Recognized as a legend in national and international metal, Jairo “Tormentor” Guedz has a strong background, having participated in Sepultura , played with The Mist , Eminence , among others. His name is synonymous with technique, brutality, and a lot of grit among fans of the genre.
His new band, The Troops of Doom , has been active for a while, and has two full albums, Antichrist Reborn (2022) and A Mass to The Grotesque , the latter being their most recent work, released in May of this year, which has been receiving positive reviews from national and international specialized media.
In an interview with Wikimetal , the musician talked about the release of this new work, his influences when composing, his participation in this year's Summer Breeze Brasil festival, and the band's upcoming shows. Check out the full interview:
Wikimetal: I'd like to start by thanking you for your time and saying that I'm a big fan of the band.
Jairo Guedz: It's a pleasure for me, Lucas. Thank you for the space.
WM: The Troops of Doom are releasing their second album, A Mass To The Grotesque . How has the reception been for this new work, and what are your expectations?
JG: Our expectations were high, but I confess we're even surprised by the critical and public response. This album is being considered by various media outlets "one of the best releases of 2024," and not just when discussing bands and releases from Brazil. We're surprised, but very proud of this work.
WM: The songs follow what we saw on the previous album, Antichrist Reborn (2022), focusing on old-school death metal. However, the thrash metal influences present in each one are noticeable. What could you tell us about this mix of styles and the songwriting process?
JG: I believe we took a few more risks. We let our ideas flow more freely during the songwriting process for this album. Instead of worrying so much about the path to follow within our influences, I think we gave more space to our own signature style. This album already has the personality of each band member within it. Perhaps that's why some evolution in this sense is noticeable. A band's own identity amidst all the influences we have!
WM: The album has two tracks with longer durations (“Dawn of Mephisto” at 6:11 minutes and “Psalm 7:8 – God of Bizarre” at 8:09 minutes). Did the band decide to take a risk by composing longer songs, or was it something that happened naturally and you decided to keep them that way?
JG: It happened naturally, and at the same time we didn't limit ourselves to the length of each song or to creating something more "conceptual" for this album. The songs aren't long because they're repetitive or by chance... they needed to develop and they became longer songs. Naturally. Cutting anything wasn't our choice.
WM: The songs maintain a focus on darker themes, such as the track "Chapels of The Unholy," which talks about a ritual with black candles and invocations. Does the inspiration for composing like this come from something specific, or is it part of the band's quest to make evil metal again?
JG: This "motto," "Make Metal Evil Again," isn't just tied to the band's lyrics, but it's also intended for that purpose. We have too many bands making metal focused on human issues, depression, suicide, sadness, rebellion, etc., and too many bands talking about politics, etc. We like to talk about the church and how religions and their "clergy" have always been involved in politics, in decisions that have changed the world (most of the time for the worse).
I am an atheist. For me, there is no God or Devil. That's why I use the devil and his "ornaments" as a weapon against the very creators of these despicable and terrifying ornaments and figures, which serve as control and punishment for their faithful. If the church had invented and transformed Walt Disney into the evil and greatest enemy of the church itself, rest assured that we would be singing about Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto today.
WM: I'd like to highlight two more tracks: "The Impostor King" and "Faithless Requiem." The first seems to have a strong black metal influence, while the second (for me) is one of the heaviest songs on the album. What can you tell us about these two compositions?
JG: These songs, even though they have different influences from the others, still complete the album's cogwheel very naturally and meaningfully. I don't feel they stand out too much from the rest, because they all have a little bit of each of us in the band. Maybe these two have more of Marcelo Vasco's [(guitarist)] touch than the other musicians... this happens a lot – someone brings an idea and the composition takes a direction that follows a natural influence from one or another.
Marcelo always had a much stronger Swedish and Norwegian black metal influence than I did. Which doesn't mean I don't like it too. I have more of a Slayer , Celtic Frost , and melancholic music vibe... I think in the end, we complement each other well musically.
WM: Even with veterans of the scene being part of the band, are you still influenced by other bands in your work? If so, which ones?
JG: Yes, very much so! I think that in The Troops of Doom everyone carries the same old influences as always, from the 80s. Marcelo and I, when we're writing something new, always comment at the end that it's more like band X or band Y, and these bands are always the same ones we loved back in the 80s or 90s. Everything we listened to in the 80s and 90s is still pulsing inside us. More modern examples, from 2000 onwards, are rare…
WM: For you guys, what was it like working with the legendary Jim Morris (who has worked with Death, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide), from Morrisound Recording, who did the mixing and mastering of the new album?
JG: Jim was sensational. A legendary guy and very serious. He sent us a preview of the mix and asked if that was the right direction. It was awesome, but everything was a bit modern, compressed, clean… and we asked him to follow the same path he was used to with the 80s/90s bands he had worked with.
We wanted that rawness, that natural grit, without "cleaning up" the pauses too much. We asked him to make it as close as possible to a live "rehearsal." And on the second take, the album was ready! Defined! The guy is a monster!
WM: Another well-known name you worked with was Dan Seagrave, who created a beautiful cover for the album. What can you tell us about that collaboration?
JG: Dan Seagrave was a teenage dream. I always wanted to work with him and I was never in a band that justified the identity of his work. Marcelo Vasco is also a big fan of his (they are both visual artists and work with extreme metal bands) and he talked about the possibility of us using Dan on one of our albums. I think we were lucky that Dan had that free schedule at that time, and lucky that the record label gave us a budget that could cover that expense.
We are very happy with this latest achievement for the band. A sensational cover by Dan Seagrave. He only asked what the idea for the album was and the color palette. We wanted to use Capiroto (the demon used by Sepultura on their first two albums and by The Troops of Doom on all albums to date) only as one of the other details on the cover, and no longer as the protagonist of the album art.
WM: The Troops of Doom has been active for a while now, and has been gaining more and more space in the national and international scene. How do you see this period so far?
JG: We're celebrating our fourth anniversary as a band this March 2024. We've released three EPs and two full albums so far. We've played dozens of shows and toured South America and Brazil with I Am Morbid . We've performed at major and important festivals like Abril Pro Rock, Summer Breeze, etc.
Of those four years, we were almost completely stopped for two years due to the pandemic… It's impossible not to look at this period with great pride and satisfaction! We are very happy and fulfilled, both with our effort and hard work, and with the feedback we have been receiving every day!
WM: The band had the opportunity to play at the second edition of Summer Breeze Brazil, which took place this year. What was it like to participate in such a festival, and what can you tell us about the performance?
JG: Being booked for the final night of Summer Breeze and headlining one of the stages was a wonderful surprise! Of course, playing between two shows by huge bands that everyone there was waiting for isn't an easy task (laughs).
Our show started even before Anthrax finished , and right after we began our set, Mercyful Fate went on stage. A lot of people missed our show because of that, and we understand! But it's a great source of pride for us to have been invited to be part of this extremely important event for Brazilian metal! Everyone who was there, playing, working, deserves all the respect from everyone!
WM: You'll be touring Europe starting in August. What can you tell us about these performances and what are your expectations for the shows?
JG: We'll be doing our first European tour in August. From August 1st to 26th, we'll be playing 21 shows in seven countries: Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, and Portugal. We'll be playing three festivals and some smaller shows as well. We're super excited about this opportunity and believe that many doors will open for the band after this… it's going to be great!
WM: Besides this tour, what are the band's future plans now that the new album has been released?
JG: Before our August European tour, we'll be playing two shows in São Paulo and the surrounding area. On World Rock Day (July 13th) we're playing at La Iglesia in São Paulo, and on July 14th at the Araraquara Rock Fest. In November, we'll be opening for two shows by the death metal band Asphyx . And we're finalizing other dates throughout Brazil as well.
WM: I would like to thank you again for your time and attention, and I wish you all much success. Would you like to leave a final message for the fans?
JG: I'm the one who should be thanking you for the space, my friend! I hope to see you all at the shows over the next few months! Follow The Troops of Doom on social media and if you want to see us in your city or state, ask the local promoters to contact us. It will be a pleasure to play in every corner of this country! Big hug to everyone!
