INTERVIEW: Ater on Sadness, Sound Evolution, and Their Return to Bucharest

With roots in Chile, South America and a sound that blends somber heaviness with raw emotion, Ater is quickly carving out a space for themselves on the international metal scene. Formed by Fernando “Feroz” Bühring—a classically trained musician turned metal visionary—the band has evolved from a one-man project into a powerful collective, now joined by drummer Vincent “Txalkan” Zbinden and guitarist Christian Vallejos. Known for their immersive live performances, Ater is riding the momentum of their latest album “Somber” and preparing to unveil a new, more melodic chapter.

Before their anticipated show at Quantic Pub in Bucharest, Romania, on 13 May 2025, we sat down with the members of the group to talk about musical identity, touring life, and the deeply personal journey behind their forthcoming album.

Ater performing at Quantic Pub, 13 May 2025
© Paul Voicu [LivePictures Ro]

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Greetings! We are feeling very well.

How’s everything in your part of the world?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Well, in our part of the world it is a peculiar situation because there’s a huge metal scene, but it’s comprised of metal fans, not necessarily of local bands. There are a lot of “tourists” coming by, and that’s really successful, but when it comes to local shows, and all that, there’s still a very poor distribution.

Was that the reason you wanted to start a band in the first place?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Well, I was a huge fan of older bands, and I felt like there was a gap—something that wasn’t being done, something that existed only in my head. I was studying music at the time, and I decided to start writing my own music. That became the band.

And I think it’s a really interesting experience to share music with other people, you know? I think it makes a huge difference when you share music and that passion with others.

What was the first message you wanted to transmit through your lyrics?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: First and foremost—sadness. And also something about mysteries, the universe, and inner spiritualism. But the music is very sad, and the lyrics reflect that, just to support the heaviness of the sound.

Where did you draw your inspiration from?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: To be honest, when I write lyrics, I try not to be influenced by books or anything like that, like many people are. I just try to look inside and see what comes out.

Vincent “Txalkan” Zbinden: Sometimes I’m helping this guy build up the lyrics. I think once you create a concept, it becomes pretty easy to follow that line. Once you establish the parameters or the themes you want to explore, you can make little adjustments so the lyrics fit more naturally with the music. It’s about what you want to evoke.

Who is primarily responsible for writing the music in your band, and how do you see that evolving?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Up to this point, I’m in charge of all the riffs—all the music, really.

But I would like for us to collaborate more in the future, maybe for another album. We’re still a relatively new band. They’ve only been in the band for about a year now, so they’re still learning how I do things, how the riffs are built. But so far, it’s all been on my shoulders.

Thanks to your musical background?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Yes, it helped—and it still does. Actually, all three of us studied music. We went to the same academy—three different generations. That’s what brought us together.

I met my best friend Matías Acuña, who invited me to play in another band called Chances, where Christian Vallejos was the guitarist. I stayed in that band for three or four years. Then I moved to the US and had to leave the band, but we remained close, and I actually became the producer of that group.

Later, I needed a live guitar player to start touring last year. And a drummer. Matías recommended Vincent Zbinden for drums. Chris had been suggesting other guys, but eventually, when we were about three weeks away from the tour, he just said, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

So that’s the story—pretty intriguing. Now that we know it, let’s talk about the releases too. Your debut, “Eternal Gray Spiral” saw the light in 2018. What do you remember about working on it—how did the process unfold, and what moments from that time have stayed with you?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: I basically did the entire first album on my own.

It was a strange time in my life—I was moving between countries. That album ended up being instrumental because I wanted a dedicated vocalist but couldn’t find one for years. Eventually, I just gave up and released it—it had been ready for a while.

Out of that frustration, I decided to learn how to use my own voice. So everything came from that frustration.

What was the biggest challenge, aside from not finding a vocalist?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: I also did the mixing, and that was really difficult. I was constantly in different places, and I didn’t have the best setup, so it took a long time.

I see. Which track is dearest to you from that first album?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: There’s a song called “Collapse“. I think it best represents the album, and it’s still the one I remember most.

“Collapse” is a powerful track. There’s a different kind of weight to it. What changed on the last album entitled “Somber”, released in 2024, compared to the first? Was there a shift in approach, sound, or mindset?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Almost everything. The band became a real band. We started playing shows. Of course, there was a different lineup—an American one: me and two guys from California. Even though I wrote about 90% of the material, they contributed one song and lyrics for another. That was already a big shift.

Also, I mixed it in a proper studio in Mexico City, after I had left the US. That made the whole process much smoother.

Speaking of mixing—do you plan to continue producing your music yourself, or are you considering working with someone else in the future?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Actually, we just finished recording a new album before this tour. And this time we’re hiring a British producer for the mixing. I just don’t have time right now—we’re touring a lot.

A new album? That’s great! Tell me more about this upcoming material.

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: It’s a new direction for us—slower, more melodic… romantic, even. The theme isn’t so much about personal pain anymore. It’s about relationships, heartbreak, the struggles of life—self-deception, lies. That’s what the new album explores.

There are a few ballads in there, and while it still has heavy, low-tuned parts, we added these new elements.

Vincent “Txalkan” Zbinden: For me, it’s really interesting, to say the least. Especially with the drums—we carefully chose gear, and tuning to get this orchestral, deep sound. It was a lot of fun to build it from those tiny details.

So yeah, for me it was about the recording process.

I was really involved in the drum sessions. We went to a studio in Santiago and stayed there for a week. It was so different from what we’d done before. No interruptions, no going to work in between. That’s what allowed us to shape this big sound and capture the new tone of the album.

To me, that was the most exciting part.

Christian Vallejos: I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be something different, but the essence of the band will still be there.

Is it very important for you to maintain the direction of the first album?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: The most important thing is to be honest with myself. I don’t think about anything in particular when I write—I just sit down with a guitar or a laptop and let things flow.

If I like what I hear, I keep it. If not, I trash it. I don’t keep spare ideas. I just commit to the feeling, and that’s it.

I see. Changing a bit the subject, you mentioned touring—now that it’s part of your lifestyle, how do you approach it? What’s in your mind when someone says, “You’re going to play”?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Oh, we love it. It’s so much fun. I think it was missing from our lives before. Now that we’ve started touring, I personally feel happier, more fulfilled. It’s fantastic.

Vincent “Txalkan” Zbinden: Same for me. In Chile, there’s a huge crowd, but not much of a touring scene. So coming to Europe and touring here—that’s been a dream come true. We’re really doing what we love: sharing our music and playing every day.

Christian Vallejos: It’s great! Touring with all these bands—some of whom have been our idols—is a dream come true. And realising that they’re just regular people like us is quite mind-blowing. That’s the first thing I was surprised by, you know? Like, that’s cool.

And then the other thing is just realising that I could do this every fucking day for the rest of my life. Touring and playing every day. Because that’s something that’s really hard in Chile, even in South America. Maybe Brazil is the only place where you can kind of tour within the country, you know? But we don’t have many cities or big places to play—comes down to like three cities—and you can do it maybe twice a year. That’s like six shows in a whole year.

And here, you know, 24 shows in a row.

I think, as a life experience, you grow so much when you travel too. Amen.

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: You see new places, you meet new people. That means a lot to us—being able to share all of this with so many people. It’s brilliant. And with the other bands, especially on this tour, we’ve really connected. Personally, I’ve been a huge fan of Hate for years, so when I found out we were touring with them, I was obviously thrilled. And now we’re all friends, which is fantastic. Life’s just crazy sometimes, isn’t it?

Aside from Hate, were there any other bands that really impressed you while touring?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Patriarkh. We learned so much from their work ethic. They work incredibly hard, handle a lot of the gear themselves, and never complain—they just get on with it. And they were also extremely friendly and humble. That really stayed with me.

Also, Vltimas. We toured with David Vincent and that completely blew us away.

I mean, I grew up listening to Morbid Angel, you know? And suddenly he’s standing right next to me—he’s so down-to-earth, such a genuinely nice person. And then every night they just absolutely smash it. Oh, man! They’ve got such energy and presence on stage.

Rune, who played in Mayhem for so long, impressed me as well—I’m a huge fan. He’s an incredible guitarist.

And after seeing that level of dedication and humility on the road, how does it feel to be back playing here at Quantic tonight?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: It’s amazing for us—Quantic is such a special place. You know why? Because our first-ever European show was here. For all three of us, it was the first time playing in Europe—and it happened right here. So the memories from this place really mean a lot. It feels like home, even though we’re so far away.

Damn, can you imagine? Our very first European tour as a band was last year, and it all started here. We met Daniel—who’s now our sound engineer—right here. And the guys from Patriarkh, from Vltimas, from God Dethroned—we’re all friends now. Everyone treated us so well. The crew was amazing, the food was top notch. The crowd was fantastic.

And what can the crowd expect from you tonight?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: We’re playing a new song—it came out recently. And the stage visuals and aesthetics have changed as well. That might catch a few people off guard.

So we’re in for a big trip.

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Definitely!

Before we finish, anything you’d like to say to your audience?

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Thank you so much for your support—and keep an eye out for the new album. We’re really excited about it.

Vincent “Txalkan” Zbinden: Yeah, we really hope you enjoy it. For us, it’s a special one.

Christian Vallejos: It might be a bit of a surprise for some people. Maybe not. It’s still heavy and all that—but yeah, a bit of a shift. And in the meantime, we’ll be putting out a new single soon.

Fernando “Feroz” Bühring: Thank you for the interview—it was a pleasure to talk to you!

Thank you, too!

Ater performing at Quantic Pub, 13 May 2025
© Paul Voicu [LivePictures Ro]