Dr. Skull

Skull was a Turkish heavy metal band formed in 1985 in Ankara by Bastepe and Ersoz on guitars, Mustafa “Musti” Erman on bass, and Alper on drums. The band’s name was later changed to Dr.Skull when all members started medical school. Their mascot was a punk skull called Vehbi, which was placed on the bass drum during concerts. Dr.Skull released their first album, Wory Zover, in 1990 and their second album, Rools 4 Fools, in 1992. After Bastepe's departure, Serdar joined the band as lead singer. Their third studio album, Hershey Yolunda!?, was released in 1994, after which the group disbanded, primarily due to the increasing demands of their academic careers. Their final performance was with Die Toten Hosen in Istanbul in 1994. Dr.Skull was influenced by various American and British rock bands, and its sound evolved over time from traditional heavy metal to Turkish punk metal. The band's early recordings were made between 1989 and 1993 in Ankara, and in 2018 all tracks were remastered for the 2019 release of Dr.Skull Trilogy. In 2019, 25 years after their last appearance, the professors returned to the stage for two sold-out concerts in Istanbul and Ankara. Their live album, Showy Zover, was released in 2021. In 2022, a tribute album to Dr.Skull, entitled Under Cover, was recorded and released by 15 rock bands representing a variety of musical styles. Photo Credits: S Açıkoğlu, F Çakmakcı, C Gaygusuz, M Gözüyukarı, K Koçakoğlu, B Pakar, S Rödrigüez, S Tuna, K Yarangümeli