Text by Ricardo Batalha
After suffering a serious car accident that caused me to completely lose sight in my left eye and crush my right hand, the year 1994 brought not only negative memories.
On the first day after I was discharged from the hospital, I went to the BeBop studio in São Paulo to check out Exhort , who were recording their second album, praY . However, problems weren't unique to me that year: the album wasn't released until 2006, twelve years after its recording, which was directed by Beto Machado .
At the time, the major label Eldorado signed Exhort, but soon canceled all contracts with rock and metal bands. In 1997, the band was signed by Act Music, riding the wave of success of the Banguela label, linked to Titãs , but Act never released any of its artists.
In 2002, there was another attempt with Frontline Rock, but it was also unsuccessful. Only after the contract with Frontline ended was the band able to release the album through Infinity Art.
Despite the setbacks, the successor to Attitude (1991) continues to impress. This re-release, carefully orchestrated by producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Val Santos , showcases the vigor of the heavy metal played by Nando Machado (vocals and bass), Marcos Kleine (guitar), Silvio Vartan (vocals and guitar), and Rick Verreschi (drums). The solid foundations, creative solos, striking grooves, and raw vocals were recorded analogically, with impeccable execution.
Silvio Vartan explained: “The studio was top-notch, with all analog equipment, but of very high quality. We asked Beto for a very 70s sound, with drums in the style of John Bonham, for example. We wanted to get away from the path that metal bands were following and innovate. Beto Machado brought several incredible ideas – we even used a 'cry-baby' pedal plugged in backwards. We also had an African percussion orchestra, conducted by maestro Dinho Gonçalves , who brought instruments and sounds never before recorded.”
“We did incredible pre-production work for two months, rehearsing and perfecting the songs. In the ten days leading up to the recording, we isolated ourselves on a farm with our equipment and rehearsed morning, afternoon, and night. We arrived at the studio super prepared, recording everything in the first or second take,” added Nando Machado.
Highlights of the repertoire include “Pray,” “I'll Mind Mine,” “Kill You First,” “Segregate Me,” “Day Old Bread,” and all the small instrumental pieces inspired by Kleine's guitar.
My personal relationship with Exhort is remarkable. I attended the band's debut show at Teatro Mambembe and followed several performances alongside Viper , including one at Aeroanta, in Largo da Batata. Rick Verreschi studied with my brother at Liceu Pasteur and Objetivo, and was also a member of the Ipê Clube. His mother, Ieda Therezinha , was the director of Hospital São Paulo and took care of me during my hospitalization after my accident. She always called my mother to ask about my recovery.
And it was Rick who took me to the BeBop studio to see the recording of "praY" ... Besides Exhort, he was a roadie for Renato Graccia, then in Viper, who had also studied at the Liceu Pasteur along with him and my brother.
There's more… I've been listening to heavy metal since 1979, and never before had my late father, who coincidentally knew Rick's father, asked me to listen again to a song I put on. To my surprise, he asked to hear it again. "Ricardinho, Rick's band is good! Play it again, I liked this one," he said.
The song in question was "Kill You First," which features a special appearance by Nuno Mindellis , Thiago Cerveira , who recorded it on the very day I was at the BeBop studio. It also includes a section narrated by the late police journalist and radio broadcaster Luiz Carlos Alborghetti , as Silvio Vartan's lyrics address the conflict between police officers living in favelas and the control exerted by drug traffickers.
At BeBop, Cerveira simply arrived, plugged in the amplifier, opened his little bag, did the tests, listened to “Kill You First,” and started playing the harmonica. Beto Machado hadn't even told him it was valid. Vartan looked at me and only had time to exclaim: “Holy shit, what is that?!” Nando Machado added: “It sounds like Yngwie Malmsteen, but on the harmonica!”, alluding to the speed of the Swedish guitarist's solos compared to what Cerveira had done.
I don't know if you felt as connected to it as I did, but be sure to check out this gem, praY .
