TheNwothm: For those about to rock, who exactly is Sceptor and where do you call home these days, given your German and U.S. roots?

Todde: First of all, thank you very much for the opportunity to present the band — we truly appreciate it! Sceptor is an old-school power metal band, heavily influenced by legendary acts such as early Savatage, Iron Maiden, Metal Church, Helstar, Attacker, Kamelot, Gothic Knights and others. As you can probably tell, we’re deeply inspired by US bands, and that influence is clearly reflected in our sound. After Bob Mitchell faced health issues, he decided to retire from music. Since then, Sceptor has been based entirely in Germany.

TheNwothm: What brought you together back in 2009, and what’s the story behind the name “Sceptor”? Was there a rejected name that still makes you laugh?

Todde: After I moved to another state, I wanted to start making metal music again. Before that, I was in bands like Ritual Steel and also had my own project. Sceptor came together very quickly. The songs were already written — I had a bunch of ideas before Sceptor even existed. I had a clear vision of the sound from the beginning. The name Sceptor itself is kind of a mix: it’s based on scepter, the symbolic staff, combined with a bit of fantasy flair — which led to replacing the E with an O. The C just looked cool. That’s all — LOL. After all these years, I honestly can’t remember what other name suggestions we had back then… but there were probably quite a few.

TheNwothm: Coming from both Mannheim and later Bensheim  and now also Erie, Pennsylvania, how have those places shaped your sound or energy as a band?

Ingmar: You’re referring to Bob Mitchell, who is indeed Native American and resides in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Bob suffered a severe stroke two or three years ago. His doctors made it clear that singing again — even years after his initial recovery — would carry a significant risk of another stroke. So in the end, he chose to focus on his health and give his body the care it needed. He decided to retire from music and now devotes his time to his family. He’s a grandfather to several grandchildren, and as far as I can tell, he’s very happy with his decision.

Afterwards, we got in touch with our current singer, Florian Reimann, and fortunately, we came together — which has been truly great. When Todde and I heard the first demo of Florian singing one particular song from the upcoming album, we were electrified. His voice had such depth and character that it inspired us to move away from the classic US metal sound. We couldn’t be happier with the new songs and the new direction. Since I’m not from Bensheim myself, only Todde could really answer your question about the place and its influence.

Todde: Saying that Mannheim is Sceptor’s home base isn’t entirely accurate. While our rehearsal room was located in Mannheim, our studio was actually in a town called Heppenheim. That’s where we did most of the recordings for our first single Introducing…, and it was also mixed there. Later, the recordings for Take Command were done in the same place. So if I had to name a true origin, I’d say Heppenheim — and later, Bensheim, which remains our base to this day. Did these places really influence our early material? Maybe…

TheNwothm: Is there anything uniquely German (or American) that sneaks into your songwriting or performances, even unintentionally?

Todde: Yes, absolutely! It’s that US-style riffing you don’t often hear in European metal. As I mentioned before, the Sceptor sound is heavily influenced by American bands — and that definitely comes through in our music.

TheNwothm: In your eyes, what makes the heavy metal scene special today and what do you think it’s missing?

Ingmar: I am personally not deeply involved in the local and regional metal scene, or let’s say not any longer. I think the scene in the Rhine-Main region suffers especially from the lack of venues. Besides some Festivals or some pubs, Newcomer Bands have only small chances to play a proper club.

Todde: Yes, it’s becoming harder and harder to get gigs. Most bands are signed to agencies, and it’s the agents who decide who gets to support them. Even if you’re friends with someone in a band, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll end up playing a show together.

After COVID, we all basically had to start from scratch. One interesting — and somewhat frustrating — fact is that most people are now spending their money on bigger acts, while the underground scene gets less and less support.

TheNwothm: Let’s time travel back to “Introducing… Sceptor” (2010). What were you aiming to introduce and do you think that version of Sceptor would recognise where you are today?

Todde: 2010 feels like a long time ago. Looking back sometimes makes me smile — and feel grateful at the same time. The working title came from Bob, who felt it was time to introduce Sceptor to the world. And that’s exactly what happened with our debut single, which was released through High Roller Records.

We still perform one of the songs from that single live — it’s a fan favorite and has become something of a hit. A funny thing is that you can still find videos on YouTube of people covering Shadows in the Maze — and some of them sound really great!

TheNwothm: The title “A Hellish Demo” (2011) practically dares listeners in. What was the hellish part  the sound, the process, or something behind the scenes?

Todde: There was this song called A Hellish Night that we recorded as a demo back in the day. Along with it, there were one or two other tracks. So we thought it might be a good idea to name the demo after that song — but with Demo instead of Night.

TheNwothm: “Take Command!” (2012) feels like a call to arms. What was the creative fire behind that full-length debut, and what track still makes you raise your fist when you hear it live?

Todde: When it comes to the songs from our first album, for me it’s definitely the title track Take Command and Raging Seas. We just wanted to go out there and take the stage by storm — and that’s exactly what the album title reflects.

TheNwothm: Fast-forward to “Rise to the Light” what was rising, and what light were you aiming for? How does it feel compared to your earlier works?

Todde: This album is very special to the band because it’s filled with so much creativity. Remember — Bob had suffered a stroke; this is the last record you’ll ever hear him sing on. Compared to everything we did before, this one just feels right. We’re very proud of this record. The album was released in the troubled times of Covid. Maybe this title is just like a beacon in the night.

TheNwothm: You’ve got one day off the road with no responsibilities; who’s doing what in the band? (And who’s probably lost or napping?)

Ingmar: I’ d do an extensive Video call with my family. Afterwards, I’d do sightseeing wherever I am combined with the consumption of local beers. That would be my more or less unmetal day off.

TheNwothm: Have any of you ever had a totally un-metal job that fans would be shocked to hear about?

Ingmar: I suppose we all have totally un-metal day jobs…

TheNwothm: If Sceptor had its own signature beer or weapon (hey, fantasy themes!), what would it be called?

Ingmar: “Rise to the Head” as for a signature brew. Poseidon’s Trident could most likely be our signature weapon.

TheNwothm: Are there any specific countries or cities you’ve never played in but dream of bringing the Sceptor sound to?

Ingmar: South America and the European south. I think these countries and regions are a very special experience for authentic, more classical Metal Bands with clean vocals. I think these audiences are very enthusiastic about melodic music with a hard edge and musicians that give 120% whilst performing it live.

TheNwothm: What are your touring plans for the rest of the year?

Ingmar: Nothing planned for the rest of 2025. As we have a new line up with only Torsten left as a founding member the focus is on gluing it all together to a real Unit. Besides Florian, we had incredible luck to get Attila and Thomas replacing Flo Bodenheimer and Timo “Moe” Nolden, which had to call it a day cause of personal reasons. Attila is a real beast of a drummer, so much power. It is great as a bass player to have a tight and powerful buddy behind the drums! Thomas was also god-send. Try to find an extremely skilled guitar Player in your neighborhood, liking the same music, same goals, same values as a person, same kind of humour…and we have the luck to have a great producer and engineer with Volker Herms and Nathalie Lang, which manages alle PR related things,  social media and further more.

We are f**ing happy and thankful for all the good things that came our way, after the some kind of depressed phase after Bob Mitchell packing it in. But to come back to your question, 2026 will see extensive live activities. We will play the “Meenz in black” Festival in Mainz and the “Taunus Metal Festival” nearby Frankfurt in early spring which are both in our hood. Furthermore, we will play the “Berge rockt” in summer and several other gigs tba. Most likely, there will be several Shows at Bavarian Metal Festivals in the southeast of Germany due to our Label Metalizer Records which is located in beautiful Bavaria.

TheNwothm: Can you share any hints about your next release which is due for release later this year! Are we talking epic fantasy, battlefield anthems, or something totally unexpected?

Ingmar: There will be all of the three mentioned possibilities. I suppose we have a more or less New Faible for ambiente Greece to give a first hint.

TheNwothm: How can our readers buy your music and merch?

S: Worldwide! Our label runs a small online shop and is happy to ship the items you want anywhere.
You can find Bernie — the owner of Metalizer Records — at nearly every underground festival in Germany. He runs a large merch stand and sells all the unique metal you could ever imagine.

You can also contact the band directly for limited items like CDs, LPs, shirts, and patches.
And yes — if you’d like an autograph, we’re happy to add it to the record!

TheNwothm: Where can fans follow you online?

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/sceptormetal

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/sceptor_metal/

TheNwothm: Anything else you would like to mention?

Ingmar: We can’t wait performing the upcoming Album live. Most of the Songs are hidden live gems that will Workout great live. The New musicians in the band fit in perfectly, Attila is the new magyarian drum beast from the east, Thomas the perfect lead guitar Player with outstanding technical skills and feel, Florian Puts his own, fat stamp on the music with his distinctive voice. We are proud having him in the band. For Sure, experienced metal vocalists with a unique voice which can Front a band and take the audience by the balls is a very very rare species…

Todde: We want to thank everyone who believed in the band and helped make our third record a reality.
There are so many people who gave us a helping hand — in graphics, recording, mixing, and more.
To the fans who encouraged us to carry on, even during tough times; to those who invited us to play at their festivals; to the magazines who supported us with interviews and reviews — thank you. Nick Giannakos of WRETCH who did a fantastic guest solo on one of our new songs. And last but not least, a huge thank you to Bernhard from Metalizer Records. Without him, Wrath of the Gods would never have happened.

There are too many people to name individually, but please know — you are truly in our thoughts, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.