Influenced by the early Metallica albums “Kill ‘Em All” and “Ride the Lightning,” Stephan was already playing today’s Metallica classics in the 1980s – although not yet in a Metallica cover band. “Seek & Destroy,” “The Four Horsemen,” “Creeping Death,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “Fade to Black” were already staples in his repertoire. Lars Ulrich and Dave Lombardo of Slayer, along with drummers like Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden), Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), and Cozy Powell (Rainbow, Black Sabbath, among others), were his biggest influences in the “early metal years.”
When Stephan heard “Master of Puppets” for the first time, he immediately formed his first band with some fiends in his hometown in Germany, and countless live performances quickly made him a sought-after drummer.
Stephan experienced his first Metallica show on October 22, 1988, in Saarbrücken/Germany, and many, many more were to follow.
Los Angeles Education
To improve his playing, Stephan took lessons from Hans-Peter Becker at the Modern Music School in the 1990s. Inspired by him, he moved to Los Angeles in 1996 to study drums for a year under the California sun at the Los Angeles Music Academy with legendary teachers such as Mark Schulman (P!nk, Foreigner, Billy Idol), Joe Porcaro, Ralph Humphrey (Frank Zappa), and Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper). He often jammed with Dave Lombardo, whom he had previously met at a Modern Music School drum camp. After returning from America, Stephan joined the Modern Music School as a teacher and is now the manager of four Modern Music School locations in Germany. Over the years, he played in various bands. For example, he recorded two albums with “The Shanes” and toured with them through Europe and America for several years.
Stephan’s Path to a Metallica Cover Band
Metallica shows have been a recurring theme throughout these years, including Monsters of Rock ’91, the Black Album Tour, the Nowhere Else To Roam Tour, Werchter ’93, Los Angeles (@ The Forum) ’96, Rock am Ring, and more, right up to Sonisphere 2010, where Stephan was invited by Dave Lombardo to experience a Metallica show on stage. Stephan has seen a total of approximately 50 Metallica shows since 1988.
Moretallica Becomes MY’TALLICA
In 2006, Stephan co-founded the Metallica tribute band “Moretallica,” which later merged with “MYTALLICA.” With MY’TALLICA, he uses his many years of experience to set standards for authentic Metallica tribute shows throughout Germany. Over the years, he has amassed an impressive collection of TAMA drum kits in the style of Lars Ulrich.
