SEE YOU IN HELL Brazil tour flashback

 

We have played 9 shows in Brazil in October 2007. There will be longer tour report written in Czech language and printed in my Hluboka Orba zine {w/English version maybe one day out too}, but I decided to write something more about the tour already now as I want to highlight some killer bands we were lucky enough to play with.

 

We got invited to Brazil by Fabio {SICK TERROR/Usina De Sangue label}. Our first 5 shows were together with old Finnish reformed punx RATTUS. We travelled in one van together and drove more than 1000 km from Sao Paulo down South near Porto Alegre and then back to SP. Other 4 shows of SEE YOU IN HELL took the place in Sao Paulo (2 times) and 1000 km up the other way {North} near capital city Brasilia. So we’ve played following cities: Florianopolis, Sapiranga {near Porto Alegre}, Guaramirim, Curitiba, Londrina and then Sao Paulo, Gama, Goiania and Sao Paulo again. Some of the distances were pretty crazy {16 hours from SP to Gama in local cheap “ilegal” bus being the most crazy} and Brazil roads are definitely not the safest in the world {50.000 people die on the roads there every year}. But in the end everything was fine, weather was great, vegetarian/vegan food relatively easy to find, organization of the tour and money {of course we could not pay our flight tickets back, but we got enough money to cover all costs in Brazil and still saved a little} were absolutely OK too. But the best part about playing in Brazil is definiately the friendly and 100% enthusiastic audience, all the great people you meet there! Hardcore, punk, metal and rock music in general are very popular there and people are not so cold and over-bored like these you sometimes meet here in mid/western Europe. Sometimes it is even too much for us like people asking for autographs, people wanting to take the photo with you all the time etc. But what the fuck, this is Brazil...

 

Probably the only serious problem you can face when playing in Brazil is the poor sound {not all the time, but mostly} as you play on locally made combos and really beaten up drums many times. But on the other hand people don’t give a fuck and don’t make so big issue out of it {like over here}, so in the end we also got used to it. Brazil is very poor country and custom tax for imported musical stuff like Marshalls is so high that almost nobody can afford to buy it.

 

Brazilian hardcore/punk scene is huge, we usually know only few bands who were active in 80’s {many of them still are – RATOS DE PORAO, LIXOMANIA, ARMAGEDOM, LOBOTOMIA, A.D.R.…}, few bands who released records in 90’s and few bands who toured Europe in recent years, but of course there are many many more. I would say that today’s Brazilian hardcore scene is pretty unknown outside the country - bands don’t release vinyls almost at all, only CD’s, they are poor and also language barrier is the problem. And of course Brazilian or South American bands are not trendy or very popular among today’s foreign punx, at least in my opinion. We had the chance to see more than 40 Brazil bands live from thrash metal to crust/grind, punk rock etc. {very often the bands from different genres play together}. Of course sometimes is was not possible to see every band and not every band completely floored us, but in general we did enjoyed most of them a lot.

 

Here comes the list of some of the bands we saw and liked a lot, as I said, it is not totally exhausting, but I think you get a good picture about current scene there. I provided some basic info + contacts when possible, check them out, write them, support them!

 

ODIUM CAPITALE {www.myspace.com/odiumcapitale}- raw and apocalyptic stenchcore/crust with strong anticapitalist/pro-animal rights attitudes.

 

REPULSORES {www.myspace.com/repulsores} - sick killer crossover/thrash in the vein of D.R.I., EXCEL, HIRAX... these guys are extremely good at their instrumets, check out their recently released full CD, it slashes!

 

VULGO ACRATA {www.myspace.com/vulgoacrata} - raw and dark depressive hardcore/crust a bit in the EKKAIA, NEUROSIS, TRAGEDY etc. way, they have 2 vinyls {LP and EP} out released in Europe in cooperation of more labels.

 

ATROZ - killler thrashcore from SP, this is new band playing just for few months, so no website info and no releases out so far. Ex-AGROTOXICO drummer beating the skins.

 

NI DIEU NI MADRE {www.myspace.com/nieudieunieumaitre} - fast 80’s hardcore w/very political lyrics + attitudes, one of the few bands we saw giving long speeches before songs. They have split LP out w/IMMINENT CHAOS out now.

 

PREKARIOS {www.myspace.com/prekarios} - young punks playing hard-driving hard-hitting punk as fuck in the vein of 80’s Brazil classics like COLERA, INNOCENTES or OLHO SECO.

 

FISICOPATAS {www.myspace.com/fisicopatas}- killer thrash w/catchy “gang” choruses!

 

D.E.R. {www.myspace.com/derpunk} - ultrafast neurotic extreme HC w/SICK TERROR’s drummer Borata behind the drum set {one of the fastest drummers I ever saw}. Reminds me DISCORDANCE AXIS a bit.

 

LOBOTOMIA {www.myspace.com/lobotomiahc} - raw and dirty thrash punk, originally started back in the 80’s and now reformed w/three original members. Maybe you saw their singer Marcao in Europe last year singing w/SICK TERROR.

 

ARMAGEDOM {www.myspace.com/armagedom} - another killer 80’s band who needs no introduction. Raw and depressive punk/thrash who influenced tons of other bands all over the world. Their newest CD which was released on Usina De Sangua should see the light of a day on vinyl LP in 2008 on Insane Society Records.

 

DISFORME {www.myspace.com/disformedf} - fast nonstop thrashcore reminding me Japanese bands like OUTO or LIPCREAM.

 

UTGARD TROLLS {www.myspace.com/utgardtrolls} - raw and dirty antifascist punk from bunch of spiked-haired punx from Brasilia. They have their debut CD “Troops Of War” out and their singer Valeria has super-raw voice! Sounds kinda like 80’s Swedish hardcore/punk crossed with ARMAGEDOM, SKARNIO etc.

 

INNOCENT KIDS {www.innocentkids.kit.net} - youth crew thrash in the vein of 625 bands, VITAMIN X, WHN? etc.

 

CORJA {www.myspace.com/corja} - very powerful hardcore/punk with some crossover parts, their CD is called “Al Qaeda’s Greatest Hits”.

 

DEATH FROM ABOVE {www.myspace.com/dbeatdeathfromabove} - new band of ex-NEUROSE URBANA guitar player Mingau, 100% orthodox raw disbeat sounding like DISCLOSE playing on ARMAGEDOM 80’s amps. Demo “Lost In The War Insane” out, I think they have some songs on 6 way comp. LP of Brazil raw punk bands released recently by Otto Itkonen. Full CD on Japanese Speed State label maybe out in 2008? They look for label interested to release some vinyl!

 

DESASTRE {www. myspace.com/desastrehc} - raw and noisy punk turned to heavy and dynamic “motor rock” ala INEPSY, DISFEAR, MOTORHEAD etc. on their newest {3rd} CD “Procurando Saida”. DESASTRE tried to tour Europe two times already, but it always failed, another attempt in autumn 2008 maybe?

 

WC MASCULINO {www.myspace.com/wxcxmx} - raw thrash punk! They have pretty good split CDr demo with SOCIOFOBIA {another thrashers, w/DESASTRE’s guitar player Hassan abusing six strings}.

 

SOCIAL CHAOS {www.myspace.com/socialchaos01} - you may know them from their European tour couple years ago, they have also few vinyls out, full LP out next year maybe? Annihilating grinding crustcore, now w/Alexandre {ex-ROT} playing guitar.

 

DISKONTROLL {www.myspace.com/diskontroll} - relatively new band from SP, super-powerfull disbeat w/strong political lyrics, ex-EXECRADORES, AMOR PROTESTO Y ODIO, METROPOLIXO etc. guitar player Josimas now playing second guitar there. They have split CD w/DODSDOM from Sweden out, check it out! Another band looking out for label to release something on vinyl by them!

 

RATTUS {www.myspace.com/rattusfinnishhc} - of course, not from Brazil, but from Finland, as much as I dislike old bands reformed, I have to say that they were extremely good every night I saw them, playing 90% of old stuff. I personally didn’t liked the new songs much, but that’s a matter of taste and as they say “We can do whatever we want”, so no problem here. Absolutely no rock stars {this is not always obvious with reunions, right?}, but super-friendly guys, it was big honor and pleasure for us to tour with RATTUS together!

 

We also got tons of CDrs, demo tapes etc. from newer bands like LUTA ARMADA, UNIDOS PELO ODIO, DISASTRI, SPITBLOOD, SPSC, ACID RAIN, REDRUM, MALUFAR, ABALO SISMICO, SPASMS etc. Check them out too!

 

Note to record collectors: you can buy almost every original 80’s Brazil punk vinyl {OLHO SECO, RATOS DE PORAO, COLERA, LOBOTOMIA, ARMAGEDOM etc. LP’s, v/a “Sub”, v/a “Ataque Sonoro”, v/a “Grito Suburbano”...} in SP record shops. Prices are very different depending on the damage of the record {many look and sound like shit, honestly}, but they are usually between 20 - 70 USD.

 

I hope to see some Brazil bands in Europe next year {ARMAGEDOM, DESASTRE, SOCIAL CHAOS...???}, if they come, make sure not to miss them or maybe just save the money and fly directly to Brazil, you won’t regret it!

 

Filip, November 2007

 

PS: Check out the huge photogallery at www.seeyouinhell.cz, some photos also at www.myspace.com/seeyouinhellthrash