Straight out of Austria, ZEPTER hit the metal scene like a thunderbolt. Fueled by riffs and a love for everything from NWOBHM to classic hard rock, Alex, Lukas, and Stefan are on a mission: to make metal loud, real, and unapologetically fun. In this interview, they talk recording on tape, chasing perfect guitar tones, reviving lost classics, and more.
Hi! ZEPTER formed in January 2024, and had the EP out by April. That’s either hunger or recklessness. Which one was it? 😉
Alex: Ha! Good question, I guess we were hungry. The EP was done a couple months after we formed, and we progressed quickly into different realms. Luki wrote a couple songs and we just wanted to release them.
Lukas: Yeah that was basically it. We felt motivated and inspired and just wanted to get going without overcomplicating anything.
Be honest – was ZEPTER born out of frustration with other bands you were in, or was this something you’d been itching to do for years?
Alex: I guess it was born out of common grounds. We all played in different bands besides our guitarist Stefan, Zepter was his first band but mostly our other bands got disbanded because of various reasons. No bad blood or frustration.
Lukas: Yeah, absolutely not but I gotta say Zepter to me indeed does feel kind of fresh in a certain way. As I just mentioned, it might have something to do with the bands approach of just doing things, without thinking too much about what’s not possible. Instead, we focus on what is possible while the whole thing is primarily about having as much fun as possible and, at the same time, put out music that we’d like to listen to ourselves.
When you say “old school heavy metal,” what do you refuse to compromise on? Sound? Image? Recording method? Attitude?
Alex: I guess if you ask 6 people to define “Old School Heavy Metal” each one gives you a different era or definition of what’s heavy metal to them. One probably says Black Sabbath, one Judas Priest, one maybe Manowar, one heck maybe even Metallica or one Motörhead which is totally wrong because they were a rock and roll band haha but still some would consider them metal. All great bands but mostly very different, if you listen closely. For us it is a mixture of all the above. We have certain influences from bands who carry the “Heavy Metal” flag but we try to not give too much attention to certain terminologies. After being in bands for so many years we kind of know what we want and what not.
Lukas: I agree. Heavy Metal can be a lot of things while to me, it always needs to include a certain minimum of rough edges if you know what I mean. When it comes to heavy music, I prefer it not to be too clean and polished in most cases. It needs to feel “real” and “organic” with happy little accidents of all kinds. That’s also the main reason why we prefer to record real amps and drums directly to tape. I would argue that it’s not just a gimmick, it’s a certain philosophy that just works for certain kinds of music. Heavy Metal is definitely one of them.
A lot of bands claim tradition, but end up sounding like tribute acts with better (from time to time) production. What separates you from reenactment bands?
Alex: Nothing I guess. We just try to do things our way and they try to do things in their way.
Lukas: 100%
You chose to make the debut self-titled. Is this album meant to define ZEPTER once and for all?
Alex: I guess not. I know Luki quite some time now and he is always hungry for new influences or bands which of course should fit in the music we try to do but maybe you will hear some more synths, more falsetto singing or we start to lift heavy and start a Manowar cover band. I am just kidding – I love Manowar, but seriously why did they skip leg day. Come on.
Lukas: Zepter’s sound will definitely evolve over time, that’s for sure. We already have a couple of new ones we’re currently working on that show where it could go stylistically. Personally, I’d like to do some more fast ones. Also, I’d love to spend more time trying to find the perfect guitar tone in the studio.
How does this record differ from Inferno – not just in production, but in ambition?
Lukas: I don’t think the whole thing was that much different this time to be honest. Basically we repeated the exact same process with just a different set of songs and I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be done that way again sooner or later.
Alex: Knowing this was a full length I guess we entered the mighty halls of Nothing Studios a little bit more serious. We had more songs in almost the same amount of time to record for EP so we knew we had to nail the takes. Also we took our equipment choice more seriously. I borrowed a late 70s Ludwig Supraphonic Snare from a buddy just to have this thing on the record because I heard it records well and was used on many great albums. So lots of small choices were made to make a little bit more effort than on the EP.
Was there a moment during writing when you realized: “This is the sound of the band”?
Alex: I think that already happened on the Inferno EP. I guess the title track “Inferno” pretty much sums up where we are trying to go as a band. But I mean listen to Thin Lizzy – Johnny the Fox and then to Black Rose. “The Sound” always reinvents itself. Not saying we are as good as Lizzy of course – nobody is haha
What does this album say emotionally? Anger? Defiance? Nostalgia? Escapism?
Lukas: Probably a mix of everything, I guess.
Alex: Yep, all of the above. Some songs are really uplifting and some are fast. Some are more evil, some lean more towards a classic early 80s NWOBHM vibe.
There’s a clear NWOBHM pulse in “Exterminator”. What did those early UK bands have that today’s heavy metal scene lost?
Alex: Freedom of choice. That is a great song by DEVO but it also answers this question to some extent. There weren’t so many bands around and genres weren’t invented yet. I really love “proto-metal” (good I hate myself for using this description) from the 70s but some bands really were off the freaking heaps with their sound. Krautrock records have heavy riffs and then someone reads a poem for 20 minutes straight in the middle of a song. Now this can be very terrifying if you lay down in a dark room listening to music but I guess they intended it to be like that. The NWOBHM bands sort of all had the same idea. The sound was more focused, and everyone had the same idea but delivered it in a different way. That made it unique. Also there weren’t that many metal bands around so everything was fresh and new. I also have to state that many “cool” bands drew influences not only from other metal bands but also from early 80s punk bands as well for instance. You gotta know your influences’ influences kids.
You all listen to stuff outside heavy metal. Has anything non-metal ever slipped into a ZEPTER riff without you noticing at first?
Lukas: Good question. Considering being influenced by so many different styles of music I’m sure by far not all choices of notes can be traced back to Heavy Metal exclusively. I’m a huge fan of Prog Rock for instance. Some bits and pieces would probably have sounded slightly different if I hadn’t dived into the world of, say, King Crimson or Captain Beyond. Same goes for so many other kinds of music like AOR, Heavy Psych, Garage Rock, etc. There are so many things out there one can draw inspiration from.
Why cover “Lonely Night”? What does that song have that most people overlooked?
Alex: We just loved the fact that this hidden gem was written and recorded when all the band members were really young, and metal was fresh. These kids back then, now grown man, had the same approach we do now, so we sort of tried to create a worm hole for listeners to really warp back to 1986 while listening to our record. THAT’S freaking retro!
High Roller Records has a certain reputation. Did signing with them feel like validation, pressure, or just the next logical step?
Alex: We all have tons of High Roller re-presses and releases by active bands as well. I remember I played a Show with my old band with High Spirits back in 2013 or 14 and I really was jealous of that HR logo on the back of “Another Night in the City” which is a great record! So yes, it felt like validation. They really know what they are doing and are super professional but not in a big corporate way. The way they operate is very band-oriented and I think we wouldn’t want to have it any other way.
Lukas: Nothing but love for High Roller, really. It’s truly a pleasure being privileged to work with a label that is so reliable, transparent, supportive and fair to its artists and remains true to itself.
Austria isn’t exactly known as the global capital of traditional heavy metal. Do you feel like outsiders, even at home?
Alex: Not at all – there are great bands especially from Linz. Bands like Eisenhand or Venator are big names among metal fans all over the world. I mean what’s missing is a band really making it big from Austria in terms of traditional heavy metal. Although Venator are really a household name I guess in Austria you can say Pungent Stench is or was really the biggest name in metal but that was more death metal.
Lukas: To be honest, I don’t think it matters if bands or musicians don’t come from major countries like the UK or the US, really. To me, quite the contrary is often the case: Sometimes I’m specifically looking for music from specific countries like Italian Prog, French Zeuhl, Afro-Beat from Nigeria, German Kosmische Musik or Swedish Heavy Metal. Every part of the world has its very own, unique aspects of music to offer so, coming back to the question, no, we don’t feel like outsiders at all.
The name ZEPTER sounds sharp, almost weapon-like. Where did it come from?
Alex: It really has no deeper meaning. We thought about the English word first and then thought the German version sounds like you said sharper and more like “attack”.
Lyrically, are you telling stories, building myths, or just chasing atmosphere?
Lukas: Most of the time the lyrics are mainly supposed to support the musical aspect in a way that the specific choices of words must fit the respective part. It usually starts with nonsensical sing-sang which builds the foundation for the search for the right words that eventually give meaning to the songs. Sometimes they tell stories, sometimes they are referring to a specific movie while other times it’s just about evoking an abstract imagery in your head.
Five years from now, what would annoy you more: people saying you’ve “evolved,” or people saying you’re stuck in 1981? Thank you for your time!
Alex: Both would be cool actually! As long as people still show interest in us in five years from now I think we are good and even if not we will continue in some form. As a virtual reality band with our avatars looking like guitar hero characters or some shit because it all goes downhill from here. So go to shows, buy physical copies of bands and enjoy it while it lasts. I am just kidding. Thanks for your time! These were really some great questions!
Lukas: Thanks for the super fun questions and taking the time!!
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