We featured Lagerstein as a New Band of the Day all the way back in 2013, but we didn’t interview bands back then so thought we’d poke them until they spoke to us. They’re also the first of the bands we’ll be featuring who are playing Wacken 2019!
Where are you guys from?
We are from Brisbane Australia! Sunny Queensland.
How did you meet?
Lagerstein originally met at birth, as our two guitarists The Majestic Beast, and Neil Rummy Rackers are brothers. They met Mother Junkst playing in bands in the Brisbane scene. There was to much serious death metal around at the time, so we vowed to most fun and party band. Basically we wanted to do beer bongs on stage, so Lagerstein was born!
How long have you been playing as a band?
We started jamming in 2010. So next year will mark the 10th anniversary of us forming! Time sure does fly when you’re having rum.
Where does your band name come from?
It definitely doesn’t come from our long and serious study of the German language. We have been informed that it doesn’t really mean anything in German! But in Australia, ‘Lager’ is a kind of beer, and ‘Stein’ is a giant glass cup you drink delicious beer out of. Naturally these two things go together superbly. Hence ‘Lagerstein’.
What are you influences?
Lagerstein has a lot of influences. Every band probably says this, but I think for us it is especially true. We began by playing in symphonic death metal bands, and in it’s current incantation Lagerstein is built out of people with Metal, Jazz, Classical and Prog backgrounds. Getting in a van with all these dudes will take you from Cannibal Corpse to The Beatles, to Bob Marley, then some German drinking songs, and back to Rotting Christ, with everything in between. We really go through a lot of music together. In our song writing we want to make something which is grounded by a strong theme, but is super original, and not constrained by genre borders.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Of course! Lagerstein is Lagerstein’s lyrical theme. And Lagerstein are pirates! So we like to sing about adventuring, sailing and drinking rum. Which is generally what we also like to do in real life! So we sing about ourselves, and our life of partying and adventure.
What’s your live show like?
A party! If you a house party meets musical theatre, blended through the meyhem of heavy metal then you are pretty close to a Lagerstein show. Our show is super high energy. It’s hot, sweaty and full of booze! We take the audience on a ride, so it’s all very dramatic. One moment you’ll be in a wall of death, and the next moment you’ll be sitting with the captain, drinking rum out of a glass duck, and singing about the wench that got away!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done at a show?
That’s a very loaded question. There have been so so many wild shows. One that sticks out right now is when we had a massive count down for 100 shoeys at our show at the Gryphon in Bristol, UK. We basically hijacked the bar, and got the entire place chanting as we went around and made every do a shoey out of Neil’s shoe until we hit one hundred. Naturally the Captain took the honours. That shoe is still hanging front and centre at the Gryphon to this day! So if you’re thinking of making it 101 shoeys, just ask for Neil’s best drop. They’ll know what you mean ;)
What kit do you use/guitars do you play?
Lagerstein is a 7 piece band, so we have a lot of instruments going around! Neil Rummy Rackers plays on a Suhr Custom Modern, and the Majestic Beast uses an ESP Horizon. Rusty bangs around on a Pearl Reference. You’ll also find some awesome Roland gear, like an Ax-Edge Keytar. These are our party weapons!
What, if anything are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Lagerstein is a world wide partying machine! So we always have a lot going on. Right now we are about to head on the road for our ‘Beer Right Back’ Tour around Australia. But the most exciting thing for us is to be heading to Sweden next month to record our third album with producer extraordinaire, Fredrik Nordström! We have got an absolute banger of a record in store for everyone, our best yet by far, and this man is going to be the one to bring it to life with us.
Beyond this we are heading to Europe to crush festivals. We’re especially looking forward to playing Wacken Open Air for the first time! We are road warriors, so expect us to be in a city near you soon! We live to party!
What are your plans for 2019?
Release the album, play festivals all over Europe. Headlining tour of Europe and the UK, Headlining tour of Australia. Drink delicious beers. We clearly have a tough year ahead ;)
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Seen hundreds of bands. Don’t know exactly how these guys do it, but Lagerstein are without doubt a top 5 experience. Truly are great fun, but quality metal too. Make no mistake they can play. Highly recommend to see