Skull & Crossbones
March Of Time

11.11.2025

Although the name of this German band may sound new to a lot of our readers, they are more than likely to be familiar with the musicians behind it. Skull & Crossbones was put together in 2019 by four of the guys who previously played together in Stormwitch and recorded their latest full-length album “Bound To The Witch”. Their current endeavor generally continues the legacy of the cult southern German heavy metallers, but their singer Tobi Hubner is totally different, their music has a fair share of modern influences, and, as guitarist Tobi Kipp tells us, “the Stormwitch time is over” for everyone involved. We got to talk to Tobi shortly before the release of the second Skull & Crossbones album, “Time” (due November 14 via Massacre Records), and he told us as much as he could about what’s going on in his current band.

Your second album, “Time”, is coming out in mid-November. Was it easier or more difficult to write and record than the first one (“Sungazer”, 2023)? 

In my opinion, it was easier, because on the first record the songs were originally made for our former singer (Stefan Fronk, ex-Brainstorm). Then we switched to Tobi, our current singer, so we had to work on the songs more. The second album was easier for me to write, because we learned a lot from making the first album, so we could work more efficiently. 

We know that the band members write the song at home and exchange ideas by the Internet. Does it work this way because you have to do so (e.g. you live far away from each other, or rehearsal rooms are expensive), or is it because you just enjoy creating in the comfort of your homes?

Our bassist lives around 120 km away from us, and we all have normal jobs and families, so we decided to create songs at home and exchange ideas through the internet.

But is it something you enjoy, or would you prefer writing together if you had the opportunity?

The problem is that when you meet at the rehearsal room, there are often only two people who are creative. I like to write main riffs and songs at home, then I send them to Tobi, and he comes up with a melody over the verses, for example. Then you see if the idea is good, and you follow the work. I like working the way we do that.

As far as we understand, there are two main composers in the band, you and Volker (Schmietow, guitar), and it is Tobi Hubner who writes all the lyrics. Do you agree on things easily most of the time, or do you argue a lot about music and production?

That’s right, Volker and I, we write the main instrumental parts, and Volker and I are neighbors, so we can easily communicate, or I even go to his house, but I generally I like his ideas, and I like Tobi’s vocal ideas. Of course, sometimes there are phrases that need to be rearranged, but the main thing is that we love the same type of melodies and riffs, so that’s easy.

On the new album, several songs deal with the subject matter of time, and the album is actually called “Time”. Would you say that it’s a concept album, or a thematic album?

It’s not a concept album. There are some songs that are about time in different ways, but it was never planned as a concept album. The time theme kind of developed while we were writing the songs.

Who is the figure on the cover artwork of “Time”? Is it the same person as on the cover of “Sungazer”?

No, it’s a different person.

How did “The Ocean’s Call”, the final song on the album, and its intro come together? Is it a kind of homage to Running Wild?

(laughs) We weren’t sure whether to put that song on the album. It was a fun song; because of our name Skull & Crossbones there were some reviews where people thought we were a pirate band. I personally am a big Running Wild fan, and I don’t want to say that the song is a joke, but it is sort of fun, because some people thought we were similar to Running Wild or a pirate band, and we responded to them this way. 

Could you tell us a few words about new drummer Bernd Heining? He was already a session musician on “Sungazer” and your album with Stormwitch - does it mean that you had two drummers playing on those albums?

No, our drummer from Stormwitch, Mark Oppold, was the drummer of Skull & Crossbones for the first two years, and Bernd programmed some drum beats and was the editor of drum recordings.

But what happened to Mark, and how did you get Bernd in the band?

There was never a problem with Mark, a personal problem, we are still friends. But he didn’t have the time for the band, so he decided to quit. There were no arguments between us. And Bernd was the first choice for us, because he knew how Mark played, and we asked him if he could imagine joining us.

Bernd is a busy man, he is also a member of Goblins Blade and Parhelyon. Don’t you think that he may have scheduling conflicts because of playing in several bands?

I don’t know anything about Goblins Blade. The only thing I know is that he plays in Parhelyon and MystOpera. With MystOpera he played at Wacken Open Air this year, but he has time for all these projects, and it works fine.

What are your touring plans in support of “Time”? Do you expect to play many shows with it? In general, are you satisfied with how much Skull & Crossbones play live?

Of course, we have plans. We have a release show in November, and we will play several more shows this year. Concerts are also planned for next year and even 2027. I think this year we have played about five or six shows so far, but we plan more and more. We will try to get as much shows and festivals as we can.

We remember seeing a poster of your show with Witchbound, it was in May 2023, if we're not mistaken, and Witchbound is, of course, another band established by former Stormwitch members. How did it happen that you joined forces? Are you all from the same area?

We have the same base, we all played in Stormwitch, and we have no arguments. We like each other, so we can play shows together, it’s fun. 

Do you play any Stormwitch material live with Skull & Crossbones?

No, nein! 

But you did participate in the writing of the latest Stormwitch album, didn’t you? Why not play anything from it?

For me the Stormwitch time is over. Stormwitch has nothing to do with Skull & Crossbones, so we only play our own songs.

Then let us ask you about your time before Stormwitch. When and how did you start playing guitar? Were you a member of any bands before Stormwitch?

I started playing when I was 11 years old. Later I played in some local cover bands. I was 26 or 27 when I met Volker. They were searching for a guitarist for their metal cover band, I called him, and we got together. At that time he already played in Stormwitch. Then the other guitarist quit, they started looking for a new one, and that’s the story how I came to join Stormwitch. 

When did you start writing music? Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?

I started writing songs for the latest Stormwitch album. Before that I didn’t write anything, that was the first time for me.

Skull & Crossbones is a band with members from different generations. Bassist Wanschi is 61 years old, and Tobi Hubner and you are 37 years old. What brings the five of you together? What makes playing in this particular line-up enjoyable for you and the rest of the members?

To me, something that is extremely important for a band is that you are friends, there are no arguments, there are no persons who think they have to determine the course of the band. We all have the same goals, and that’s why we have been together for such a long time. I’ve known Volker for 10-12 years, and we are still friends. This is why the band works.

The press release by Massacre Records says that Skull & Crossbones “balance classic heavy and power metal with a modern edge”. In your opinion, what are these modern elements that the label is talking about? What is it that makes Skull & Crossbones different from traditional heavy metal?

We do have traditional guitar riffs, I can’t hide my influences, and when it comes to modern, I think it’s Tobi’s vocals, his harmonies and melodies. They are of a different type, not so much traditional and oldschool.

Do you personally listen to a lot of modern heavy music, or heavy music at all? What are your personal favorites these days?

I like old Helloween, for example, they are one of my favorite bands, Primal Fear and a lot of oldschool stuff like Running Wild, I’m a big Running Wild fan.

Do you play in any other bands apart from Skull & Crossbones? Your bio on the official website also mentions a band called 7 More Days…

I quit 7 More Days last year because two bands for me is too hard, there are too many gigs. 7 More Days was a rock cover band, they played a lot and there was always a date when Skull & Crossbones and 7 More Days were supposed to play in different places at the same time. For me Skull & Crossbones was more important, so I decided to quit the other band to have more time for Skull & Crossbones.

Does the life of a musician in Germany get easier or more difficult as time passes? If we compare the music scene from 10 years ago and the music scene of today, which one would you prefer?

I don’t think there’s much of a difference between now and 10 years ago. Of course, it’s hard being in the scene, because there are so many bands, and it’s hard to get gigs, it’s hard to get festivals. But I’m not sure if it was easier 10 or 15 years ago.

What are your future goals with Skull & Crossbones? Where would you like to take the band will be in 10 years from now?

First, of course, we want our third album, we are already writing songs for the third album. We want to play bigger shows, perhaps at Wacken, for example – that’s a goal for every band. It would be great if we could play not only in Germany, so far we’ve only played here in Germany.

Skull & Crossbones on the Internet: http://www.skullandcrossbones.de/  

Special thanks to Barbara Francone (Neecee Agency) for arranging this interview

Interview by Roman Patrashov, Natalia “Snakeheart” Patrashova
Photos used courtesy of Neecee Agency
October 16, 2025
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