[ The Forgotten Scroll ]

I'd like to welcome the ultimate dominatress of the six-string, to her first Forgotten Scroll interview! I won't tire you with the usual question "why did you become a shredder when you were a classically trained violinist", since you said on multiple occasions that classical music was pretty much dead and you felt you needed to update it, but my question is, what gave you the inspiration to make the switch to metal? I mean was it any particular band or artist, or did you just pick it because it happened to be the fastest and most aggressive medium around at the time? Were you into any specific bands back then?

The Great Kat (http://www.greatkat.com ), Juilliard grad Violin virtuoso, decided to listen to all forms of popular music to find the style that closest matched Classical, so I could update this genius music. I heard METAL: JUDAS PRIEST and OZZY, and then THE GREAT KAT’S SHRED/CLASSICAL MUSIC WAS BORN!!!!!!!!

The Great Kat is NOW the "Top 10 Fastest Shredders Of All Time" (Guitar One Magazine), "50 Fastest Guitarists Of All Time" (Guitar World Magazine), "The 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes" (Classic Rock Magazine) and "8 Of The World's Fastest Shredders" (Gibson Lifestyle)!!!

Now go and check out The Great Kat’s AMAZING NEW “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD!!!

Your first output was the "Satan says" demo, what do you remember from those days? How helpful was the demo in landing the Roadrunner record deal?

The Great Kat’s “SATAN SAYS” was the FIRST GREAT KAT MUSIC that began combining the RAW, FURIOUS, BRUTALITY of METAL with GUITAR SHREDDING and CLASSICAL MOTIFS.

"Worship me or Die", your first album, is considered somewhat of a classic today, but looking back in time, picture this: A guy walks in the record store, sees the cover of your beautiful visage holding the guitar, thinks it's an L.A. glam/sleeze band, goes home and listens to it, and his hard rock tuned ears spontaneously combust from the speed and aggression. Now how sweet would that be? Seriously though, what reception did the album receive back in the day from the press and fans? I believe the "Metal Messiah" vid got some nice airplay, am I right?

The Great Kat’s genius “WORSHIP ME OR DIE!” is a CLASSIC CD that STARTED ALL of The Great Kat’s VICIOUS METAL RIFFS and GUITAR VIRTUOSO SHREDDING!!!!!!!!!!

By the time "Beethoven on speed" came out, I bet they had a real hard time promoting the band over at Roadrunner! I mean it was too virtuoso for thrashers, too heavy for classic metalers and definitely not radio aimed ear candy. So how did the album do back then in terms of sales, and what do you think of the material listening to it today?

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!! The Great Kat’s REVOLUTIONARY “BEETHOVEN ON SPEED” is the FIRST CD to EVER take AUTHENTIC CLASSICAL MUSIC and mix it with VIOLENT METAL, VICIOUS GUITAR SHREDDING, VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY and BLINDING SPEED and BRUTAL FORCE!!!

Did you give a lot of live performances back in the 80's-early 90's? Are there any particular shows that stand out in your memory, or any good bands you played with? Also, are you giving any shows nowadays, do you have a band going?

The Great Kat’s Shred Show is INSANE, with GUITAR SHREDDING, VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY, OUTRAGEOUS IMAGERY, SCENERY, and KAT-POSSESSED SLAVES BOWING TO THEIR MESSIAH KAT!!!!

Now let's talk about the vivid stage imagery! I really don't get why it's been criticised over the years, I mean it's metal, it's supposed to be theatrical right? In an older interview you stated something along the lines of "if they have to see a dominatress image to get the message across, then that's what I'm gonna give them". But do you really think it's still necessary to keep your guard up and look dominant to convey the music? I mean you are a decorated musician, a metal veteran, and you can probably out-shred their sorry ass to hell and back anyway!

YES, IT IS NECESSARY for The Great Kat to be a VICIOUS, ABUSIVE, DOMINATING, SON-OF-A-BITCH to get all you MALE-CHAUVINIST IDIOTS to WAKE UP and understand that the NEW BEETHOVEN OF THE 21st CENTURY is a VIRTUOSO FEMALE GUITAR SHREDDER, whether you LIKE IT OR NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW BEND OVER, FAGGOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now Check out The Great Kat’s vivid staging and DOMINATRIX image in Music Videos from “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD:
“TORTURE TECHNIQUES” (Torture devices and abused victims http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/TortureTechniques.wmv )
“ISLAMOFASCISTS” (The Great Kat TAKES ON the TERRORISTS in PERSON http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/IslamoFascists.wmv ).
“BLOOD” (a total Kat bloodbath http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/blood.wmv ).

After the first two albums, you released a series of EP's over the years, focusing on a different classical composer each time. Why did you choose this approach instead of a full length album, or maybe a full length metal remake of one of the classic operas? Or even get a kick-ass singer with a six octave range and write your very own 2 hour speed metal symphony, you definitely have the knowledge for it!

WAKE UP!!!!! It’s the INTERNET GENERATION and NO ONE HAS TIME FOR “full length” albums or “2 hour” works!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s the WHOLE POINT of SHRED/CLASSICAL MUSIC--FAST, FURIOUS, BRILLIANT and RIGHT TO THE POINT Music!!!!!!!!!!

Go to The Great Kat Web Site at http://www.greatkat.com for FAST, GENIUSIZING MUSIC GUARANTEED TO WAKE YOU UP!!!

Tell us a bit about your latest release, the "Beethoven's guitar shred" dvd. Bumblebee at 300bpm, that's gotta hurt!!!

WITNESS for yourselves what a TECHNICAL VIRTUOSO does on GUITAR and VIOLIN on The Great Kat’s “THE FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE-BEE” Music Video from “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD at http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/TheFlightOfTheBumbleBeeMusicVideo.wmv

The Great Kat’s BRILLIANT new REVOLUTIONARY and GROUNDBREAKING SHRED/CLASSICAL MASTERPIECE “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD is out now!!! This wild DVD stars The Great Kat’s Guitar/Violin Virtuosity and finger-blistering guitar shredding of Classical masterpieces and original outrageously theatrical SPEED METAL Wagnerian Mini-Operas.

“BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD Features:
7 Outrageous Shred/Classical Guitar Music Videos, including:
-“The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee” – The Great Kat shreds this famous work at the finger-blistering speed of 300 BPM on guitar and violin!
-Beethoven’s “5th Symphony” – Listen to The Great Kat’s Metal version of the world’s most famous symphony!
-Paganini’s “Caprice #24” – Kat dazzles on this technical virtuoso showpiece on guitar and violin!
-Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto #3”- The Great Kat shreds on Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto #3” on 6 guitars & 3 violins!
-“Torture Techniques” – Watch Kat’s arsenal of Torture devices and abused victims!
-Plus MORE Theatrical Speed Metal Madness!
4 Shred BONUS Features:
-Hot Kat Shred Photos! Shred Geniuses!
Kat Kartoon – A crazy cartoon of The High Priestess of Guitar Shred!

Watch the trailers at: http://www.greatkat.com/BeethovensGuitarShredVideosMenuMED.wmv &
http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/BeethovensGuitarShredMainMenuMED.wmv

Go to the Kat web site at http://www.greatkat.com/dvd/dvd.html for tons of Music Video Clips from “Beethoven’s Guitar Shred” DVD!!

I'm not in the category of listeners that think speed kills melody or emotion, far from it, but I can't help but wonder when and if we'll see the more emotional side of your playing. Ever thought of shifting gears a bit, or is the game plan to keep picking up the speed?

“Emotional Side” = BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can expect to see MORE SPEED, MORE VICIOUSNESS, MORE BRUTALITY, MORE GENIUS FROM THE HIGH PRIESTESS OF GUITAR SHRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What violin techniques –if any- do you find give you the "edge" when applied to the electric guitar? Are there any particular variations to fingering or sweeps you'd like to share, or is it just a matter of discipline gained through classical training?

The Great Kat’s Violin Technique comes from years of practicing scales, arpeggios, etudes with a metronome and building SPEED slowly. I am transferring my LEFT HAND VIOLIN FINGERINGS and PLACEMENT technique and the RIGHT HAND VIOLIN BOWING techniques onto my guitar’s left hand and pickings.

What are the 5 pieces of classical music you think every person absolutely has to listen to at some point?

1-BEETHOVEN’S “SYMPHONY #5”
2-WAGNER’S “DIE VALKURE” Opera
3-BACH’S “BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS”
4-BEETHOVEN’S “SYMPHONY #9”
5-MOZART’S “SYMPHONY #35 –HAFFNER”

AND THE GREAT KAT’S “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” NEW DVD!!!!!!!

That's about it, I'd like to thank you for the interview and the kick ass shreds, the final words belong to you…

SHRED ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO TO THE GREAT KAT WEB SITE and BOW TO YOUR METAL MESSIAH at http://www.greatkat.com

WATCH THE GREAT KAT’S NEW “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD at http://www.greatkat.com/dvd/dvd.html

Interview by: Asgardlord

The Great Kat Interview
A beautiful woman that can shred “Flight of the bumblebee” at 300bpm and eat your heart while doing it… literally! That, in a nutshell, is The Great Kat, a decorated classical violinist that has been dominating the six string for the past couple of decades. When the opportunity for an interview came up, TFS rose to the occasion, and the resulting answers are just as you’d expect: Fast, furious and chaotic, with more caps and exclamation points than any other piece of written word ever published…ever!!! Enjoy! http://www.greatkat.com greatkat@greatkat.com
I'd like to welcome the ultimate dominatress of the six-string, to her first Forgotten Scroll interview! I won't tire you with the usual question "why did you become a shredder when you were a classically trained violinist", since you said on multiple occasions that classical music was pretty much dead and you felt you needed to update it, but my question is, what gave you the inspiration to make the switch to metal? I mean was it any particular band or artist, or did you just pick it because it happened to be the fastest and most aggressive medium around at the time? Were you into any specific bands back then? The Great Kat (http://www.greatkat.com ), Juilliard grad Violin virtuoso, decided to listen to all forms of popular music to find the style that closest matched Classical, so I could update this genius music. I heard METAL: JUDAS PRIEST and OZZY, and then THE GREAT KAT’S SHRED/CLASSICAL MUSIC WAS BORN!!!!!!!! The Great Kat is NOW the "Top 10 Fastest Shredders Of All Time" (Guitar One Magazine), "50 Fastest Guitarists Of All Time" (Guitar World Magazine), "The 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes" (Classic Rock Magazine) and "8 Of The World's Fastest Shredders" (Gibson Lifestyle)!!! Now go and check out The Great Kat’s AMAZING NEW “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD!!! Your first output was the "Satan says" demo, what do you remember from those days? How helpful was the demo in landing the Roadrunner record deal? The Great Kat’s “SATAN SAYS” was the FIRST GREAT KAT MUSIC that began combining the RAW, FURIOUS, BRUTALITY of METAL with GUITAR SHREDDING and CLASSICAL MOTIFS. "Worship me or Die", your first album, is considered somewhat of a classic today, but looking back in time, picture this: A guy walks in the record store, sees the cover of your beautiful visage holding the guitar, thinks it's an L.A. glam/sleeze band, goes home and listens to it, and his hard rock tuned ears spontaneously combust from the speed and aggression. Now how sweet would that be? Seriously though, what reception did the album receive back in the day from the press and fans? I believe the "Metal Messiah" vid got some nice airplay, am I right? The Great Kat’s genius “WORSHIP ME OR DIE!” is a CLASSIC CD that STARTED ALL of The Great Kat’s VICIOUS METAL RIFFS and GUITAR VIRTUOSO SHREDDING!!!!!!!!!! By the time "Beethoven on speed" came out, I bet they had a real hard time promoting the band over at Roadrunner! I mean it was too virtuoso for thrashers, too heavy for classic metalers and definitely not radio aimed ear candy. So how did the album do back then in terms of sales, and what do you think of the material listening to it today? BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!! The Great Kat’s REVOLUTIONARY “BEETHOVEN ON SPEED” is the FIRST CD to EVER take AUTHENTIC CLASSICAL MUSIC and mix it with VIOLENT METAL, VICIOUS GUITAR SHREDDING, VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY and BLINDING SPEED and BRUTAL FORCE!!! Did you give a lot of live performances back in the 80's-early 90's? Are there any particular shows that stand out in your memory, or any good bands you played with? Also, are you giving any shows nowadays, do you have a band going? The Great Kat’s Shred Show is INSANE, with GUITAR SHREDDING, VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY, OUTRAGEOUS IMAGERY, SCENERY, and KAT-POSSESSED SLAVES BOWING TO THEIR MESSIAH KAT!!!! Now let's talk about the vivid stage imagery! I really don't get why it's been criticised over the years, I mean it's metal, it's supposed to be theatrical right? In an older interview you stated something along the lines of "if they have to see a dominatress image to get the message across, then that's what I'm gonna give them". But do you really think it's still necessary to keep your guard up and look dominant to convey the music? I mean you are a decorated musician, a metal veteran, and you can probably out-shred their sorry ass to hell and back anyway! YES, IT IS NECESSARY for The Great Kat to be a VICIOUS, ABUSIVE, DOMINATING, SON-OF-A-BITCH to get all you MALE-CHAUVINIST IDIOTS to WAKE UP and understand that the NEW BEETHOVEN OF THE 21st CENTURY is a VIRTUOSO FEMALE GUITAR SHREDDER, whether you LIKE IT OR NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW BEND OVER, FAGGOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now Check out The Great Kat’s vivid staging and DOMINATRIX image in Music Videos from “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD: “TORTURE TECHNIQUES” (Torture devices and abused victims http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/TortureTechniques.wmv ) “ISLAMOFASCISTS” (The Great Kat TAKES ON the TERRORISTS in PERSON http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/IslamoFascists.wmv ). “BLOOD” (a total Kat bloodbath http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/blood.wmv ). After the first two albums, you released a series of EP's over the years, focusing on a different classical composer each time. Why did you choose this approach instead of a full length album, or maybe a full length metal remake of one of the classic operas? Or even get a kick-ass singer with a six octave range and write your very own 2 hour speed metal symphony, you definitely have the knowledge for it! WAKE UP!!!!! It’s the INTERNET GENERATION and NO ONE HAS TIME FOR “full length” albums or “2 hour” works!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s the WHOLE POINT of SHRED/CLASSICAL MUSIC--FAST, FURIOUS, BRILLIANT and RIGHT TO THE POINT Music!!!!!!!!!! Go to The Great Kat Web Site at http://www.greatkat.com for FAST, GENIUSIZING MUSIC GUARANTEED TO WAKE YOU UP!!! Tell us a bit about your latest release, the "Beethoven's guitar shred" dvd. Bumblebee at 300bpm, that's gotta hurt!!! WITNESS for yourselves what a TECHNICAL VIRTUOSO does on GUITAR and VIOLIN on The Great Kat’s “THE FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE-BEE” Music Video from “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD at http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/TheFlightOfTheBumbleBeeMusicVideo.wmv The Great Kat’s BRILLIANT new REVOLUTIONARY and GROUNDBREAKING SHRED/CLASSICAL MASTERPIECE “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD is out now!!! This wild DVD stars The Great Kat’s Guitar/Violin Virtuosity and finger-blistering guitar shredding of Classical masterpieces and original outrageously theatrical SPEED METAL Wagnerian Mini-Operas. “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD Features: 7 Outrageous Shred/Classical Guitar Music Videos, including: -“The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee” – The Great Kat shreds this famous work at the finger-blistering speed of 300 BPM on guitar and violin! -Beethoven’s “5th Symphony” – Listen to The Great Kat’s Metal version of the world’s most famous symphony! -Paganini’s “Caprice #24” – Kat dazzles on this technical virtuoso showpiece on guitar and violin! -Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto #3”- The Great Kat shreds on Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto #3” on 6 guitars & 3 violins! -“Torture Techniques” – Watch Kat’s arsenal of Torture devices and abused victims! -Plus MORE Theatrical Speed Metal Madness! 4 Shred BONUS Features: -Hot Kat Shred Photos! Shred Geniuses! Kat Kartoon – A crazy cartoon of The High Priestess of Guitar Shred! Watch the trailers at: http://www.greatkat.com/BeethovensGuitarShredVideosMenuMED.wmv & http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/BeethovensGuitarShredMainMenuMED.wmv Go to the Kat web site at http://www.greatkat.com/dvd/dvd.html for tons of Music Video Clips from “Beethoven’s Guitar Shred” DVD!! I'm not in the category of listeners that think speed kills melody or emotion, far from it, but I can't help but wonder when and if we'll see the more emotional side of your playing. Ever thought of shifting gears a bit, or is the game plan to keep picking up the speed? “Emotional Side” = BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can expect to see MORE SPEED, MORE VICIOUSNESS, MORE BRUTALITY, MORE GENIUS FROM THE HIGH PRIESTESS OF GUITAR SHRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What violin techniques –if any- do you find give you the "edge" when applied to the electric guitar? Are there any particular variations to fingering or sweeps you'd like to share, or is it just a matter of discipline gained through classical training? The Great Kat’s Violin Technique comes from years of practicing scales, arpeggios, etudes with a metronome and building SPEED slowly. I am transferring my LEFT HAND VIOLIN FINGERINGS and PLACEMENT technique and the RIGHT HAND VIOLIN BOWING techniques onto my guitar’s left hand and pickings. What are the 5 pieces of classical music you think every person absolutely has to listen to at some point? 1-BEETHOVEN’S “SYMPHONY #5” 2-WAGNER’S “DIE VALKURE” Opera 3-BACH’S “BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS” 4-BEETHOVEN’S “SYMPHONY #9” 5-MOZART’S “SYMPHONY #35 –HAFFNER” AND THE GREAT KAT’S “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” NEW DVD!!!!!!! That's about it, I'd like to thank you for the interview and the kick ass shreds, the final words belong to you… SHRED ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO TO THE GREAT KAT WEB SITE and BOW TO YOUR METAL MESSIAH at http://www.greatkat.com WATCH THE GREAT KAT’S NEW “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD at http://www.greatkat.com/dvd/dvd.html Interview by: Asgardlord
Available The Great Kat Reviews


[ Reviews · Interviews · Live Reports · Tributes · Magazine · Gallery · Links · The Crew · Contact ]