It's not uncommon to find debate about the relevance of political themes in song lyrics, especially in rock and metal: some defend artists' expression of their opinions, while others consider mixing them unprofessional. For Drowned , this is an integral theme of heavy metal.
In an interview with Wikimetal about the single “Hail, Captain Genocide!” , released last Monday, the 15th, vocalist Fernando Lima explained the reason for the band's harsh criticism of Jair Bolsonaro and leaders they consider totalitarian and genocidal in the new release from the Minas Gerais-based death and thrash metal band.
“We don’t think music itself has a duty to talk about politics. But we believe that metal is a style that has been connected, since its inception, to rising up against standards, against the status quo, and above all, it is dissatisfied with what is wrong. That is the language of authentic metal. Rock is a style of protest, not a style that worships anything,” he argued.
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For the musician, the current socio-political landscape in Brazil demands even more eloquence. “We are living through a moment of deconstruction of the few civilizational advances [of the country]. Human beings are essentially political, even if they don't know it. Politics only makes sense if there is a pursuit of the well-being of the community; otherwise, it's just a business like any other, with the objective of profiting a few at the expense of the majority,” he continued. “Thus, we believe that musicians can talk about whatever they want in their work, as long as they do so without harming people. Today's argument against talking about politics in music is very simple: a rock band, if it's authentic, if it's going to talk about a political theme, has a moral duty to denounce what's happening in Brazil and the world. And Bolsonaro's politics, because of its totalitarian bias, are not acceptable.”
When questioned about the resistance of some headbangers to political debates, the vocalist of Drowned appeared optimistic. “With the aging of the metal audience, many have adopted conservative stances that conflict with practically everything that metal is based on. Perhaps it's difficult for them to absorb what has always been present in the vast majority of rock albums. However, fortunately, they seem to be the minority,” he said.
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