WORDS OF EDITOR
RETURN TO LIVE SHOWS OR NOT?
A
. PEI FON @PEIFON JOURNALIST, PHOTOGRAPHER AND ROCK MEETING’S GENERAL DIRECTOR
s is already known, 2020 is being a completely terrible year for many segments, such as leisure, which impacts people’s mental health. What was previously a normal act of coexistence, today is something that proliferates the misfortune of Covid-19. In the world, the entertainment segment suffers from this setback with no date to return. However, some initiatives are being promoted for the return of these activities. Each respecting the health protocols of your region. We saw some Destruction shows in Switzerland and some festivals keeping the stage away from people and people away from each other in ‘cabins’. In Brazil it was not different. Krisiun started the return to the stage. The trio scheduled a performance at a well-known concert hall in São Paulo and had an opening band, audience limitation, tables in the hall to keep the crowd in place and not cause crowding. However, photos and videos that circulated on the day of the show showed that fans of heavy music only respected the distance rules at the beginning and did not remained seated for
the show. This reminds me of a line by Randy Blythe (vocalist for Lamb of God) who states that ‘social isolation wouldn’t work at metal shows’. In fact, no! At least it doesn’t work here! I don’t want to blame the band on this, but, in their position of influence, I could have taken a more cautious approach and asked the crowd to go back to their place and maintain social distance, because it is the normative for the performances to happen. But, before the band, each person must be responsible for their individual acts for the collective good. At this moment, what I can think of in the face of what has happened is that it matters little what happens next. As long as each person does its part, without a vaccine this cycle will not stop and we will continue in this dome for an absurd amount of time. Until then, we are stuck in an unproductive cycle: trying to get back, trying to travel, trying to find friends, watching shows, going to restaurants, bars, without the paranoia of being infected and not suffering the consequences of that. But we have to respect the new pace if we want to go back to the same beat.
SUMMARY 2020
13 33 23
06. DOWNPICK
ARTICLE - ROGÉRIO TORRES
13. SEA SMILE
RELEASED “IMPLACÁVEL”
23. IN NO SENSE
“WHEN THE CYCLES END”
33. THE NORTHERN
CLOUDBURST IS COMING
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55. SCULPTOR
“UNTOLD SECRETS”
69. JUPITERIAN
HEAVY AND DIRTY DOOM METAL
79. COYOTE BADTRIP
RELEASE THE NEW SINGLE
79
GENERAL DIRECTOR Pei Fon EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Felipe da Matta DESIGN Alcides Burn Canuto Jonathan GRAPHIC PROJECT @_canuto
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STAFF Augusto Hunter Barbara Lopes Bรกrbara Martins Bruno Sessa Fernando Pires Marta Ayora Mauricio Melo Paulo Apolinario Rafael Andrade UIllian Vargas CONTACT contato@rockmeeting.net
WWW.ROCKMEETING.NET
CRYSTAL LAKE EXCLUSIVE TO BRAZIL
ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION
Photo: Júlio Barbosa
GUITAR SESSION THE DOWNPICKING TECHNIQUE IN THE GUITAR WORLD BY ROGERIO TORRES
6 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
O
n March 3, 1986, Metallica released “Master of Puppets�, their third studio album. The title track had something different for that time in the eyes of guitar players, something that until then had not been explored so successfully by other bands of the genre. This song became a hymn, a symbol when it comes to base guitar worldwide, where James Hetfield, guitarist, vocalist and main composer of the band, managed to express viscerally what would come to be known today as downpicking. Downpicking is nothing more than picking all or the vast majority of notes from a down riff, thus maintaining consistency in the volume and dynamics of the notes, because unlike the alternate picking technique, in this case practically no difference is noticeable in the in-
Photo: Rafael Andrade
ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION
Photo: Bruno Sessa 8 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
tensity between pick attacks. This makes everything much heavier, more intense and massive, giving a unique characteristic to the music. This practice also means that the musician needs to have tremendous muscular resistance to maintain the rhythm throughout the time that the passage is played. In the case of the song in question, we are talking about a vast number of riffs that take over the entire song! It is definitely not an easy job for those just starting out, not even for those already
experienced as a metal guitarist. To this day, this song is synonymous with resistance, exhaustive practice and aggressiveness. Years later, other great representatives of this technique emerged, such as the late Dimebag Darrell from Pantera, who had his great rise in the year 1990 with the album “Cowboys From Hell�, where the title track is composed of overwhelming downpicking riffs. Besides him we can also mention Dave Mustaine from Megadeth, Kerry King from
ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION
Photo: Martin Goodacre/Getty Image
Slayer, Will Adler and Mike Morton from Lamb of God, Mick Thompson from Slipknot, among others. However, one band that stands out among many others is Meshuggah, a band that explored this technique a lot and brought new possibilities to it. They are known as “Fathers of Djent”, a style that became popular in 2012 with the release of the second Periphery album, already consi10 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
dered a classic of the genre. In this case, downpicking is explored in a very different way than it was done by Metallica in 1986, this time focusing much more on the rhythmic part, its syncope and ghost notes, which brings a groove and a kind of swing never seen before in the guitar world. John Browne, guitarist and founder of the British band Monuments, one of the precursors of the djent move-
ment, is today one of the main references of the downpicking technique, which is the basis of almost all his compositions. Browne is so fond of the practice of the base guitar, that he created the community called Riffhard, which consists of an online school aimed entirely at guitarists who want to improve their technique, their riffs and their resistance when it comes to downpicking. Browne’s argument for
creating this community is that the base represents more than 90% of the music when it comes to metal. So, instead of spending your life studying scales and solos, which are only 10% of the sound at most, why not focus on what really makes music what it is? The base! And it is not only abroad that there are excellent guitarists who abuse this technique and are a reference in the base guitar. In Brazil, it would be heresy not to mention Andreas Kisser from Sepultura and Max Cavale-
ra (Ex-Sepultura, Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy) with the emblematic riff of “Slave New World” from the acclaimed 1993 album, Chaos A.D. Another monster of the new generation of metal Brazilian is Jean Patton from the band Project46. Heavily influenced by almost all the names mentioned here, Jean uses and abuses downpicking in his compositions. One of them is “Acorda pra Vida”, one of the songs that best translate the application of downpicking in modern Brazilian metal. All of these musicians
have not only a refined technique, but an extraordinary creativity and inspiration, ingredients that are fundamental to all this success and that have taken their music to the four corners of the world. It is possible that, if it had been solely and exclusively by technique, perhaps they would not have made it this far. It takes more than that to create quality music that is capable of truly touching people. It was with this in mind that I decided to create a method that could effectively help guitarists who find it difficult
Photo:: Marta Ayora
ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION
Photo: Riff Hard
to compose their own music. The “Máquina de Riffs” (Riff Machine, in Portuguese) is a 100% online course where I approach different composition methods, providing several practical examples and fixation exercises, where the main intention is for the guitarist to get more inspiration and get the most out of his 12 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
creativity when completing all the classes. Suitable for guitarists from basic to intermediate level, the Riff Machine already has dozens of students satisfied with the method and who today, after all their studies, are completely capable of creating inspiring music and most important of all, songs that they feel happy to
have created, bringing a personal satisfaction that most have been looking for their whole life. If you are curious to know more, check the link below and watch the video for the course:
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gram and Facebook.
INTERVIEW . SEA SMILE
BY BARBARA LOPES // PHOTO FÁBIO PONCE
W
ith a ten-year career and five studio albums, Sea Smile (originated in São Paulo) released the EP "Implacável" and returned with the compositions in Portuguese. We talked about the band's current moment, the recordings of irreverent covers and the audience behaviour. Sea Smile's sound is heavy, modern and full of references. Why did you choose to follow this style? And what are the band’s influences? We’ve always liked a heavier sound. I believe that the energy and the impact it brings together is the main motivation and identification. Energetic songs, which have meaning in the lyrics and build sensations, are what we refer to make our music. Currently we really like bands like Gideon, Stray From the Path, Knocked Loose, Memphis May Fire, In Hearts Wake and also other styles like Pop Punk, Trap, Rap and EDM. In 2019 the band released an EP in English, including the participation of Ryan Kirby (Fit for a King), and then returned to Portuguese. How was the invitation for him to participate? And why this linguistic change? We wanted to write in English, mainly because it is the native language of the vast majority of 14 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
bands that we like. It was a challenge that we launched for ourselves, to know if we could sound like the bands we like, in their language. And, of course, also expand our sound, which is much more accessible out there in English. It was a very good experience and something that paid off, we entered two American
playlists and had an exhibition that added a lot to us. Ryan had already participated in the song “Efeitos”, of the EP “Do que Somos Feitos”, which is entirely in Portuguese. We decided to put the same song adapted for English on the EP "Changes" and Ryan's participation could not be left out. This time, we prepared
a music video for music, and both Ryan and the FFK team were extremely partners and made the recording that was incredible! Currently we are returning to Portuguese for the exchange of vocals and to simplify the message of what we were wanting to pass. Where did the idea of re-
INTERVIEW . SEA SMILE
cording covers, mainly from other genres, come from (like "Prometida", by Br'oz and "K.O.", by Pabllo Vittar)? I think this idea came from the same vibe as the songs in English, experimenting and reaching new people and it really worked. Adding the unexpected, makes an approximation with people who probably would not know our sound. Besides, Sea Smile is part of the collection "Pop Pauleira'', along with other metal bands, with a cover by Mc Livinho. How does this project work? 16 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR THE ARTIST TO KNOW WHAT ARE THE MEANS TO BE PRESENT ON ALL PLATFORMS AND REMAIN RELEVANT ON THEM
Why did you choose this song? Is there an upcoming edition planned? It can be said that we did it at a time that no one had done in Brazil for a while and that created a wave of other bands doing cover, which was awesome for the scene! We got together with some friends who wanted to do covers too and created “Pop Pauleira�. There was a 2nd edition but we did not participate, we are also not the owners of the project, is whoever wants to participate and continue the idea. These covers are an incredible way to get out of the comfort zone inside the metal. How do you see the current scene in
INTERVIEW . SEA SMILE
Brazil? The scene has been weakening year after year, this is clear to everyone. There was no real renewal in the public. People who like it didn't stop liking it, but there wasn't a new wave of people, you know? These are times. Suddenly it changes and the bands that didn't give up and remained firm will be recognized for that. In the press release you guys mention that outfit stage is a theme that the band explores. Why did you decide to give attention to a subject that is so personal and peculiar? 18 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
Concerts and artists create identification. The idea is to always give a full experience, so that the person who watches our show, can have a complete experience, ranging from the sound to the visual. Brutal Kill, an alternative clothing company, supports events and some bands, and you recently did live sessions with the brand. How did this partnership happen? Do you believe it is a relationship that helps to strengthen both scenes (fashion and
music)? ABrutal Kill is a brand that has years of history and has always been present in the scene. Receiving the invitation to be his partner was something that revitalized and strengthened our game. And, of course, this strengthens the scene a lot, because rock was never just music, but this conversation that can even be clichĂŠ: music, attitude, style and so on. You guys have a videography with more than ten recorded songs. Which is the importance of audio-
INTERVIEW . SEA SMILE
visual material for a band? How the conception themes occur for recording the clips? We usually say that our video clips are what we give the most, it is the time to show a new project, present new ideas and put our face to the crowd. Each clip has its own particular idea and we try to make the most of it and, of course, do everything we can, because everything is done independently and by ourselves. Nowadays the bands are spread over several digital musical platforms. What is the importance of understanding and making the best use of these tools in relation to spreading the work of a band? Nowadays, those who consume music have infinite possibilities to find content. And each of these platforms is a new opportunity to reach. Therefore, it is extremely important for the artist to know what are the means to be 20 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
present on all platforms and remain relevant on them. Currently, in addition to music, it is very important to have a good audio visual appeal, be present on social medias, own an online store and always have close contact with fans. Everyone wins with this, the public ends up having more possibilities and we can offer content in a more personalized way, we love this process! Were all of your works released independently? How does the demand of the music industry impact your sound? Everything we did was independently. If we didn't produce, someone helped us, if someone didn't help, we paid with our own resources to be done. The industry will always favor some people or types of music. In addition to "Rock", we work with an even more niche genre. The Metalcore, Hardcore and related scene, to which we belong, ends up
not having much space in the mainstream. So, we use the ways, which are not few, to supply this lack of space that the industry could provide for independent and alternative artists. We try to “hack� the system, in a way, to get more evidence. We have had several changes in public behavior over the years due to the development of technology as well as changes in loudness of traditional metal, which naturally modernized. With the pandemic, the form of musical consumption was impacted, redirected to digital. How do you imagine the scenario will be going forward? It is still uncertain for everyone. As much as everyone wants the shows and events, we don't know how much this long break will shape the audience's behavior. For now, the digital needs to be fed and we
INTERVIEW . SEA SMILE
are trying in every way to prepare our return to the shows, so that it can be worthwhile not having “hit the brake” during the pandemic. 2020 is ending, but will Sea Smile still release some material? We still have releases! We just released our cover of the song “Kenny G”, by Matuê, which surprised us a lot! In less than an hour, the artist himself shared the sound on Instagram and the viraliza22 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
tion was almost instant. There were more than 230 thousand views in 24 hours, something that gave us good evidence. But wait for an authorial work to come this year yet! We also have big plans for next year, who knows us, already knows that can expect more things from us, because we produce a lot!
We would like to thank
Thank you so much for the chat! Use the space to leave a message for our readers.
a merch with us. This is what
everyone who has somehow strengthened our work over the years, even with the difficulties, we do not have in mind to stop, so you can expect that this year will still have something good and next year much more. Listen to Sea Smile on your favorite digital platform and if possible buy makes us able to produce new works. Thanks for the opportunity, Rock Meeting.
INTERVIEW . iN NO SENSE
BY BARBARA LOPES // PHOTO WILLAME PIRES
W
ith a modern sound, mixing clean vocals and screamo, and now using Portuguese lyrics, In No Sense, originally from Ceará, launched the single “When Cycles End” that consolidates all this change. Check out the chat we had with the band.
Foto: Arquivo Pessoal
The themes of the lyrics show various types of feelings, some in an individual way, others in a more collective way, expressing indignation in the face of inequalities and contrasts in society, for example. Why did you choose to work with these themes? Ítalo Porto: These are themes that are part of our daily lives, some being reports of individual events with members of the band, others, of collective reflections that are part of our reality, from social criticisms for living it in the skin, to existential thoughts. Even though the lyrics themes are personal, we always approach them as a group thought, seeking to communicate with people who think the same way, or to introduce a new reflection for those who listen to our sound and think differently, creating this strong connection with those who enjoy the sound. “When Cycles End” is also about the end of a band cycle, with a more modern
24 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
Foto: Gandhi GuimarĂŁes
sound and lyrics in English? Tell us a little more. Ă?talo Porto: Besides the message behind the lyrics, the song also means the closing of a chapter of the band, we did not want to limit ourselves creatively to a specific genre. The choice of English as a language is a way to express ourselves globally and also to open new doors that we had
the chance to open with our previous release, but were closed due to the distance of the language. What did this change from a metalcore sound to a sound with more modern elements? How do you see this new sound within the metal scene? Vicente Ferreira: It hap-
pened very naturally. When we compose our sound, we always let all influences emerge without too many strings attached, so part of this change has already come from what we have been hearing in the last few years. Within the metal, this more modern sound has been consumed mainly by the younger audience, who are more open-minded to
INTERVIEW . iN NO SENSE
hear new stuff, and it is always cool to see the metal renewing itself in this way, with new strands and increasingly mixing elements of other styles to create something new. Which bands have influenced you in this new phase and which are influences from the start? Vicente Ferreira: Nowadays we are inspired by a lot of bands like Architects, Monuments, Periphery, Tesseract, Intervals, and all this crop of modern bands. In the beginning, our influences were focused on bands like As I Lay Dying, Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold,
26 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
and have played in several festivals around Ceará and Brazil, right? How do you see the metal scene in the Northeast? Do you believe that there are differences and similarities compared to the rest of the country? Vicente Ferreira: The metal scene in the Northeast has always been strong and is getYou are from Fortaleza ting stronger and stronger! But it cannot be denied that we suffer from the distance from the big centers like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which is where the nucleus of the music market is located in Brazil, and a greater amount of public for the metal. Howevand all these Metalcore classics, which continue to influence us today. All of these are direct influences on our sound, but we don’t just listen to metal, we always listen to everything from modern metal, classic metal, pop, rap, trap, forró and even sertanejo (a Brazilian “backcountry”) (laughs).
INTERVIEW . IN NO SENSE
er, this difficulty that we face here ends up being reflected in the work and quality of the bands. We can indicate several bands with an international level here in the northeast (Matakabra, Jack The Joker, Ankerkeria, Heavenless, Until Everything Collapses, etc ...), that we are always doing this interstate network, producing our own events each in their state, creating an alternative circuit between the cities here in the northeast. How did the contact with Adair Daufembach happen? Why did you guys decide to release the album independently? Vicente Ferreira: I knew Adair’s work when I heard Project46’s “Doa a Quem Doer” album, soon I became interested and started to follow him more closely, and in 2014 I hired Adair to do the Mix/Master of Jack The Joker album, my other band. So when we decided to do “Despertar” (“Awakening”, in a free translation), we already had his name in mind to do this job. From then on, our relationship only got closer, and the quality he manages to 28 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
THE BEGINNING OF 2021 WE WILL BE DROPPING NEW STUFF OUT THERE!
INTERVIEW . THE NORTHERN
bring to the table is undeniable. Launching an independent album today is practically a standard in the market for bands in our style, there is no longer a need to have a label or label ahead of the job, even large bands have become independent to have all control over their release, and also all the recipes on top of the material. So that being the case, we just wouldn’t release independently if a very interesting 30 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
proposal came up, and that kind of thing is getting more and more difficult, only happening after a lot of already successful work. The recording industry has changed and many bands have released their material independently. How has this behavior helped the bands in disclosure of your material? Ítalo Porto: Because of this
change in the industry, we believe that the band members have more and more responsibilities besides playing, composing, rehearsing. So it is basically a forced “help”, because the band is forced to produce its own videos, photos, graphic materials, marketing campaigns, website production, recording, among other needs, otherwise we would have to pay for all these services, which would make it
impossible to maintain a con- YouTube and Facebook. stant release. The pandemic brought us You are present on var- physical limitations on ious digital music plat- the one hand, but on the forms. How are you guys other it opened multiple spreading your sound? doors to the virtual world. Ă?talo Porto: Our disclosure What do you think will be is totally focused on digital the way to consume muplatforms. We spent the week sic (in general, not only looking for new ways to reach about physical media, but our audience, focusing on also about presentations) playlists (mainly on Spotify) from now on? and marketing campaigns on Vicente Ferreira: The im-
portance of focusing on the virtual world came before the pandemic happened, we believe that today we need to reach our audience through the networks beforehand, make them listen and enjoy our sound, so that we can play and do shows, leaving for this personal disclosure. We hope that everything will return to normal soon, that the vaccine arrives and the concerts will happen as they always did.
INTERVIEW . iN NO SENSE
We miss the energy of playing live, playing and exchanging energy with our audience in person, and especially seeing the reaction of the crowd playing “When Cycles End” face to face.
but we are working on two new singles right now! Probably not until the end of the year, but by the beginning of 2021 we will be dropping new stuff out there! The idea is to always have something new for our fans, and keep the Two months before the constancy of releases. Wait! end of the year, In No Sense will still present Thank you so much for fans with any release? the interview, guys! Feel Ítalo Porto: It was supposed free to leave a message to to be confidential (laughs), our readers. 32 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
Ítalo Porto: We are very grateful for the exhibition! We have been following and reading Rock Meeting for a while, it was very cool to exchange this idea with you. Many thanks also to the readers who have come this far and we would like to invite those who have not yet heard our new sound to go to “When Cycles End” on YouTube or your favorite streaming platform. Thanks!
INTERVIEW . THE NORTHERN
BY PAULO APOLINARIO // PHOTO CHRISTIAN LAWRENCE
O
n the road since 2012, the canadians from The Northern bring a breath of fresh air to Metalcore and Djent. Mixing sounds and melodies that sometimes embrace heavy riffs and breakdowns, other times flirting with complex melodies that borrows elements from electronic music and border on Progressive Metal. Despite the mix of genres, it is never too much. On the contrary. With their feet on the ground, The Northern manages to make a balanced sound that brings all the elements that Metalcore and Djent fans are looking for. The compositions, according to guitarist Eric Leblanc, directly reflect the feelings and the moment of life that the members go through. Created in Toronto, the band has a strategic location, close to the major centers of the United States and Canada at the same time. The availability of concerts and record labels that was a blessing to the band in the beginning has become a problem with the coronavirus pandemic. With the concert hall doors closed, the band turned to an introspective journey, composing deeper lyrics and even more complex sounds. The result is EP Cloudburst, which has been released in singles format by the group. The most recent works were the songs Pale Horse and Porcelain Skin. To tell a litt-
34 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
le about this swirl of genres, events and feelings, guitarist Eric Leblanc had a chat with Rock Meeting.
and Metalcore. We try to take the best parts of what we love and incorporate that into our writing.
How do you describe The Northern’s musical style? Eric Leblanc - We’d love to say we are a mix between two of our favorite styles: Djent
You mix elements of Metalcore, Progressive and Djent… Styles that until a few years ago would have been unthinkable toge-
ther. In this sense, how do you evaluate this modernization and evolution of Metal? I think this generation of artists grew up on so many influences across these genres it makes a lot of sense to see them all baked into this newer wave of metal. Personally, it is
INTERVIEW . THE NORTHERN
36 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
a sound we are very drawn to. It has all the best ingredients, so naturally it’s going to be something this generation gravitates towards.
You have been on the road since 2012, you have witnessed and experienced the changes in your own style and today you have found your identity while walking your own path. Are these objectives set and on course, or is it happening naturally? I think we have naturally matured with our evolving tastes and influences within the genre. What we write about is current for us emotionally and relates directly to what we have going on in our lives, so naturally it evolves with us as we change and grow as individuals.
The Northern is a band that all metalcore and djent fans should know. If you were to choose a song to start with, which would it be? Why? I’m torn to pick only one because we are very excited about our new music, but if you wanted two that really encompass the sound and emotions that The Northern conveys I would say “Samsara” and “Umbra” are two sides of the spectrum that represent who we are as a band and Recently you released the what we have to say with our song “Pale Horse” which music. is part of the “Cloudburst EP”. How has the recepDo you believe that you tion been? What responhave undergone a change ses are you having? in sound since the begin- We are so happy with the rening of the band? ception of Pale Horse, it’s very Yes, of course. As we change encouraging to see so much and mature as people so does support during times like our sound with us. Our music this. Being prohibited from is a reflection of how we feel play shows due to Covid-19 and where we are in life at has been a real damper for that time. us. The overwhelmingly posi-
INTERVIEW . THE NORTHERN
tive response Pale Horse has received makes me very hopeful that our fans are going to enjoy the next release from “Cloudburst” - “Porcelain Skin”.
than our own life experiences, everything that we write about connects with situations we’ve dealt with. We think it is always important to be genuine and open in expressing ourselves true to What were your inspira- heart and hoping that resonations in composing the tes with our listeners. lyrics for Cloudburst? In the description of the Nothing is more inspiring band’s profile it says that 38 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
you are preparing a new era for The Northern. What changes have been applied? What can we expect? A new era can mean a lot of things but what it means to us is a lot of development in our craft musically, we’ve worked hard to include many different types of genres and
HOPEFULLY WHEN THE PANDEMIC IS DOWN AND WE CAN RESUME OUR LIVES THAT PEOPLE COME BACK INTO THEIR PASSIONS WITH A NEW FORM OF GRATITUDE
INTERVIEW . THE NORTHERN
influences including the ones that we hold dear to us but we are always open to our emotions, lives, and surroundings which help us shape our music in a way that is meaningful to us.
cause you have to dig so deep into yourself to express the music you create. As we progress through life together and experience so many things, hardships, good times and everything in between we try really hard to allow those The new single, Pale Hor- emotions into our writing. se, has different melodic elements than the ones Listening more closely you have been compo- to “Pale Horse�, you dive sing. Could you talk a litt- headlong into Djent and le more about this com- with even more striking position? melodies, not to mention Composition is difficult be- that you are even heavier. 40 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
Would that be one of the changes you are about to show? Pale Horse represents a lot of emotions that deal with grief and loss in our lives. When you listen to the song there is a lot of anger and sadness. On an emotional level, we do open up far more than we have in the past about the same topics. Moving forward we hope we can make a connection so that nobody has to feel alone.
Still on the latest release, the lyrics are very interesting. “Life is so short it’s so damn short. But it’s the longest race we run” is a highlight. In pandemic times, it never made so much sense, did it? How do you evaluate tomorrow will be like? The lyrics ring true in so many ways, we really want to tell listeners that you don’t know how much you have until it’s gone and the pandemic has really emphasized that. We think nothing should ever be taken for granted. Hopefully when the pandemic is down and we can resume our lives that people come back into their passions with a new form of gratitude.
Patreon, Twitch, etc. have become a great ally for bands. How have you maintained this relationship with your fans through virtual media? Twitch is something we have been experimenting with. Jordan and myself (Eric) both have a Twitch account where we stream videos games and chat with anyone that comes by. It’s still in its infancy but we are looking forward to connecting with fans more through that platform.
What has the band been doing to stay active during the pandemic? We are constantly writing music, and this pandemic has blessed us with a lot of time at home to focus on our craft. Platforms like Discord, Currently, we are gearing up
to release the Cloudburst EP so as of late there has been a lot work and preparation that has gone into that and we cannot wait to release more. There is a huge difference in musical production between Brasil and Canada. Could you comment on the scene of the record companies, especially for metal bands? Unfortunately, we don’t know many Brazilian bands! And that is something we would love to connect with. What we can say is that there’s a lot of Metalcore and Djent bands in the scene around Canada, as well as a lot of Hardcore bands. All with unique styles and sounds that are complemented well by the amazing producers and record compa-
INTERVIEW . THE NORTHERN
nies we have here in Canada much sonic diversity within Finally, what can we exand in our close neighbor the the scene. It’s refreshing be- pect from The Northern United States. cause it felt really stagnant for later this year and for a while. 2021? Thanks for the inIn the October edition we terview! talked to the band Spi- What are your musical inWe are looking very forward ritbox, also from Canafluences in Canada? And to know about our single da. How do you evaluate which foreigners? from Cloudburst - “Porcelain this growth of the scene It’s hard to point to exactly for modern metal in your Skin” released on the 17th of what our influences are. Obcountry recently? November 2020. As for early viously we are huge fans of We’re really excited about all 2021 we have plans to release heavier music but we all listen the up and coming bands in the remainder of Cloudburst the scene. It gives us a chan- to such a vast array of music which we will be announcing ce to make new friends and across many genres and we connections and maybe get to pull influence from music that when the date draws clogo see new places we’ve never speaks directly to us and our ser. Its been an honor to talk with you! been before! There’s also so feelings at that time. 42 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
MAIN . CRYSTAL LAKE
BY PEI FON / PHOTO RAY DUKER
O
ne of the most fascinating things about music is the fact that we get to know unimaginable bands, from the most varied places in the world. And, on that note, we seek a jewel straight from Japan, whose name may be delicate, but their sound is heavier than you can imagine. Crystal Lake is a Japanese quintet that is gaining notoriety wherever they go. What comes from the east can be a mystery, but you need to see and hear how these guys can be sonically energetic and powerful on stage. Rock Meeting had the opportunity to talk to vocalist Ryo Kinoshita about a lot of subjects, which you can read below! Crystal Lake has been on the road for 18 years, with some formation changes and a lot of history to tell. Do you consider that you are in the best moment of the band? Ryo Kinoshita - I think so. We’re lucky to have such great people in our team, especially our internal team. We did have a
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MAIN . CRYSTAL LAKE
great time and grow up as a band the past 2 years. Played a lot of huge festivals, at some of which we played main stage. Without ever stopping, you released two songs along with their videoclips. What is the importance of launching audiovisual material to maintain your fan base? The visual side of our music is definitely one of our good points. It makes you easier to understand our music or even more. The more we released
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videos, the better the quality of them got. Maybe this is an exaggeration, but our music is becoming a soundtrack of our own movies. I’m just saying. “Watch Me Burn” is a song with a lot of interesting parts. In the face of this pandemic moment, “This world has gone insane” explains a lot. What have you seen that exemplifies this part of the song? Watch Me Burn is about how I burn my soul to live better life. I wrote the lyrics in December of 2019 and recorded
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are dead”. This part of “Watch Me Burn” is another very interesting part. It is difficult to understand why people accumulate goods instead of experiences, isn’t it? You’re right. I’m not doing this for money, power and “Diamonds and gold fame. I’m just doing this for don’t mean shit when we making my dreams come true in February 2020 before the COVID things happened but it still explains the ongoing situation. Yes, the world has gone insane. Social media is making it worse. I’ve seen a lot of hate and hostility on it and I’m so sick it.
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and having fun. The song “Disobey” brings a question about what imprisons us. The world is filled with this and in the lyrics say there is no escape - it is death or submission. Is disobedience the way out? If you have the power against
I’M NOT DOING THIS FOR MONEY, POWER AND FAME. I’M JUST DOING THIS FOR MAKING MY DREAMS COME TRUE AND HAVING FUN
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these chains that imprison us, the video for “Disobey” shows three references associated with ‘time for respect’, when the lyrics say to remember who your master is. What do these bands Other than mentioning represent to you and it, yes. I think slavery is real. Some exploit, the others are exploited. If you want to escape, just be on the top of the pyramid. That’s the system. But I’d rather die than give in to it.
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why Queen, Pantera and Guns’n Roses? In a sense it can be said that they’re the symbol of rockstars that won freedom from the system. And they influenced us a lot. But actually we did cosplay because we just wanted to make the video
chaotic and make a mess. How was it to play these characters in the videoclip? Many comments talking about the band’s performance, mainly Ryo Mercury, Ryo Rose, and Ryo Anselmo. That was fun! I saw the video of LIVE AID many times and practice the way Freddie was doing. But I couldn’t beat Rami Malek haha. He’s the best. Pantera is one of my favorite bands though I can’t agree with Phil Anselmo. I love
his singing style and still inspiring me. Reading the lyrics to “Apollo”, there are many personal conflicts with the world. Is there a character behind this song? Any experience in particular? That song is about how I had been dealing with haters since I joined Crystal Lake. I am the third sing-
Photo: John Gyllhamn
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er in the history of the band. I heard a lot of bullshit about how I was bad and didn’t fit the band. But not anymore. I held it down completely. They couldn’t take me under and never will. Now I can say with confidence that this is my place. When I meet a band, I soon look for a live video to see its performance. I watched your show at Ressurection Fest 2019. 52 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
It is very powerful, it made me want to live this experience. How do you manage to transmit so much energy to the public? Where does this power come from? It came from our music. It came from the inside. Letting go of energy has been our motto since the start of the band. We want our listeners to overcome reality in an unrealistic way. It’s like “Just feel it and let everything go.”
That will help you to move on. Recently Ryo Kinoshita featured in the song “Holy Roller” by Spiritbox. Is it difficult to add more to a song already released? How was it to record this song? Tell us a little about this experience. Not at all. When Holy Roller released I was totally blown away. Until I got the offer, I was thinking about covering it the way I always do. I mean
more growl singing. So the vision was clear. It was fun recording it. It took an hour or so. I sing in Japanese for just one line, which turned out to be good and I’m so glad that they liked that part.
tions from up close? Not sure but I do want to evolve this stuck Metal scene. I wanna make the sound refined and deeper and get the throne of the music scene back like 90s.
Regarding the dynamization of Metal, how do you evaluate this natural change in sound? How is it to experience this once you are inserted and follow these transforma-
In early 2020, you released an extensive list of the Crystal Lake tour, but then the pandemic came, and everyone’s plans changed. What have you been doing to
keep up and connect with fans during that time? We do live streaming a lot and did popup shop twice this year. They’re working well. We don’t often communicate with our fans so I found it really fun. We’ll keep doing this even if we get back to the normal cycle. Targeting the South American market, metalcore has a massive acceptance in Brazil. References like As I Lay Dying and Bullet for My
Photo: John Gyllhamn
MAIN. CRYSTAL LAKE
Valentine are very well received. Do you intend to invest in the Brazilian market? Definitely YES. I saw countless of comments on YouTube like “Come to Brazil!!” And that makes me feel so grateful. You guys have a lot of great bands Sarcofago, Sepultura, Soulfly, Krisiun and Angra to name a few. Cavalera brothers have been contributing to the extreme metal scene for almost 40 years and of course they inspired us a lot. 54 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
How does the Modern Metal market in Japan work? Is there a massive acceptance? The impression we have here is that the Japanese love to consume music, regardless of the aspect. It’s growing but still small. We are not seen as a metal band but a J rock band. We are good at making “strange music” like BabyMetal and experimental metal music with harsh noise and I’m so proud of it. As of metalcore, I’m sure
you’ll be surprised when you see some young bands playing live. The next Crystal Lake or Crossfaith is coming. To conclude, what can we expect from Crystal Lake for this final of 2020? I hope to see you in Brazil soon. Success and thank you! Nothing for now haha. But we’re thinking about making new music and we’ll be seeing you in 2021.
INTERVIEW . SCULPTOR
BY UILLIAN VARGAS // PHOTO GUS FRANCO
T
he south region of Brazil is still a fertile barn for music, especially metal. In fact, the whole country is hatching bands all the time. And to the despair of those who insist to say the old “rock is dead”, I feel so sorry to tell them that the new bands are very prepared, aware and ready to face the current difficulties. They emerge sculpted into the mold of the new times and ready to speak the language of modernity. Sculptor, born in 2015, based in the city of Curitiba (PR) is one of those bands that fills our hearts with pride, rising on the scene as a banner of hopes of new breath. And this banner rose so high that it was possible to be seen from Naples (ITL), the host city of Frontiers Music SRL, which the band signed a contract in late 2019. Formed by Vinne (vocal/guitar), Caco Ramos (bass), Fabricio Reis (guitars) and Mateus Schran (drums) the group started its climb towards the surface very well advised worldwide. We talked with Rick Eraser (vocal), who will tell us a little about Sculptor’s history, future plans, inspirations, and challenges. Have fun! As usual, this warm-up conversation happens with a short history of the band. How did this union of the musicians that make up Sculptor happen and what is the secret hidden behind the name?
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Rick Eraser - The band was formed in 2015 initially as a project. I had heard about the end of the old band (Rage Darkness) of our guitarist Vinne and contacted him to form a new project. But initially it would only be formed by Vinnie and me, the idea was to make a band that had
a material of extreme quality. So, we worked for a while composing the material for what would become “Untold Secrets”. After that we started to call the members to really form a band, we did some tests with several people. Our first official member was Caco Ramos, who had already
played with Vinne at “Rage Darkness”. After that we got in touch with Mateus Schran who had already played in several bands, who happily accepted the invitation and just gave his best in this project. Finally, we called Fabricio Reis who had already played in the band Holiness
INTERVIEW . SCULPTOR
where he had a great highlight at MTV Brazil. Related to the name we were looking for something that would represent our sound, initially the band would be called “Belt of Venus”, but then we thought in something that was easy to pronounce and with only one name, then we chose the name of Sculptor because the literal translation of the term is “Sculptor”, and sculptors are people who take something raw and work hard to turn it into a piece of art. And it’s really something that connects us to the name Sculptor because, in fact, it represents the work we do in our music, besides we think about sculptors in our lives, we can really polish and transform our own lives. State of Parana has been delivering major great bands to the music scene, there are not new on that fact. But how did the people accept Sculptor’s sound with its Melodic Death Metal? Yes, Paraná has great bands
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and in recent years is gaining prominence both on the national and international scene. About the acceptance of the local public for our sound has always been incredible, we have nothing to complain about the public of our hometown, since we started making concerts, we received an absurd support from the public. In our first show there was a huge line to buy our stuff, and when we played our first single there were several people singing together, it was surreal, really was something incredible for a band that was in their first show. “No Control� is presented to the world full of references of great names of the style, but at the same time demonstrates ready to dialogue with fans of new stuffs. Will we really have this conversation? What is the expected impact? I believe it is the result of a great mix of influences, on one hand we bring references from classical death metal bands like At The Gates, Arch Enemy and Dark Tranquility,
INTERVIEW . SCULPTOR
but in the other hand we put influences from more modern bands like Jinjer, Gojira and Architects. The idea about “Untold Secrets” was to have references of classic bands and at the same time putting a modern spice, because we wanted a very solid first album musically, but something that sounded new, I believe that everyone who listens to our album will feel a unique sensation. We heard the news about the international contract. How did Frontiers Music SRL get to the band? And how does it
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feel about to have a full length released under a remarkable label? At the end of 2018 we released a single called “Oblivion” and this single was special to us, we had more 70 thousand views and it was responsible to open several doors for us, through this single we met people, one of them was a European former employee of a big metal label that loved our sound. He put us in contact with several labels, and with that we had great numbers of proposals from record labels and we decided for the Frontiers, because getting into such a big label opening
WE DREAM OF CONSOLIDATING OURSELVES AS A GREAT BAND BOTH INTERNATIONALLY AND NATIONALLY KNOWN.
INTERVIEW . SCULPTOR
a new style, we just couldn’t refuse (laughs). The feeling of releasing the album by a label like Frontiers is really like a dream that became true, when we started the band it was something that we really want it, but we knew that the chances of getting a contract like this was almost impossible, even more for a band from Brazil, but fortunately the label believed in our potential and they really saw that we
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were working our song with the album ready to release the passion e dedication. pandemic has come. This ruined all our plans and the laThis hiring comes during bel decided to hold on to our times of social isolation release as much as possible, (Covid-19). Can we say and later they chose the end the pandemic wasn’t such of 2020 as a new date to rea problem for this? lease. A funny fact is that the Our hiring for the record la- clip of “No Control” was rebel cast really happened at corded in May 2019, it has Dr. the end of 2019 just before Plague who was the doctor of the pandemic, we had a few the black plague one of the months to work on finishing biggest pandemics of all time. the record, and when we had Unfortunately, we can say that
we had some pandemic related improvements (laughs). With this link established with the European Frontiers, at an opportune future moment, an international tour can be happening. Yes, we’re looking forward to the end of this pandemic to start working on this, we can’t wait to start playing concerts both nationally and
INTERVIEW . SCULPTOR
Hellion, were there already plans for the physical launch of Untold Secrets? The plan for the release of “Untold Secrets” was always to have a national physical version of the album, some national labels even contacted to release the album, but as we ended up closing with Frontiers which already has a solid base of partners around the If it wasn’t for the part- world for distribution help us nership Frontiers and making our lives much easier. internationally playing this album, we recently released our first post-pandemic date at a big festival in Santa Catarina State, called Armageddon Metal Fest for May 2021, which will feature big bands like Venom inc and The Agonist. We don’t have any international tour scheduled yet, but we believe that soon we will have some news about.
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Releasing our cd by Hellion is something incredible. How important is it for Sculptor to establish its name outside of Brazil? For us it is essential, because as we sing in English and have a very wide audience, it helps in a way to have more places to play and make possible the dream of to make the music our major activity, and with that have a bigger fan base. We dream of consolidating
ourselves as a great band both or something like that. We’ve internationally and nationally always been a band D.I.Y. We known. always try to do it in the most professional way possible, What speeches has the many of the things we have band adopted to talk and posted have been done by the impact the followers? band members themselves, Since we started the band we but those who look from outalways create materials for side think there is a team to the band on our own, always manage and create posts from trying to create something our social network. One of the with the highest quality pos- things we’ve always had as a sible, we always think about priority was talking directly to every detail, from a post, to a our fans, we believe this is a making of video of a concert unique link between the band
and the fans. About the use of streaming. Do you think the platforms make the listeners lazier or are they good tools? I believe that streaming has its good side and its bad side, on one hand we have the whole catalog of the world to listen to, but on the other hand people don’t know what to listen to because it has many options, and in the end most
INTERVIEW . SCULPTOR
people always end up listening to the same bands. One of the things that I really think is incredible are the playlists, only then you have the opportunity to listen to new things and give visibility to new bands. We know how Marcelo Vasco works; we already had the great opportunity to interview him for the Cover Artists session of the magazine. But for the band how was the
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process of having worked with such a strong name within the scenario? How much of the Untold Secrets cover creation came from the band? Marcelo Vasco for me is one of the best illustrators of nowadays, I have this strong connection with the arts he does, because I am a fan of his covers. Our process of creating the cover with Marcelo Vasco was extremely fluid, when we were looking for the artist
to create our cover we got in touch with him and showed him the concept project of the album, and that was enough for him to understand what we were looking for. When he presented us the cover art, it was exactly what we were looking for, he managed to capture everything we wanted, in a cover to represent the album. And talking about unpublished secrets, can you
tell us a little about the secrets that inhabit the disc? What deliriums, fantasies and pains do these melodic narratives hide? “Untold Secrets” has in its main narrative the secrets that we all keep, it is a record that the songs tell feelings and pains that we hide. During the composition process of the album I went through the most difficult situations of my life, I had several psychological problems, among them depression sickness and panic attacks. All
these pains i put together in the compositions, are songs that sometimes we want to hide and even pretend that everything is ok, but it’s not, they are songs that have a lot of feeling. In the case of the song “No Control” talks about when you lose control of your life, and you get in a vicious cycle and when you realize that you still have hope
INTERVIEW . SCULPTOR
and you can take control of your life again. In the video we work with an infinite loop of dreams concept to represent this feeling when you are in depression, that you realize that you’re living out of reality.
can help people overcome this moment and keep them hoping for better days, because I know that this illness and social isolation is affecting everyone’s psychological. For our part we will work hard to keep our fans connected to our music through clips and Now about our collec- documentaries, to give them tive actuality. And if this the strength to overcome all “momentary” isolation is this. not just a moment, what plans does Sculptor have We would like to thank for Untold Secret? you for the opportunity We really hope that “Untold of this exchange of expeSecrets” will be an album that rience and leave space for 68 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
the final considerations. We wish you success! First of all I would like to thank our fans who read the Rock Meeting and are supporting us in our album release, I have no words to describe the happiness of having your support, stay tuned in our social networks and on our website to follow the news. We hope this pandemic ends soon so we can meet at Sculptor concerts. Thank you very much for the opportunity of Rock Meeting to open space for this conversation, you are amazing!
INTERVIEW . JUPITERIAN
BY AUGUSTO HUNTER // PHOTO WILLIAM VAN DER VOORT
J
upiterian arised in São Paulo, making a very heavy and dirty Doom Metal, with an unreasonable aggressiveness. Differentiated and with a unique look according to national standards, Jupiterian is gaining considerable space. We talked to them about their latest release, “Protosapien”, life and a little more. First, I would like to thank you for the chat and ask you how it all started, when did you decide to create the band? V: Thanks Augusto and Rock Meeting for the interest. The band started in 2013 and started out of a need that I had more freedom to create songs playing the guitar. Most of the bands I had I was the vocalist, but I felt the need to create and develop ideas in a freer way. It was then that I started to go after equipment and call people to form the band.
Foto: Paul Verhagen
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The band’s lastest band is “Protosapien”. How has the response been for this play? It has been great! In fact much better than we expected. “Terraforming” was a very well received album and when that happens you end up putting yourself in a position to try to do something that is at least equivalent. As there will always be comparisons with other releases of the band, our expectation was to make the feeling
Foto: Banda/Divulgação
of this album continue with the previous one, as an evolution of our musical proposal, and both the media and those who already knew the band have understood it that way. How do you analyze the union with ‘Transceding Obscurity Records’? Do you still think it’s impor-
tant for musicians to have a record label or is the DIY (Do It Yourself) path valid too? Transcending Obscurity has been a great home for us, the label really invests in top quality material for our releases. “Terraforming” was the label’s first move to launch a vinyl band and now with
“Protosapien” they made an impression with a metallic cover and varnish, gatefold and 3 different vinyl patterns. Even this vinyl release has sold out on the label, so everything has gone really well. DIY is an eternal and indivisible process for every band, because even if you have a label to release your mate-
INTERVIEW . jUPITERIAN
rial, nobody takes you by the hand and solves the band for you. You need to develop your sound, record, show it to the world. The only thing that record label do is take what you produce and release it, in a more distant and mechanical relationship. At different times on the record, I understand that the nihilistic concept is very much placed in your music, would that be right? It was certainly not on purpose. We just make our music in a concept-free way. When a riff or fragments that may eventually become a song are born, there is no rationality involved, it is purely instinctive. I usually say that making a song is like the process of bringing something to life. Music is born, grows and develops as it wants, and my job
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is to drive its evolution as far formulas; we have no intenas it wants to go. tion of fitting into specific styles. Our music just happens. If a song caught my attention it was the incredible How do you analyze the “Voidborn”; the riff cau- current situation of the se some strangeness, was music world? How do you that the real motivation see the world in the postor was it my strangeness? -pandemic? Hard to say. The way each From what I’ve seen it seems person interprets a song is the pandemic has created two very personal, but our mu- scenarios for musicians and sic in general is not easy to bands. One of them is the fact digest. There are some more that they have more time to melodic riffs, but I feel that work on new materials, wiour music is acid and some- thout this overriding the tour times indigestible and that’s schedule or reducing the time exactly how we like it to be. they have to finish a record. And the one about live music, “Starless” follows a line a which is completely stopped bit different from the rest and it drags all the people inof the album, was it inten- volved, from the band to the tional? guy at the concert hall bar, I really couldn’t say what the passing by sound technicians, intent of the record is (if it has roadies and so on. This is still one) that we should have fol- a problem that is far from lowed, but if there was one, being solved. I have seen some all the songs are “out” of it. As bands try to take a step bigger I said before, songs are born than their legs to force the reand developed by themselves, turn, but I am sure it is still we are the tool by which they too early. What I think has become real. We do not follow worked well are some events
INTERVIEW . JUPITERIAN
like the live streamings that the bands are doing in the studio and posting on YouTube. Recently Obituary made three of these lives, playing the first three albums, and for you to have access, you pay for the ticket. For those who make a living from the band, I think this may be a format, but still, it doesn’t solve it. Every measure now is only a palliative. Protosapien is being released in different forms, like vinyl, Cassette tape and CD, but the Streamings are there and we know that they are a guide for artists. How do you evaluate your audience’s engagement through these means of music listening? I think that every medium by
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which a person can have access to music is valid. People engage with the music they like, eventually through digital medium, and end up buying the record or merch, and for us who have the records out there and receive few quantities, whatever material we sell ends up returning to the band with the production more merch or with equipment. The fan base of the band has been growing a lot, how has the use of Social Networks been promoting this increase? What do you think this numerical variation is given by? I hope that this numerical variation is given because our music is interesting enough for people to feel that it is worth following us. Everything we post on social media concerns our released material and the feedback we have, such as reviews about the re-
cord, new t-shirt, a nice photo that someone took of the record or pictures of shows. We don’t use social media to engage audiences with polls and rarely use hashtags. We tend not to use these tools because our focus is on our music and not on social media numbers. I saw the merchandise material that was released with the album, do you have any plans to bring it to Brazil? Actually we have our share of the record (in all formats) and shirts that the label needs to send us, but due to the pandemic, everything is going much slower, including the entire international delivery service, so it will take a while little. How was the process of writing and recording for Protosapien? Did it occur before the pandemic? Yes, Protosapien started to be composed shortly after Terra-
INTERVIEW . JUPITERIAN
forming left, and we recorded the guitars and bass of the album in late 2018. As we had a European tour scheduled for early 2019, we left the finalization of the process for when the shows ended, but soon after that a tour in Brazil happened in addition to the change of drummers. All of this took us a lot of rehearsal time and almost a year to be able to sit down and give due attention to the album. We managed to close everything only at the beginning of this year to deliver to the label, and the album was finally able to be released. Unfortunately the live promotion of the album was postponed, how was the virtual planning for the release of Protosapien? We had an important tour this year in England, Ireland and some shows in Mexico that included a big festival there, but 76 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020
THE SONGS ARE BORN AND DEVELOPED BY THEMSELVES, WE ARE THE TOOL BY WHICH THEY BECOME REAL
INTERVIEW . JUPITERIAN
the world will be like after Covid-19? Can you get a sense of what people will act like going forward? More responsible or more selfish? We are seeing people getting worse in front of us, either live or over the internet. Each day they are more selfish and irresponsible and without the slightest sense that we all live Could you predict, or do in a society, whether they like you have an idea, what it or not. People blindly follow we had to postpone it. 2020 was a frustrating year for any band and everyone who works with shows in some way. Luckily, we had at least the album to release and the entire release part, whether physical or online, was up to the label. For our part, it was more sharing this material and the reviews we found.
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extremist leaders and drag anyone who fights for a more just and humanitarian world into the same hole. The future is bleak. Thanks for the time and the space is yours, leave a message to the readers of the Rock Meeting. Thanks for the space. Listen to Protosapien and soon we will have this material in hand in Brazil.
INTERVIEW . COYOTE BADTRIP
BY JESSICA MAR // PHOTO BRUNO ROBERTO RODRIGUES
F
ormed by the trio Gabriel Arrebola, Luke Cassimiro and Tiago Ratão in November 2018, Coyote Badtrip are three boys who have been conquering space in the São Paulo underground scene doing metal crossover with political themes and strong social criticism. With influences from Slayer, Municipal Waste, Death, The Black Dahlia Murder, Exodus and Krisiun, the Brazilian band premiered the first official video clip, “Guerra Divina”, recorded in the city of Jacareí, in São Paulo. The video features the special participation of Niko Teixeira on drums, who currently plays in the bands Genocídio and Tormentor Bestial. “Guerra Divina” is the first single from the new studio album entitled ‘Raça [Des]humana’, which will be released in the first half of 2021. The band has the debut album ‘Ascensão e Queda’, released at the beginning of the year 2020, which brings a lot of thrash metal with strong punk and hardcore notes, working on the theme of the government’s neglect of drug addicts, with lyrics that are purposely acid. The disc received good reviews from the specialized media, even presenting simple songs and produced by a young band. The band also has its own festival, Bad Trip Metal Fest, with the
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first edition held in February created by illustrator Filipe our first full album. For the release we decided to do an 2020. To tell all these news Moriarty. event called “Bad Trip Metal and future plans, vocalist and Fest”, it was supposed to be guitarist Luke Cassimiro gives Coyote Badtrip is a new band on the scene, but just for one time, but now we the first interview of his career can you tell us a little are studying the possibility of to the magazine Rock Meetother editions. about this project? ing, where he also exclusively Luke Cassimiro - We releases the cover of the new founded the band in late 2018, We saw that the band album ‘Raça [Des]humana’, but only this year we released follows styles and
INTERVIEW . COYOTE BADTRIP
THE PLAN FOR AFTER THE QUARANTINE IS TO DO A LOT OF SHOWS, WE ARE GOING TO PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO THIS ‘RAÇA [DES]HUMANA’ TOUR
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influences of the thrash/ death crossover. Why follow this line? Our biggest influences are bands that belong to this genre, such as Slayer, Death, Municipal Waste and DRI. We always like to play songs of these bands, so one day we decided to get down and create the band.
This album talks about the neglect and prejudice that people have with drug addicts, who are often people who want to get out of addiction but need help. Through acid lyrics, we tell the story of a fictional character who goes on aggravating his drug addiction until he loses everything and ends up living on the streets, which is a realThe band’s debut album, ity for many. “Ascensão e Queda”, was released this year. Tell us The band announced a a little about this work. release for next year, the
new album, “Raça [Des] Humana. Can you tell us a little more about the record? On this record we are more prepared and experienced, unlike ‘Ascensão e Queda’ which was a first-time record. The songs are more technical and produced, the goal of the songs is different and this time we put a foot in Death Metal. The first single, “Guerra Divina” and the album cover talk about torture. What is the concept of the
album itself? The album “Raça [Des]Humana” talks about the atrocities that a human being can do to another, from alienation to torture, murder, terrorist attacks and experiments with humans. You sing in Portuguese, not in English like most bands do. Why is that? Do you think that singing in Portuguese can hinder the promotion of the band abroad? Our lyrics are in Portuguese because our target audience
is Brazilian, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t want to reach the international audience either. If we ever notice that Portuguese singing is holding the band back, we will take the necessary measures. For someone who has never heard the band, how would you say the song sounds? Do you feel you are an original band? At first, it may be a little difficult for the listener to digest the songs (depending on the person), mainly due to the violence in the lyrics. Yes, we
INTERVIEW . COYOTE BADTRIP
are always looking for our coronavirus really mess own sonority, and as much with the band’s plans? What strategy have you originality as possible. created to deal with the Does the band already crisis? have a record label for the In parts, because we had to cancel the shows for the proalbum’s release? What motion of ‘Ascensão e Queda’, are the expectations? but we managed to use this Unfortunately, we don’t have quarantine time in our favor, a label or record company for and we advanced the recordthe release of this album, but ings of our second album. the expectations are great for
normal? The plan for after the quarantine is to do a lot of shows, we are going to put a lot of effort into this ‘Raça [Des]Humana’ tour, which is already scheduled. Can you leave a message for our readers? We are only at the beginning of the journey, we will still
What are Coyote Badtrip’s bring a lot of chaos and displans for the future, when cord in our songs, we will not Did the crisis of the new everything returns to stop, so wait! this next release.
84 // ROCK MEETING // NOVEMBER . 2020