Kris Gustofson of Trauma: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview

Kris Gustofson of Trauma Interview

Feature Photo Courtesy Kris Gustofson of Trauma

An Interview with Kris Gustofson of Trauma

By Andrew Daly

It’s funny how things work out—especially considering how fickle of a beast the music industry is. In one fell swoop, you can rise to the top or be swallowed without a trace.

For Bay Area thrash staples, Trauma, for a long time, the latter seemed to be the case. But if James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich didn’t mosey on into the Whisky a Go Go on one fateful night in 1982, things could have been different. But alas, the young duo who had formed Metallica and just so happened to be looking for a bass player did see Cliff Burton raging onstage with Trauma in all his deeply groove-laden excellence. In that moment, for Trauma, everything changed.

Still, even without Burton, Trauma’s debut record, Scratch and Scream (1984), remains a cult classic. And while they were unable to hold it together in what should have been their heyday, nearly 30 years later, in 2013, Trauma received its second chance. And in the ten years since, they’ve done alright. Now three new records deep as they journey forward, it’s their latest, Awakening (2022), that may well be their most significant yet.

As Trauma’s first without original vocalist and founding member Donny Hillier, who passed away in 2020, the mantle was left to the newcomer, Brian Allen. Sure, Trauma’s current lineup only features one ’80s-era member these days—drummer Kris Gustofson, but that’s not stopping them from carrying on the legacy of one of thrash metal’s best-kept secrets.

During a break from the road, Kris Gustofson beamed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to recount the early days of Trauma, the group’s 2013 reformation, his musings on Cliff Burton’s influence, and more.

What was the moment that first sparked your interest in music?

Going to gigs with my father, who was a jazz drummer.

The Bay Area was well known as a hotbed of thrash metal. Paint a picture of that scene.

The scene back then was awesome! Music at all the clubs seven nights a week. You could go and check out whatever, whenever. Tons of musicians networking. It was like this in many other places as well.

How would you say that style has evolved as you’ve moved through your career?

I think metal music has become many different genres, like death metal, black metal, doom metal, you name it. It has really evolved into many different things.

How did you get the gig with Trauma?

Trauma was a band gigging a ton in those days. I knew of them. I was playing in a band that was heavily influenced by Motörhead at the time. The band was looking for a new vocalist. One night Donny Hillier from Trauma showed up to check it out. We got to talking, and he mentioned Trauma was looking for a new drummer and asked me if I was interested in checking it out. I learned some of their songs, auditioned, and got the gig.

Can you recall your first show with Trauma?

That was a really long time ago, I really do not remember that, but I would have to say it was probably at The Stone. We played so many shows back then, and honestly, they all blur together. Crazy days [Laughs].

Can you recount the recording of Scratch and Scream? 

The album was recorded at Prairie Sun in Cotati, CA. We had played many gigs before recording the album and rehearsed a ton as well. We recorded the entire album in about a week. Mike Varney was involved a bit when we were at the studio. Steve Fontano was the engineer. It was a blast. I recorded all the drum tracks in one long day.

What sort of support did Trauma receive in the wake of that record? Why do you feel that Trauma didn’t hit in the same way Metallica, Megadeth, etc., did?

We gained many great reviews from the album from Europe. What we should have done was travel across the pond and started playing live over there. I do think that would have helped a great deal. For us, the band really had no direction at that time. So we went our separate ways.

Given the breakthrough success many thrash outfits received, do you regret breaking the band up?

We were lost. We had no direction and no tour support. I wish we had gone about it differently or had someone tell us what to do or how we could do it better. Yes, of course, I regret it. I have no idea if we would have or could have been as big as those bands, but we didn’t even give ourselves a chance.

Pushing forward to 2013, what led to Trauma’s reformation?

Mike Varney wanted to do a re-release of Scratch and Scream. That is how it all started again. It got us talking, and we realized that we still liked each other, wanted to make music, and were into playing shows.

Rapture and Wrath and As the World Dies were excellent records. Do you feel Trauma was able to pick up right where it left off?

Thanks for your kind words. But no, we were not able to pick up where we left off. Some of the original band members had other things going on and couldn’t commit to doing this. So, we had to look for people who wanted to play in the band. It was a very hard thing to do because the business side of things now really stinks.

Let’s dig into Trauma’s latest record, Awakening. This is the first without Donny. Is this in his memory?

Yes, to a certain degree. He was our brother and is very much missed. Brian [Allen] did an outstanding job on the album. Donny’s backing vocals are mixed in a few of the tracks on the album, so he is there in spirit. Brian was the right fit. We listened to a bunch of other vocalists, but Brian nailed it. He did a fantastic job on the album.

From a songwriting perspective, how have your collective experiences affected the music? 

Well, most of the music was written during the horrid fucking pandemic. So, the timing was just great for us to write a metal album. Also, the passing of Donny added to the way the album came out.

How about the production mixing side of things? 

Our producer Juan Urteaga is the guy. None of us were really there until he had something for us to listen to. Basically, he gets the songs where he thinks they sound good then we pick at it until everyone is happy with the way everything sounds. It is a long process.

Your detractors will say that with so many new members, this isn’t Trauma anymore. What would you say to that?

Well… to a certain degree, that is true. However, Donny wanted the band to continue, which has not been an easy task in any way. The new album almost did not happen. So, with that being said, nothing is perfect anymore; you either like the music or not. It is that simple. We are not here to ram anything down people’s throats. I do wish things were different. It is what it is.

When you look back, if Cliff Burton had stayed with Trauma, what might the fortunes of the band look like? Do you feel Trauma would have risen to the top instead of Metallica?

Who knows about that one? Those guys were brilliant from the start. I saw them play at The Old Waldorf on a Metal Monday, and they blew the roof off the place. I knew from that point these guys were focused and had their shit together. The rest is history.

The proof may well be that Metallica’s music has suffered since the death of Cliff. Thoughts?

I have no real response to this question. Metallica is the biggest metal band of all time. Anyone can say what they want about them; however, what they continue to do is sell out stadiums—end of story.

Speak on the legacy of Donny Hillier, one of the true unsung heroes of metal.

Donny was a great vocalist and a super cool person as well. My hope with him was always to get in front of the fans so people could hear him sing. He loved performing. It is very sad that it came a bit too late for him. He did not get to do what he really wanted to do, sing for many people. He is here in spirit.

What’s next for Trauma in all lanes?

We are currently working on these two dates in front of us. We’ll continue this tour with Marty Friedman and Queensrÿche, which has been an absolute blast. I’m sure we will keep playing shows and probably make more music for as long as people will have us.

Feature Photo Courtesy Kris Gustofson of Trauma

Kris Gustofson of Trauma: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023

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