Expecter interview
Expecter openly wear the spirit of the ‘80s on their sleeves. Was this always the only direction, or did the band ever flirt with pushing beyond traditional heavy metal boundaries?
Danny: Yes, we all are big 80s metal fans, so it was clear to us to go into that direction.
Eric: I personally grew up with 80s metal, then started playing in some more metal-core’ish bands but am extremely happy to be back in the 80s
Alex: We always like to do the traditional 80s stuff, but we're trying to put something fresh in every song to break predictability.
Vico: There aren’t two songs alike in what we have done so far. We all have 80s influences, so that obviously shows in all of our songs.
Germany has a sacred lineage when it comes to heavy metal - from Accept to Running Wild to Grave Digger. Where do you see Expecter standing in that bloodline?
Danny: We absolutely love these classic bands - sometimes we get compared to Accept, but I think we have all kinds of Metal DNA in our music.
Eric: I think the heritage of these Bands can be heard in our songs, these are all huge inspirations for us but at the same time we try to find our own “style” within the niche.
Alex: It's a pure feeling thing, what kind of song the band is missing in the set. Something fast, something slow, something to sing along - who knows.
A lot of younger bands claim “old-school” but sound too polished, too safe, too calculated. What makes Expecter dangerous rather than just nostalgic?
Eric: I totally agree with that. In modern days, where people play digital amps, have fully pre-calculated live shows etc., we want to stay “oldschool” in terms of rather playing a few notes off here and there than sounding absolutely “perfect”. We want to stay authentic at any given time.
Alex: We lean into a raw, authentic sound that lets listeners feel the presence of real musicians, cranked amps, and genuine analog gear. I personally searched for 3 years for my good old 80s amp and it took me another year and a lot of talking with other musicians to get that sound that i always wanted.
Vico: We play loud, and we are not thinking of sounding in a particular way. We are definitely the furthest from a preconceived concept. Just organic interaction between each other and our audience.
The promo talks about “cold-rolled steel” and hammering songs into people’s skulls. That sounds like riff-first thinking. When writing, what matters most: the riff, the hook, or the energy?
Eric: Most of our songs are born on Alex's guitar. That being said, there is a certain “Vibe” in each song mostly powered by main-guitar riffs but often these dynamically evolve during the process. Overall its a full band decision in which direction a song drives.
Alex: The overall feeling of all of us if it fits or not. I always think, if another band would play this song, would I like it?
Vico: It is always a challenge to write a melody line over Alex’s riffs. In my opinion, it has to do with the energy that the overall song has.
Alex and Danny came from Pulver, while Vico has roots in Bolivia’s scene. Did those different histories shape Expecter in unexpected ways?
Alex: Of course and we really want to implement some more Bolivian specials in our songs. We also planning to have a Spanish song and already have some old Mayan words in our lyrics. We are really looking forward to maybe have some day the opportunity to play there.
Vico: I guess we are a good match. Everyone’s experiences in music are obviously influencing us to do what we do now in Expecter.
Bolivia has always had a rougher, hungrier underground spirit compared to Europe. Did Vico bring some of that fire into the band?
Alex: Vico has a lot of interesting stories to tell about his past there. There is an invisible connection between musicians and music fans all over the world, I think, and it's cool to have those people come together in life sometimes in some unexpected ways.
Vico: There is a natural need for humans to connect. We make that to happen the same way as if we were playing in the Bolivian scene.
Live shows seem central to Expecter’s identity. Do you see the stage as the true battlefield, with recordings only documenting the damage?
Eric: Playing live is always the perfect way of actually finding out if a song “works” or not. The reactions from the audience are a pure, raw and direct feedback to our music. We love to perform our songs out there no matter if its a small club venue or a festival show. Expect the Unexpected at an Expecter-gig ;-)
Alex: Playing live is the real thing for us and we really like to be on Stage and celebrate the music we like with other bangers together.
Would you rather release a flawless record or play one chaotic show people talk about for ten years?
Eric: Chaotic show for sure!
Alex: If flawless means, that we are happy with every song at the end, I would go with that.
Vico: Both are important. Good songs deserve to be heard.
Chains, leather, and mullets - for some it’s tradition, for others costume. Where do you draw that line?
Eric: Having long hair and dressing 80s style is a life-choice and should never be a “costume”, once more it only works if you are authentic!
Alex: I wear my one stage outfits normally at home, too.
Vico: You can wear all the chains and the leather, but if you don’t feel it it’s just an accessory.
Heavy metal in the ‘80s wasn’t just music - it was rebellion, attitude, tribe. Has modern metal lost some of that?
Eric: It hasn’t really “lost” it; it just shifted focus with social-media being the number one medium for bands to be seen. Attention span of viewers is super small and its all about beating the algorithm… surely something I would not call “rebellish”.
Alex: I can feel all of that when I go to those festivals we like. Especially that tribe thing.
Vico: Heavy metal had probably the most exposure on the 80s but it comes a long way before that. We can definitely foresee its endurance.
Aschaffenburg isn’t exactly the first place people think of when talking about German metal. Does coming from outside the major scenes strengthen the hunger?
Alex: In Aschaffenburg, we are very blessed to have a alive musician scene where everybody helping each other and go to their shows or helping as a roadie. That support is really special and we are very proud of it. Also, we have the very well known Colosaal where famous and new Bands from all over the world are playing. That's always really inspiring.
What’s worse in your eyes: a technically perfect band with no spirit, or a wild imperfect band with conviction?
Eric: That's not even a question its the second by all means.
Alex: I would say no spirit is worse.
Vico: Option A.
There’s always tension in traditional metal between honoring the roots and avoiding imitation. How do you keep Expecter from becoming a museum piece?
Eric: We try to have a very wide range in our music. Not one song sounds like the other, yet they all have a noticeable “Expecter” tag on them. I believe what matters is to have a unique style that aligns with the roots yet extends them to make you standout. You will absolutely be able to hear that as soon as our first album will be out ;-)
Alex: We put a lot of work to have songs that stand out from each other without loosing the roots where we come from. Its very unpredictable for us while writing these songs how the next song will sound and I hope we can keep that up. I always like to have something unexpected in the songs.
What’s the one record - not the obvious one - that every Expecter fan should own if they want to understand this band?
Alex: I´m really not sure. Maybe some Best of 80s Heavy Metal Double LP? I would be really interested what people would guess.
