aspects i loved.For example the nive way of thinking and acting with VIOLENT FORCE .We just did it and i worked well.Or maybe the profesional way of LIVING DEATH and HOLY MOSES  Besides this different musical aspects of those bands made every band special.So even the simple arrangements of SODOM have their flair. You'll see, its impossible to say i favourite this band or i don't like those band as an other .
4.Tell me more about of the HEAVY METAL FAN CLUB VELVERT?

R:ATOMIC:During the first half of the 80 Toto and Fred singer and  guitarrist of LIVING DEATH,  The hole bounch of TORMENTOR / KREATOR Lemmie and me from VIOLENT FORCE  were members of our club .Then  Rock`n`rolf...ex RUNNING WILD was member honoris causa, and last not  least   we   made   Wursel   from MOTORHEAD to such a kind of member in 93.Those to name the most popular musicians of our HMClub.
5.From your demo/cd, are you satisfied, how has been the responses give me details?
TOM: As a whole, yes. But after the release of the Demo ’97 we noticed that we had made some mistakes at mastering, that we could only correct in a small number of pieces for airplay. But keeping in mind the fact of the low budget, I think it’s a real good Demo.
ATOMIC: But we weren’t as satisfied as we hoped, so we decided to name this record "Demo" instead of official release, but nevertheless.
TOM: We sent our Demo to a lot of different zines and got some very good responses. We were compared with some famous bands like Anthrax, Kreator, Metallica and Slayer. I think it’s a good start.
6. Which bands inspires your music and what kind of music do you listen actually?
TOM The thrash bands of the 80ies had a great influence on our music. It’s the time when we had been growing up. Lately I listened to some old records of Suicidal Tendencies and I was really wild about it.
ATOMIC: Of course we are influenced by other bands, or why do you think we play "Thrash Metal"? But in the end we’re not copying any band. It’s more or less the background on which we create our own style.
7.The Thrash Metal comes back to life again or is it that the Thrash never dies?
TOM: I don’t think the Thrash Metal was dead at anytime. I rather think that a lot of metalmaniacs have enough of commercial metal and other modern shit, so they prefer to turn back into harder regions. Like "Back to the roots".
ATOMIC: When you look at the development within the metal scene you see a lot of ups and downs of various styles. As for example the so-called "True Metal" actually drowns the scene. But before the "return" of that style, it wasn’t dead, just not in the focus of the media. This is a special aspect only metal has, I guess. It never dies, but it’s maybe a bit forgotten.
8.The most record labels in the world have signed bands that have some Thrash sound. For you this is trend, what is your opinion?
TOM: As I said, I think people want to hear Hard Metal and the Industry or the Labels would be stupid if they didn’t try to make some money.
9.You are an underground band, what do you think about supporting the underground people?
ATOMIC: Well, I really don’t know at which point it’s no underground anymore. I think that a metal fan is always a kind of underground fan. Those who just listen only to bands like Metallica beneath other styles of music aren’t real fans.

Everybody who’s deeply interested in Metal has a non- selfish attitude towards the support of Metal.For example: In every letter I get there are tons of infos telling about bands, the sender may even not spell the name. It just matters, that metal is spread all over the world.
10.What is your opinion about Black Metal and its different styles (Viking, Vampire, Romantic, Gothic, etc...). It’s this true Metal?
TOM: What means true metal, everybody thinks differently about it. In my opinion metal has to be aggressive, it needs brutal guitar riffs, pulsing double bass drum, strict vocals and a bass, which feels like a steamhammer in your stomach. If a Black Metal song contains these characteristics it is in my opinion true Metal.
11.What is your label, or has any label offered to sign you for some releases with STAHLTRÄGER?
TOM: At the moment we haven’t got any label. After the release of the Demo ’97 some labels contacted us but there was no interesting offer. We are trying to find a distribution before releasing the Thorax-CD for having better chances to distribute the CD.
ATOMIC: I think, that in the state STAHLTRÄGER is we can do more by ourselves than a record company would do for us.
12.What do you think about the German or European bands in the underground scene (Thrash, Death). Recommend us
ATOMIC: There are a lot of pretty good bands in the European underground. But to me it was so since the beginnings of Metal. To me it’s more interesting that in other countries, e.g. in the U.S.A. the underground come to daylight again, after it had almost died.
13.The trash metal is only beer, sex and music or there is spiritual attitude, religion or philosophy?
TOM: Call it like you want, Thrash Metal is what ever you want to see in it. I think it have a little bit of all. Thrash Metal is a kind ventile for me, where I can controlled release my aggression, a way to be different or to have a good party. Elsewhere for me as a guitarist it is a hard hobby or job. For me.
14.For you what is the best zine that you have read? Why? Advise me some.
ATOMIC: Well, the best zine to me is the "Snakepit" from Frank Stöver. But unfortunately he will give it up in near future. But it’s even worth to read some of the listed Fanzines: "Lämberlästigung, Eternity, Deftone, Chaos Mag, Fegefeuer, Horror Infernal, Mystical Music, Tales of the Macabre, Zero Zone. (That’s just a small number of good mags. The list is absolutely not complete.)
15.Do you know any South American or Colombian band and what do you think of the Latin American scene?
ATOMIC: I have to confess, that I just know a few bands of South America. Those may be the most popular, which are reviewed here in Europe. But I’m deeply interested to get knowledge about it. So maybe there is anybody who will provide me with South American stuff....?