Interview with Debbie Gunn of Sentinel Beast 2010

By Bradley Smith

Good morning.  How are things?  It’s been awhile since Sentinel Beast was really pounding the bricks here in the scene and it is nice to see such a unique entity rising back to life.  What have the members of Sentinel Beast been up to in the long intervening years?

Debbie:  First, I want to say thanks so much for this interview opportunity.  As you know, after Sentinel Beast, I went on to join Znowhite, Ice Age, and Brutal Groove.  Mike Spencer joined Flotsam and Jetsam, replacing Jason Nested on bass.  The rest of the band members played in various Sacramento local bands.  In the 90’s I turned to acting as my second passion.  I was in various movies and TV shows as an extra.  It was a great learning experience for me.  I also did a lot of community theatre, my last being a production of, “Of Mice and Men”. I had so much fun. 

You are currently in the process of a new creation called Risen. Can you tell me about it?  What does it represent to you and how does it compare to Depths of Death?  What can the fans expect when it bursts from their stereos?

Debbie:  Yes, Risen was supposed to be the second album in the 80’s but the band broke up.  I guess it’s better late than never.  Depths of Death were a collaboration of the many different ways to die.  Risen is about the dog rising up from the Depths and facing the living.  The song, “The Phoenix” is about the mythological bird rising up from the ashes.  That has a lot to do with what we are doing as a band; the revival of Sentinel Beast.  Some of the other songs on it will be, “Commencement/Forbidden Territories”, which is an instrumental leading into a thrash piece about, “Dante’s Inferno”, which is one of the stories from, “The Divine Comedy”.  I don’t want to give too much away so I’ll leave it at that. 

Have you noticed a renewed interest in SB after re-release of Depths of Death on Old Metal Records?  How did you get in touch with OMR and why did they decide to release the album?  How has it been doing this second time around? 

Debbie:  Yes, I have.  Most of the response that I get is from new fans that are re-discovering us or fans discovering us for the first time.  It’s incredible.  We never got in touch with Old Metal Records.  They put Depths of Death out on their own; no permission from Metal Blade Records or us.  When we found out about it, Mike Spencer, original bassist, got in touch with OMR and asked for some copies of the CD.  They sent us 100 copies so that was cool.  It seems like the second time around has been better for us than the first.  Like I said, we have a new following of fans from the younger generation along with the old following. The computer age has definitely helped because it’s so much easier to network now.   

Sentinel Beast has performed some recent concerts.  Can you tell me how they went?  How did it feel getting back up on stage after all these years and how did it compare to the early years?

Debbie:  Our first show, after twenty years, went really well.  We played in Sacramento, California in May 2007.  A lot of fans, old and new, were all there. It felt so good to be playing metal on stage again because I feel that’s where I belong. It was a lot different from the early years.  It’s hard to explain.  I think because we were the biggest metal band in Sacramento back in the 80’s and the new crowd wasn’t the same. Most of the bands in Sac are death metal so that’s what kind of bands we were playing with.  It just didn’t have the same vibe or the hunger that the 80’s had.

You name some pretty interesting vocal influences from Judy Garland to Liza Minnelli.  Not ones you would normally expect from a “metal” singer.  How do their styles play in to how you approach singing and what are some of your favorite METAL vocalists?  What qualities to you make a good vocalist?

Debbie:  Hahaha.  Yes, these women are some of my favorites.  I grew up in a time when there was no heavy metal.  Imagine that!!  I watched old classic movies, which I still do, so that’s where I would see these women perform.  To this day, Judy Garland takes my breath away every time I hear her voice.  I get goose bumps all over.  She was such a little girl with such a big voice.  In my opinion, nobody can touch her today.  And of course, there’s her daughter, Liza Minnelli. Great vocals!!  I loved her in the film, “Cabaret”.  I relate them to metal because of their powerful vocals.  After all, that’s what heavy metal is all about; Power!!  Some of my favorite metal vocalists are, Paul DiAnno, Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate, Klaus Meine, etc.  Good vocalists come in many different forms, depending on what you’re looking for in the music.  I listen to many types of music so I’m always looking for different styles and ideas to grow on.  Power, I think, is my biggest influence.

You were a member of Znowhite.  Can you tell me how that experience was different than what you had with Sentinel Beast?  What are some of your best memories from that participation?  Also can you talk a little about the tragic demise of your all female band, Ice Age? 

Debbie:  I learned so much about the business from guitarist, Greg Fulton, of Znowhite.  In Sentinel Beast I didn’t know anything.  But in SB I wrote most of the lyrics, which I didn’t get a chance to in Znowhite.  I missed that.  I think that some of my best memories with Znowhite was touring.  That was my first time so I was excited about it.  I loved waking up in a new town. 

The tragedy of Ice Age.  That sounds like a book.  Hahaha.  Well here it goes.  Ice Age had bad management that tried to take advantage of these girls.  The Management was there when I joined.  I didn’t know this in the beginning, but our manager, Dave, was dating the drummer, Tina.  He tried to keep it from me but I figured it out.  He spent the bands money left and right, trying to impress the media with dinners and drinks.  Little did he know that they were laughing behind his back.  We all knew it but kept our mouths shut.  We couldn’t tell him anything because he knew it all.  When the band ran out of money we all moved to Sweden.  Dave owed so much money in England that he couldn’t go back.  Pia lived at home with her family and I lived in a flat with Tina and Dave.  By this time, Isabella and Vicky had quit the band. We brought in a couple of new girls from New Jersey.  They were cousins.  Tammy on bass and Lisa on guitar.  Well, we had a band meeting and we decided that we need to make money.  The only way we could do that was to relocate to the States, since three out of five girls were Americans.  Dave didn’t like that idea because that would mean that he wouldn’t see Tina for awhile.  He got very angry.  He looked like a psycho.  He locked us up in the bedroom, forgetting that I had another key.  One of the girls was crying and the other had a broken arm, which she fell and broke the day before.  He had turned on all of the gas on the stove and sat there with a lighter ready to ignite it.  The fumes were so strong that I felt sick and light headed. We walked past him and I said to him, “you don’t want to do this.”  And walked out the door.  We had all of our gear with us and managed to get down the elevator.  A hippy from Peru helped us.  He gave us a lift to Pia’s house.  We took a bus to the airport, but the bus broke down.  The driver called for two cabs for us.  We finally got to the airport.  There was a bit of confusion over the plane tickets but we got it sorted out.  When we finally got to New York City, I broke down and kissed the ground.  WE MADE IT!!  What a nightmare.  That was the end of Ice Age.

You are a member of the California Herpetological Society and put on a lot of benefit activities for abused and neglected reptiles.  What made you get involved in this activity?  What about Reptiles appeals to you?  Did you ever open your reptile education center?

Debbie:  I’ve loved reptiles since I was a child and I used to watch all of the dinosaur moves.  I lived in the Philippines from 1972 to 1976.  I was about 11 to 15 years old then.  Some of the lizards there were about 5 feet long.  They’re called monitor lizards and are fruit eaters, so no worries about getting eaten.  Haha.  We used to catch them and then let them go.  They’re so beautiful.  I think that they are misunderstood.  I studied about reptiles, especially the lizards.  I went to a lot of reptile conventions and started to get involved.  I took a few lizards into my home to adopt them out.  They had been abandoned so I brought them back to health.  At this point, there was no way that I was going to let anyone hurt them again so I kept them.  It went from there.  I had over 20 Bearded Dragons, an Iguana, three Tagus, and three Corn Snakes.  I had to get up early every morning to feed and care for them.  It was a lot of work but it was so satisfying.  I helped out at the Herpetological Society, educating people on the care and needs of reptiles.  I tried to discourage anyone from buying these animals unless they were willing to put the time and money into properly caring for them.  It was very rewarding.  I eventually adopted all of mine out; found them great homes.  At times, I miss them but I have my band now and don’t have the time to properly care for them.  My cat, Sabrina, died last January 15^th at the age of 17.  That’s the last animal for me for awhile. 

You grew up as a Military Brat.  That must have given you an interesting perspective from a lot of your peers in the metal scene.  How do you think that sort of experience helped and hindered you?  How do you feel it shaped your outlook on the world since you were not near as sheltered from other cultures as most people tend to be?

Debbie:  Well for one, I had a great childhood; traveling the world.  We hardly lived in one place for over a year.  I was born and raised in England; my mother is English.  My father is American with Norwegian descent.  We were Air Force so we got to see some great places; one of my favorites being the Philippines.  What a beautiful country and people.  I think it helped me to understand different cultures and try to elaborate those differences in my songs.  I try to see all perspectives.  Those were the best experiences of my life.  The only thing that I can think of that might have hindered me was that we didn’t stay in one place for too long.  We moved so much.  I became best friends with my brother and two sisters.  We had each other.  Moving so much has helped me to respect every culture and to embrace them. I wouldn’t trade that life style for anything.  When it comes to touring, it comes naturally for me.

The US recently underwent some pretty landmark steps in the recent Presidential Election.  Did you follow it at all?  What did you think of the first real female contender as well as the first black person elected to the office?

Debbie:  It’s great history unfolding before our own eyes.  Who would have thought?  I welcomed it and I voted for Obama in the end after he had beaten Clinton out of the race.   Sentinel Beast and I were all in Oakland, California when it was announced that Obama won. We went outside into the streets, celebrating to gunshots going off in the neighborhood.  It was so exciting. 

You have witnessed many changes within metal and the surrounding scene.  What are some of your favorite changes and what things do you wish had stayed the same and why?

Debbie:  Yes, a lot of changes have taken place.  I’m not so keen on the, so called, Nu Metal.  To me, most of them sound the same. They need to find their own identity. Old school metal had that and I do believe that it never died in Europe and other countries that embrace old school metal.  I see huge surge of new, young fans all over that are discovering old metal and it’s a great sign that there is hope for the future.  Haha.  I guess what old school metal has going for it is that it’s not commercial.  It didn’t sell out and the fans recognize that.  LONG LIVE THE FANS!!!!

So what is on the horizon for Sentinel Beast?  What plans of your should the fans be prepared for?

Debbie:  Well I have a new line-up, as of December 2009.  Dana Lindstrom and Ken Korpi on guitars, Steve Oliver on bass, and Justin Dudra on drums.  I feel that I have finally found a strong, solid line-up that will stay with me for awhile.  We’re working on finishing our new album and we’re working on a tour in Mexico as well as planning a tour for Europe in 2010. We’ll keep everyone posted on this.

I’ll leave any final thoughts and/or words to you.  Hail the Sentinel Beast!!!!

Debbie:  I just want to say that I’ve enjoyed meeting other bands and fans all over the world.  I’ve met some cool people, such as you, Brad, through interviews and other media sources.  If you are interested in booking Sentinel Beast or would just like to drop us a line, feel free to email us at: www.myspace.com/sentinelbeastofficialsite.  STAY METAL!!!!

Brad thanks so much for this interview.  Horns way up to you!!!