Interview with KAPTOR
!!!SPEED THRASH METAL FROM ESTONIA!!!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about KAPTOR (Members, Starting Year etc).
S.Steelförger: The lineup currently consists of K. Pöwerlörd on guitars/backing vocals, H. Ännihilätör on drums and me (S. Steelförger) on bass/vocals. We started playing together in early 2021 and the concept for Käptör came alive in 2022.
You have recently released your album ''Speed & Pöwer''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
S.Steelförger: The feedback has been mostly positive so far I guess.
K.Pöwerlörd: Overall the feedback has been quite positive, of course there is some negativity, but that is to be expected with every band out there, so in the end, I would say I am happy with the feedback and it gives me the feeling that we really did accomplish something good.
Label or DIY and why?
S.Steelförger: Depends on the band I think. If a band has a specific vision, enough finances and are ready to handle the promotion part themselves then I feel that DIY is the way to go. On the other hand, I personally hate the promotional side of this “music industry” and prefer somebody else to do it. Luckily we have the honor to be under the wing of a great “DIY record label” called Gatekeeper Records. Working with the label is fantastic, we are very like minded and love sending ideas back and forth. We are a band with a very specific vision and aesthetic and the label helps us to bring it alive.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
S.Steelförger: First thing that comes to mind happened during the recording of our album. We have a part in the end of the first song which we recorded at 240 BPM, but H. Ännihilätör kept going out of tempo. After a few takes we analyzed what was going on and it turned out that he was playing the part even faster than needed!
K.Pöwerlörd: A lot has happened during our time as a band, messing up parts during our performances, going out of tempo during recording and so on. I would say that all of it is important to the feel we have as a band and the memories we make. Everything that comes to the band should be taken as something you do for the purpose of having fun and enjoying your time, so yes, all of the mess ups we have had during our time.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
K.Pöwerlörd: Personally, I prefer either vinyls or tapes. Digital formats are also really good, since they give the possibility to listen to music everywhere and at all times, however, when it comes to the feel, authenticity and collection aspect, vinyls or tapes will always be on top for me.
S. Steelförger: 1) Vinyl, 2) Tapes 3) CD 4) Digital
I Love collecting the first two, and do not really care about the others. As for our band, tapes and digital are the way to go for us right now. Having our album out on vinyl currently remains a dream.
Your music style is Heavy/Speed Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
S.Steelförger: I think our style is more akin to speed/thrash metal hehe. Older bands like Venom, Razor, Slayer, Hobbs’ Angel of Death, Dark Angel, Nasty Savage, early Death. Newer bands that have influenced our sound are Vulture, Cruel Force, Antichrist and SexMag.
K.Pöwerlörd: My main inspirations are Forbidden, Morbid Saint and early Slayer. Of course there are more influences, for example Exciter, Razor, Dark Angel, Nasty Savage and so on, but for me personally, and for my writing style the first three I mentioned are up there for sure.
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
S. Steelförger: A lot of time and money. Yeah, a lot of time and money has been invested in buying gear and learning to play our instruments.
K.Pöwerlörd: Time and money - all of the gear for rehearsals/gigs, for practicing our craft and so on. Time is also a major factor. For every gig we have, it takes tens of hours combined just to get ready, and that is without the time we have spent learning our instruments, studying and analyzing music, writing our songs and so on.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
S.Steelförger: The band has rehearsed, everybody is confident, healthy and in a good mood, the lightning and sound on the stage is good and the crowd is excited! I think the gig we had in Helsinki during our Spears of Grief tour last year ticked pretty much all of the boxes.
K.Pöwerlörd: Good sound, everyone is ready for the gig, in a good mood, sick location, crowd who understands and enjoys our music and also other bands that perform. Thinking about all of that, I would say that the most important part is just having fun and everything else falling in place for it to happen, not every gig is going to be perfect, but every gig can be an absolutely fantastic experience to build ourselves on. Because of that I am not going to bring out any specific gig, since every single one we have had has built towards something even better.
What attributes do you think that a new Heavy/Speed Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
K.Pöwerlörd: Understanding what your goals are, with music, gigs, writing and so on. Without a specific goal and sound in the mind, it is really difficult to write music that sounds good and sticks with the audience and those goals also give the basis to find your identity as a band. First, you write something that might be basic, might follow the exact rules your genre follows and after that, through experimentation you are going to find your sound and your identity.
S.Steelförger: I personally think that in the heavy/speed/thrash/whatever older genre, the best era will always be the original and bands that try to keep that flame alive (like us) should stick to the original formula and give their best to replicate it so the legacy would live on. I think that bands nowadays put too much effort in trying to be unique and “different from the rest” and that creates a situation where the bands that try to sound different all sound the same.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Heavy/Speed Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
K.Pöwerlörd: Digital platforms absolutely do help with getting your music out to the masses, but I still believe the best way to promote your work is through gigs, meeting other bands, getting your music out there in person.
S.Steelförger: Yeah, digital platforms can help bands, but you really need to know how to handle it, what works and what doesn’t. For the ideal way, I think playing gigs whenever and wherever is the best way. We have met many absolute maniacs from just playing gigs together and I cherish all the friends-fans we have made along the way!
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Estonia (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
S.Steelförger: In a small country like Estonia with around 1.3 million people it’s hard to have a proper “scene”. There is the Tallinn “scene” with mostly black/death metal bands and Tartu has its own black metal “scene”. All it takes to make a scene here is a handful of active bands, doesn’t even need to be stylistically similar to one another. I don’t think there are any metal zines in the making currently, but there was a book released about the Estonian death metal history from the 90s. It’s called Offense Zine: Death Metal in Estonia (1989-1995) by Veiko Rebane. A great read!
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
S.Steelförger: I know Greece has many old-school metal maniacs, but unfortunately I have yet to dive into the scene. Must do it soon though!
What are your future plans?
S.Steelförger: We are currently on a break actually. We all have different things going on in our personal lives and I’d say we have earned some time off from the band. We shall see what the future brings…
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thanks for having us, all the best and make sure the flame of old-school metal burns forever!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
KAPTOR CONTACT:
https://kaptorofsin.bandcamp.com/album/speed-p-wer