In early December, Macaco Bong released Live Garage , their ninth studio album, this time with a different sound. Heavy and extreme, the work is the Macaco Bong that few people knew – that's what Bruno Kayapy , founder, guitarist, composer and producer of the group, said during an exclusive interview with Wikimetal .
With only 5 songs, but 40 minutes of duration, Bruno, Igor Carvalho (bass) and Marcus Fachini (drums) reinvented themselves, bringing a raw sound that, in 2023, should gain a second volume. The continuation of the album will consist of a selection of songs from the band's entire career catalog, re-recorded in this same format that prioritizes "live" energy, and also featuring an unreleased track.
Check out the full exclusive interview with Bruno Kayapy, in which he talks about the creation of the album and its influences, as well as discussing politics, a key issue for him and his bandmates.
Wikimetal: You've changed your style quite a bit on this new album, can you tell us why and how that happened?
Bruno Kayapy: It was quite natural; the band's formation with Igor Carvalho (bass) and Marcus Fachini (drums) directly contributed to the sound of this album. We grew up together since our adolescence in Cuiabá listening to heavy music. I personally went to many national metal shows from that time; it was my musical cradle throughout my pre-adolescence in the 90s. Bands like Krisiun, Headhunter DC, Ophiolatry, Funeratus, Descerebration, Mystifier, Sarcófago, Sanatório, Rebaellium, Holder, and many others from the late 90s generation.
Live Garage is the Macaco Bong that has always existed but very few people knew about. We don't need to put in any effort to create this kind of "heavier" sound, because it flows naturally. If we plug into a rehearsal studio right now, we'll finish the rehearsal in 3 hours with at least one new song, all worked in this sound style, already planned and ready! To play this, we don't need to be rational in the sense of trying to reason musically to achieve this result. Live Garage is nothing more and nothing less than Macaco Bong being Macaco Bong with its usual DNA.
WM: What were the inspirations for this album?
BK: Macaco Bong! The band's own history was my great inspiration for this album. Their entire history, everything they've been through, everything they are today, this mix of feelings they evoke… It does justice to the sonic onslaught that is this new Macaco Bong sound. The band has only taken a beating their whole lives… and that's what it resulted in.
WM: Was composing and recording this album different for you in any way? If so, how?
BK: It was a delight! We played it easy, everything flowed like water, we already had everything very well defined. Recording Macaco Bong is a lot of fun from the producer's point of view and from an artistic point of view internally speaking, nowadays it's a super light, healthy and inspiring environment among everyone involved in the whole process in general, our only problem is when the three of us wake up with [ Marcelo ] Adnet incarnated in our bodies, there's so much laughter that the day doesn't get anything done, but most of the time we're always very focused, zero tension in the air, no external pressure whatsoever, just good vibes. The album was recorded in 7 days and mixed in 7 days. In about two weeks the album was already ready.
WM: Is there a theme behind the tracks? If so, could you explain it?
BK: “ Carranca” [the album's first track] is about when you need to protect yourself from the evil eyes and envy of others, and especially avoid bad people crossing your path. “Uveitis” is a rare eye disease; I had uveitis in my left eye when I was 8 years old and almost went blind in both eyes. “Vá” doesn't need much explanation, right? “Trabalho Forçado” is a title that, for me, sums up very well who we are… “É” talks about giving yourself to a cause, throwing yourself headfirst into what you love to do most; it's just to give you a boost, for me it's that situation of focusing on yourself.
WM: How has the fan reception been to the album?
BK: The feedback on streaming has been excellent; it has all the makings of one of our great albums. I can see the joy of some fans giving us feedback, saying they're loving the new album and thanking us for giving them back everything they've always wanted to hear and see the band doing, and that's very gratifying for us. The feedback on Live Garage has been wonderful.
WM: I see Macaco Bong as a politically engaged band. How do you view your music within this context?
BK: I don't think Macaco Bong is a politicized band; it simply defends its principles related to respecting democracy and having a character of common human, social, cultural, and environmental sense.
I think principles are a basic element in the evolution of a person or a group. Bands talk about love, conspiracy theories, romance, suspense… Macaco Bong does things differently; our songs only talk about the purging of others from society. We are far from this buzz of politicized narratives.
In my view, a person can be left-wing or right-wing as long as they defend their moral and ethical principles with a democratic bias without inciting coups, hate speech, and violence. A fascist has no side; they are neither right-wing, nor left-wing, nor centrist; they are fascist with anti-democratic principles, period. This sums up what this tyranny is, inciting hatred and violence in society, which ultimately distorts values that are extremely important for a democracy, in my opinion. Being right-wing, in my view, doesn't mean a person is a Bolsonaro supporter, and being left-wing doesn't make a person a sympathizer of the KGB or Kim Jong-un. A fascist, however, is always a fascist… whether they are right-wing, left-wing, an artist, a truck driver, a doctor, a journalist, a salesperson, or a city councilor, they will always be a fascist in any situation. The character of a fascist never changes and is not defined by whether that person is right-wing or left-wing, because they are fascist! That's why, for me, fascists don't have sides; every fascist is an imbecile, period…
Just as there are people who claim to be on the left and idolize the Soviet Union, there are also those who claim to be on the right and sympathize with Nazism, which to me are both completely senseless and equally idiotic. I believe in democracy, in people who think differently but who, above all, respect life, people who are not deniers, and who share knowledge, compassion, love, and peace with others. Political disagreement, as long as the debate takes place within democratic frameworks, is a wonderful thing for a society.
We at Macaco Bong aren't the kind of guys who show up somewhere and start debating politics with others. Brazilian fascism has always been around; it just didn't have a label or a name to call it. Now it has a name, and there are people who feel represented by this hate-inciting discourse. For me, politics is about dialogue, collaboration, and occupying spaces to achieve better things.
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