Doomed Confessionary: Alex Spielhaupter (Ockra)
Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, Ockra is a power trio playing a mixture of doom metal and progressive rock with a great devotion to dramatic melodies, big riffs and catchy vocal arrangements.
The band released their debut album »Gratitude« on May 26th, 2023 via Argonauta Records. It has been recorded live in June 2021 at “Die Muehle” by Peter Voigtmann (The Ocean) and mastered by Philipp Welsing (Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Crestfallen Queen).
Ockra are Jonas Nyström (drums), Erik Björnlinger (guitar) and Alex Spielhaupter (vocals, bass).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Hi, this is Alex. Our band is called Ockra, located in Gothenburg, Sweden. We play together since 2016/17 and evolved out the stoner doom rock band Sulphur Dreams. We’re still connected to our roots, but the aim with Ockra was to dig further into other, new musical territories. That’s why people call our style prog doom. We released a first EP in 2020 via Argonauta Records. Everything for that record was recorded in a DIY manner (except the mixing part) at home. Due to the pandemic (we released in april and I think the first lockdown started in april 2020), we decided to focus on writing new music instead of trying to look out for live shows. The result was the debut album »Gratitude« which was recorded at the studio “Die Muehle” near Hamburg and also got released via Argonauta Records in 2023.
What was the biggest challenge for the band last year?
The recording process for the debut album was very intense and took a lot of effort. Given that we all have full time jobs, studies and families we are in the constant struggle of finding time and of keeping up the pace and intensity. Especially after the recording of the album we felt that we needed to step down a bit. But that is sometimes needed. For us the process of of being creative goes in waves with ups and downs (which is probably quite common). But with that said, we’ve already come over this “creative” break and new songs for album nr. 2 are in the making.
What can you be most proud of last year?
We are most proud of our debut album, of what it became and how well it was received by the media and listeners in general. We feel that we’ve come pretty close to what could be called our stile, combining doom, singer songrwriter, prog and pop elements.
What was your biggest regret?
Difficult question…maybe that we haven’t managed to play the new songs live yet. That will defintely change in 2024.
What was the best concert/tour last year and why?
Given that we didn’t play live I only can talk about concerts we’ve been to ;). The concert at a local scene of the band Burst here in Gothenburg was really impressive. Super tight and super energetic live performance. Probably one of the best shows I’ve been to for a while.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
All of us three would probably name different bands. But given that it’s me (Alex) answering I would say that the new Lightning Dust record really went out well. We are all admirers of Black Mountain and especially Ambers vocals are amazing, something that she proves even with Lightning Dust. For me they combine a perfect mix of synth music, singer songwriter melancholy and beautiful harmonies.
Where can we see you live last year (concerts/tours)?
We defintely plan for live shows last year. But when and where is not set yet.
What are your plans for this year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
We are in the midst of the writing process for album nr. 2. Our biggest goal is to put down these songs and give them a proper sound. Hopefully we can record them this year. Besides that we want to play our songs infront of a live audience. Right now we are looking out for venues here in Gothenburg to make a start.
What are your New Year’s Eve activities like?
Probably all of us spend that day with their close ones. Me, I spent the day with my family and close friends in Germany celebrating in a more calm manner with children games and dinner.
How can people best support your band?
Listen to our music and give us feedback. That really pushes us forward. You can buy our records on Bandcamp or via Argonauta Records. But, really it’s all about creativity and seeing that our music reaches out to countries we’ve never been to, is really mindblowing. Something really exciting about the times we’re living in.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thanks a lot for reading this and for the interest in our music. We really appreciate that. That’s nothing we take for granted! Look out for new Ockra stuff and live shows in 2024!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well