If Rimbacher’s debut album, “High Hopes on the Rocks” were a person, it’d probably be that friend who shows up at the party, takes over the speakers, and convinces everyone to dance till 3 a.m. It’s loud, it’s wild, and it’s got a whole lot of attitude. Released on November 1st via Inverse Records, this album is a blast of pure rock energy wrapped in 80’s-style hard rock and heavy metal goodness.

We caught up with the band to get the inside scoop on their debut album, how they make music, and their wildest rock fantasies. Spoiler: It involves aliens, fast food, and a tower of Babylon.

Who’s Who in Rimbacher?

First, let’s get to know the band members. You’ve got:

• Niko, the energetic frontman who screams, sings, and probably drinks coffee by the gallon.
• Osku, the guitarist who’s all about those epic solos.
• Resica, the bassist with the “bad boy” attitude who’s too busy rocking.
• Jouni, the drummer who’s keeping the energy high and the jokes rolling.
• Jimbo, the guitarist, always bringing the groove to the group.

What if “High Hopes on the Rocks” had a Tinder profile?

So, what would it say? Naturally, they didn’t hold back.

Niko said the album would be: “A record recovering from awesomeness looking for a party animal to stand up against disco and bring back balls to Frisco.” Sounds like it’s ready to hit the dance floor with zero chill.

Reisca’s answer? Even spicier. “Successful peak performer looking for single mothers for a good time. Forty minutes and twenty seconds of pure sweet talk and fitness.”

Rimbacher’s sound in 3 words

If you had to sum up Rimbacher’s sound in three words, it’d go a little something like this:

• Niko’s pick: “Eighties, melodic, hardrocking.”
• Reisca says: “Energy, dynamics, dedication.”
• Osku? “Hard, heavy, sexy.”

From big riffs to high energy, it’s clear Rimbacher’s music has one mission: to rock your socks off.

Biggest “Aha!” moment during recording

Every album has those moments where you think, “Okay, this is it. We’ve got something special.” For Niko, his “Aha!” moment came when he remembered past projects where they didn’t spend enough time on pre-production. He explained, “My first a-ha came up from earlier band projects when a solid pre-production wasn’t made. This time we decided to demo a lot before the actual recording.”

Reisca added his own take, teasing that the next album won’t take four years to finish: “The next one will be done all at once in two week time period at the same studio AND NOT in four years here and there!”

High Hopes on the Rocks as a Rock Opera

Imagine High Hopes on the Rocks as a rock opera. We know, it sounds amazing, right? Reisca painted a picture of a dramatic storyline: the hero is the narrator behind the lyrics, trying to navigate a world full of pleasure and pain. The villain? Their reflection in the mirror—the opposite of rock ‘n’ roll, of course. The climax? A massive worldwide party where “Last Breath of Rock ‘n’ Roll” blares from speakers “as huge as the tower of Babylon.” Sounds epic.

Choosing the sound direction

The band’s sound came together pretty naturally. According to Reisca, “It came naturally. We focused a lot on the input sounds and since we’ve got two great guitar players in the band they know what they are doing. The music comes first and every piece of sound is considered beforehand in order to provide the tune additional value.” Niko added, “The sound was very obvious to us because our influences circle around classic rock and heavy metal.” It’s like they were born to create this album—riffs first, everything else second.

If Rimbacher had a secret message to aliens…

…which song would it be?

Reisca thinks “Pluto” is the track the aliens would vibe with. “Pluto is kind of a celestial song with planetary and lovelike themes. The aliens would get the metaphors and start to figure out why the earthlings are so obsessed with the dwarf planet with a heart on its rocky ground. They would get that not all of the humans are evil but very sensitive and they’re longing for something that’s very profound making them happy.”

Meanwhile, Niko’s pick? “Worldkiller could signal to the aliens to get rid of the mean world elite who state the way of decent lives of the average Joe. The aliens would be pissed off for the destructive nature of human beings.”

The creative process

Is there one mastermind behind Rimbacher’s music? Not exactly. According to Reisca, the band works together as a team. “Normally somebody has an idea of a song either a demo or a demonstration which we begin to arrange as a group trying to figure out the best possible solutions and hooks to pull it off. So, it is a teamwork based on one person’s ideas who could be anybody within the band and then it evolves from there.” Niko agreed, adding that every band member brings their own magic to the mix. Osku summed it up: “Definately a group effort, but usually one has an idea or a demo to which we all put our input in and make the song unique.”

Describing band members with song titles

Last, but not least we asked the band to describe each member’s personality using a song title from “High Hopes on the Rocks“. Here’s what they came up with:

• Jimbo is “Out for More”—because he’s the band’s light, always inspiring the others.
• Niko is “Last Breath of Rock ‘n’ Roll”—the ambassador who knows his stuff inside and out.
• Osku is “Rock(s) to Ruin”—the “bad boy” who couldn’t care less about what anyone thinks of his stage presence.
• Jouni is “Luxury”—because, let’s face it, it’s always a luxury to have him around with his jokes and hype.
• Reisca is “Chasing Ghosts”—thanks to his wild and unpredictable mind.