The NwothmREVIEW: ZEPTER – “ZEPTER”
Release date: 20.02.2026
Label:High Roller Records
3–5 minutesPablo Rumel
ZEPTER is a traditional heavy metal band from Austria, formed in 2024 by musicians who had already played together in other projects. After quickly releasing a debut EP, the group shaped an identity built on classic structures, frequent twin-guitar harmonies, and clear references to the NWOBHM, seventies hard rock, and early speed metal. Their first full-length, released by High Roller Records, combines new material with a single cover and reflects a sound influenced by Thin Lizzy, UFO, and early Maiden.
Review
The album opens with Slasher on the Highway, a brief synth intro straight out of an eighties horror film. It does not linger. Fifteen seconds in, the first sonic hit breaks through, driven by a fast, stripped-down, punk-leaning rhythm. The riffs rely on tight power-chord work, with high melodic lines and twin-guitar breaks anchoring each verse. Lukas Götzenberger, on vocals and guitars, delivers a high, sweet, controlled voice that stays powerful but never angry. An ethereal tone that moves easily across the band’s framework.
Everlasting clarifies the band’s core approach. Those high-register twin-guitar phrases return, now paired with galloping rhythms and very eighties stop-and-start breaks. Tobias Hochwagen’s bass keeps close to the drums and comes forward during the melodic interludes, in a manner clearly indebted to Maiden.
Writing a track called The Slayer and sounding like eighties Slayer is a choice, and that is what happens here. Fast, syncopated chords cut the phrasing and return with new bursts of speed. Bell hits appear, along with heavier, slower sections. The twin guitars remain the group’s defining asset. They cross and re-cross, building lines loaded with feeling, while bass and drums carry the center.
Hit The Streets leans fully into a hard-rock format, with riffs mixing bends and gallops in a clean, stylish way. It feels like the soundtrack to an old martial-arts-meets-gangsters film set in some neon-lit alley. Drummer Alex Nemeth keeps things grounded. No polyrhythms, no excessive fills. The music calls for a steady hand, clear transitions, a four-on-the-floor pulse, and consistent speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4OrIsrov6Y
With a similar energy, The Exterminator brings another fast track that does not rely solely on tempo. The band inserts small arrangements between verses, this time with Sabbath-like melodic lines and wide twin-guitar work in the solo sections. This is one of their signatures. Instead of neoclassical or dissonant speed solos, they favor sustained, harmonized phrases. No guitar hero theatrics. Composition drives the song, and the rhythm section is allowed to step out of its basic mold and explore freer ideas. A strong moment for the band.
Dark Angels switches gears. Mid-tempo, riff-heavy, hook-driven, and far more grounded. A traditional lead guitar solo appears here, framed by a sound that blends Misfits-style horror punk with NWOTHM touches reminiscent of UFO or proto-heavy acts like Ashbury or Wishbone Ash. A solid entry point for listeners seeking something different from the rest of the album.
In 1984, a Swedish band called Screem recorded a three-track demo. One of those songs was Lonely Night. The style aligned with the NWOTHM wave, echoing bands like Sortilège or Manilla Road. The sound quality was undeniably raw, but the energy was unmistakable. Zepter picked up on that spirit. Their version of Lonely Night retains the urgency, the clean rhythmic drive, and those small guitar details that elevate the arrangement. Does it sound like the opening of an eighties anime? Absolutely. And the heavy, dragging riffs after the solo are executed with precision.
The album ends with The Lords, the most unrestrained track of the set. It opens at full speed, built on sharp palm-mute sections and crisp right-hand attack. It is the most headbang-ready song on the record, yet it never abandons the band’s melodic identity. The track recalls early speed metal in the style of X Japan or Exciter, anchored once again in tightly matched twin-guitar work. A strong closer.
Conclusion
Zepter presents a clear, coherent identity shaped by melodic twin guitars, well-placed eighties arrangements, and a rhythmic foundation that favors control over technical excess. The retro angle is intentional and executed with care, supported by a solid grasp of heavy and early speed metal lineage. Their next step lies in refining their signature elements, adding greater rhythmic and emotional variation, and expanding the vocal expressiveness that could help elevate a strong foundation into a more distinctive and memorable voice.
TheNwothm Score: 7.5/10
Links
Bandcamp:https://fuckingkillrecords.bandcamp.com/album/zepter-inferno
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/zepterattacks/
Label:High Roller Records
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Thomas