Zephyra - The Band and Music
Insights Into Zephyra Band—Beacons of Swedish Metal Professionalism
Zephyra band was formed back in 2009 by Åsa Netterbrant and Tony Netterbrant in Borås, Sweden as a fun project. The two are married and have been together since 2006. In an interview with the RockEra Magazine, Åsa jokes Tony has listened to her hum and sing at home long before they formed the group. In the beginning, the two-member Zephyra band did cover songs and a few of their material. Their first demo, “Behave”, has six heavy metal songs. Åsa is the lead vocalist, Tony on the drums, Daniel Nilsson on the bass, and Henrik Willman handling the guitars.
That first demo was the first glimpse fans had into Åsa’s passion and heart for metal music. The other band members provided a solid foundation for their songs, include “I Know”, “Stay Forever”, and “Sore of Duty”. A Zephyra first noteworthy song in the demo is “No Limit Obsession”, which features death growls from Åsa at various points. “Russian Roulette” is a cover of a song originally done by Rihanna. Of course, Zephyra gave it that metal treatment, as you would expect. Plus, the cover also showed that the band was not afraid of tackling different influences. However, what’s the deal with the name Zephyra?
Is the Band Name Influenced by the Zephyranthes Plant? No!
Zephyranthes is a plant that’s native to South America, Central America, and the southeastern United States. It’s commonly called the rain lily because blooms after the rains. These plants are ideal for filling up bare garden spaces since they gently weave through other plants. But this is not where the band’s name originates from.
According to Åsa, they have a dog called Zaphyra. She simply did a rewrite of the name when they required a band name and it stuck. According to Greek origin, Zephyra means strong wind. It is a name that parents usually give to girls. The name is also an indirect Quranic name for girls that means always successful, triumphant, or victorious. The Quranic equivalent of the name is Zafeera.
A First for Åsa
Back to the band in focus. Zephyra was the first band for Åsa, but Tony had some experience in bands as he has been playing in them since he was a teenager. He has played in bands such as Justified behind the guitars and vocals, and Thrash A.D. in the position of the drums. Tony’s oldest brother introduced him to hard rock and metal, and it eventually grew in him.
Tony did most of the songwriting for Zephyra, including melody and lyrics. He also plays a part in pre-production vocals to recorded songs. The rest of the band helped by adding a bit of their personal touch to the music. Other band members included Kujtim Gashi on the drums who joined the band in 2014, and Alfonso Rinaldo playing bass who joined forces with Zephyra in 2018. Today, Alfonso has taken an active role in Sailor Hunter, a group he co-founded.
Albums, Tours, and a Sad Goodbye
As a band, Zephyra has had success in the Swedish metal scene. They released their “First Blood” EP in 2012, Kämpaglöd in 2013, and a full length “Mental Absolution” album in 2014. In 2016, they released another full-length album “As The World Collapses”, and the “Darkest Black” single in 2017. Their last album was “Fall. Rise. Conquer.” in 2019. The band has performed at several events, including Briggen, The Rock Bar Karlstad, The Puzzled Scream Festival, House of Metal Festival, and Brygghuset, all in Sweden. International appearances include Eidskog Rockeklubb in Norway, Cult-Art Shop in the Netherlands, Route 44 in the United Kingdom, Ponorka in the Czech Republic, and many more.
On Sunday, December 8, 2019, Åsa, Tony, Kutte, and Al put up a pinned post on the Zephyra Facebook fan page. The post said that the band “will no longer be active”, and they don’t know whether they will come back together again. Their last performance together was at the ÖHK, Öregrunds Hårdrocksklubb on December 28, 2019. While they are not performing, Zephyra remains an unforgettable beacon of passion, devotion, and professionalism on the Swedish metal scene. After years of performances, Åsa Netterbrant’s growls are missed, and the band’s unique metal sound has left a gap that we hope they will come and fill again!