Black Pantera is one of the most powerful national bands to emerge in Brazilian metal in recent years. Unafraid to position themselves as an anti-racist and political band, the thrash metal power trio formed by Charles Gama, Chaene da Gama , and Rodrigo “Pancho” Augusto has everything a group could need: heavy riffs, brutal vocals, groove, and a direct, uncompromising attitude – a rare mix in a genre dominated by white and supposedly apolitical artists.
After eight years in the business, including appearances on international stages at festivals like Afropunk , Black Pantera released the overwhelming Ascensão , their third studio album, at the beginning of the year. It's a surgical portrait of the country's political and social landscape, highlighting the ills caused by a system based on injustice and violence.
It is with the album that calls for "Fire on the Racists" that the band will take the stage at Rock In Rio in September, with a special appearance by Devotos Living Colour 's show Wikimetal in an interview , it will be a night of fulfilling personal dreams, but also of resistance in the search for representation and recognition.
'Dark Chapter' and the pandemic
The pandemic was an intense period of creation for the band, with the release of the impactful single "I Can't Breathe" after the death of George Floyd , and the audiovisual EP Capítulo Negro , featuring reinterpretations of Brazilian music classics focused on Black empowerment.
The band already had “A Carne,” an anthem by Elza Soares , in their repertoire, and quickly decided on a setlist that included “Todo Camburão Tem Um Pouco de Navio Negreiro,” by O Rappa , and “Identidade,” by Jorge Aragão . “We couldn’t stay quiet during this pandemic; we thought it was time to release some material for the band’s fans, and we realized that [the pandemic] was going to last a long time,” Charles explained. “The band didn’t stop, and the result was an incredible work.”
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The isolation period also brought a strong fanbase to Black Pantera on social media, managed by the band members themselves, who make a point of responding to every message received. “It’s even a piece of advice we always give to new bands like this: you can’t just stand still, it’s not just about showing up and doing a show. We already know how to do that, everyone plays, right? Now, how am I going to reach someone who has never seen me in their life, someone on the other side of the country or the world?” advised Rodrigo.
With the algorithm pressuring them to constantly produce content across different media, the artists from Minas Gerais don't feel pressured to abandon art to gain visibility; on the contrary, they see it as an opportunity for growth that has yielded good results for the group. "The world is very immediate, we're just using the platform to our advantage. Produce content that people will like and it will be good," Chaene added.
New album 'Ascension'
The new album arrives with a resounding force and is made for live performance. "It ends up being almost involuntary to compose the songs already thinking about that, [thinking] 'Dude, when this starts, I'm sure the crowd will headbang, this one will make people jump, this one will make people really get excited'," they said.
With the experience gained from previous albums, Black Pantera doesn't need long verses to convey profound and precise messages about society, exposing the hypocrisy and cruelty of the system on their new album.
“It’s as if the world needs us to talk about these things, so we studied a lot about all the issues and we deconstruct ourselves every day, because society is sexist, homophobic, and we end up replicating these things as well,” Chaene explained. “So the lyrics for this album came from the need to talk about the subject, to try to reach the public in a way that they understand.”
Politics and metal do mix, yes.
The band doesn't rule out lighter themes, so to speak, in future works. “There will come a time when we'll be able to compose a song about a guy and a girl, you know? Having a great conversation, a real 'Eduardo and Mônica' song. We'll be able to do that at a certain point in our lives, but the urgency [of social themes] is really very evident,” said Charles. “I didn't have so much vision when I was younger, I just wanted rock and roll, drinks and shows, but over time you start to see these issues.”
“In a country where a Black person dies every twenty-three minutes, we, as a Black band called Black Pantera, can't talk about anything else. It's a cruel reality; homophobia and sexism also kill. We are totally against the denialist, homophobic, racist, and corrupt government,” Chaene continued.
Within the metal scene, it's not uncommon to hear a considerable portion of the audience argue that music and politics shouldn't mix, with fans of Rage Against The Machine expressing shock and disappointment at the political statements of the band known for "Killing In The Name"—and this also happens with Black Pantera.
“Just today I saw a comment from a guy saying he was going to unfollow the band because of 'Fire on Racists,' [he said]: 'I'm going to stop following because they started mixing politics into the music.' The band has been around for eight years, and the guy has never understood any of our lyrics to this day,” the bassist said, amused.
“There are many bands out there [that don't talk about politics], especially in the mainstream. I think they're in a complacent situation, not wanting to miss out on anything, and they don't take a stand, right? It's up to us, up-and-coming bands, like Black Pantera and so many others in the underground scene, who are the bands that touch on sensitive issues. Because there are many bands that talk about this, but sometimes they don't have as much visibility,” Rodrigo added. “It's great to be able to play at Rock In Rio, because we're going to amplify our voice, live, to thousands of people. I want to see it ignite on September 2nd.”
Black Pantera at Rock In Rio
Without a doubt, Rock In Rio is one of the biggest dreams for Brazilian artists. Black Pantera will finally be on the Sunset Stage at the festival on September 2nd, the famous "Metal Day" at the event, alongside idols like Devotos and Living Colour, the main attraction on that stage that day.
The invitation took Charles back to the times when he was chasing after the band's discography in his youth, before the conveniences of YouTube, when there was little material available about the group in Brazil. "I really have a feeling of pride, gratitude, and of a job well done, you know? It feels almost like dying, right?" he said. "Imagine, me here in Uberaba, and one day being so close to the guys who were a total reference in my life and in the boys' lives too."
Cannibal , from Devotos, was the first idol to contact the band through social media, even sending a t-shirt and posing wearing a Black Pantera one. Therefore, when the opportunity arose to bring them to the festival, the band had no doubts. “If Black Pantera is running, it’s because Devotos was way behind them,” said Chaene. “They are huge references, I think the two bands on that stage will be something historic.”
The dream will come true for both parties: for Black Pantera, sharing the stage with a major figure, and for Devotos, who had recently mentioned the festival as one of the band's dreams. “Imagine me calling the guy and saying, 'You have an awesome dream of playing at Rock in Rio?' Okay, let's see if we can make it happen, and he didn't believe me,” recalled Chaene. “It's incredibly representative to be able to say that we'll have Black bands there on Metal Day.”
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