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Even with a market that is completely unfavorable to heavy music in Rio de Janeiro, it still survives in the underground
Even with a market that is completely unfavorable to heavy music in Rio de Janeiro, it still survives in the underground
by Leonardo Correia
Rio de Janeiro has always been highly recognized for its musical side. Besides launching names like Roberto Carlos and Tim Maia, it's also known as the land of Samba and Bossa Nova. Precisely because of this cultural richness, the city remained somewhat behind in terms of Rock and Heavy Metal for a time. While São Paulo stood out as a pioneer in embracing this new genre (through the work of Woodstock Discos and later Baratos Afins), many record store owners in Rio were somewhat apprehensive that Carioca tastes wouldn't adapt to the new genre. However, it didn't take long for them to realize the "boom!" that heavy music was causing in the recording industry. Thus, specific niches of fans began to emerge in the city and, consequently, the first bands.
Turn it up, because this is Rock n' Roll!
Around 1982, the first radio station in the state with programming focused on Rock emerged. The Rio de Janeiro-based station Maldita FM featured names like Plebe Rude, Lobão, Legião Urbana, and many others who were unknown until then. Another strong point was its programs specifically dedicated to Blues, Jazz, and Heavy Metal. In short, Maldita put an end to the need to travel to other states to buy records with this type of music. With its alternative programming, the station kicked off what was considered Rock radio in the region.
Around the same time, the first shows by pioneering heavy metal bands in the city began to emerge, notably Azul Limão, Calibre 38, Dorsal Atlântica, and Metalmorphose. However, heavy metal was still a small scene, and coupled with a lack of interest from producers and record labels, recording became quite difficult. Then, in 1985, in response to the acclaimed compilation SP Metal (released the previous year), the first recording of Rio de Janeiro heavy metal was released. Recorded by the bands Metalmorphose and Dorsal Atlântica and released independently, it was the split album Ultimatum.
Rock in Rio:
The embrace of this new genre became increasingly clear with the realization of the first major Brazilian festival dedicated to Rock and Metal, Rock in Rio. The festival treated the entire country to spectacular shows by artists who were at their peak, including Iron Maiden, Queen, Scorpions, AC/DC, and Whitesnake. From then on, the genre continued to expand; metal was gaining strength among Rio de Janeiro's headbangers!
Despite Rock in Rio, Brazil was still taking its first steps in terms of hosting concerts with international bands, which is why local bands began to gain more prominence. In Rio de Janeiro, the first venues dedicated to this independent scene began to emerge, such as Caverna 2 (Botafogo), Circo Voador (Lapa), Cascadura Tênis Clube (Cascadura), in addition to venues provided by the city government. This resulted in greater professionalization of local bands and the release of albums that came to define not only the Rio de Janeiro scene but also the entire country's.
Metallic Triplet
Without a doubt, 1986 was the most important year for the Rio de Janeiro metal scene in that decade. This was due to the release of three explosive albums that defined the decade: "Antes do Fim" (Before the End), "Signo de Taurus" (Sign of Taurus), and "Vingança" (Revenge).
Starting with Dorsal Atlântica, the band played fast and ferocious Thrash Metal bordering on the first generation of Black Metal. The influence of Venom, Hellhammer, and others of that generation was explicit. The lineup consisted of Carlos “Vândalo” (Guitar and Vocals), Cláudio “Cro-Magnon” (Bass), and Hardcore (Drums). The album was released by the independent label Lunário Perpétuo and is known worldwide as a masterpiece of Brazilian Thrash Metal.
Taurus was another Thrash Metal band that made its mark. Their music showcased impressive technique, combined with the heaviness and speed common among bands of the genre. The band consisted of Sérgio Bezz (Drums), Cláudio Bezz (Guitar), Otávio Augusto (Vocals), and Jean (Bass). The album was released by Point Rock and is another historic work.
Azul Limão leaned more towards traditional Heavy Metal, but they didn't give up on speed and heaviness in their songs, which were full of catchy riffs and choruses. The lineup consisted of Vinícius Mathias (Bass), Ricardo Martins (Drums), Marcos Dantas (Guitar), and Rodrigo Esteves (Vocals). The album was released by Heavy Discos and also had a great reception.
Over the years, Brazil also gained its place in international band tours, and consequently Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais became the country's main hubs. The strength of national bands was proven with Venom's Brazilian Assault Tour, in which Dorsal Atlântica opened the Rio show and Sepultura opened the Belo Horizonte show. These two bands became the main pillars of national metal at the time, winning over foreign audiences.
The 90s and the new paths
The beginning of the decade already pointed towards a search for new horizons. Metal had already secured its place, and well-produced albums were emerging. This became even more evident with the explosion of Grunge and Alternative Rock, which brought back more experimental and radio-friendly Rock. If it was already a difficult and uncertain period for the big bands of the previous decade, here in Brazil the reality was even worse.
The truth is that it was extremely difficult for Brazilian bands to achieve fame abroad or even in their own country. This was reflected in the hiatus of many of these bands, who saw the door to stardom closing, with Dorsal Atlântica being the only band from Rio de Janeiro to keep that door open.
Given this scenario, Brazil experienced (in this author's opinion) one of the richest periods of musical creativity in its history. The entire Tropicalia ideal of fusing Brazilian genres with what came from abroad returned in full force. This revealed iconic works from various regions of the country such as Chaos AD (Sepultura), Holy Land (Angra), and Da Lama ao Caos (Chico Science and Nação Zumbi), in addition to the beginning of the emergence of a strong independent scene.
But what about Rio de Janeiro? Has the Rio de Janeiro metal scene come to an end? As a consequence of the poorly structured scene, new rock and metal bands began to mix, and it's impossible to talk about this without mentioning Garage, the most important music venue of the decade.
Run by Fábio Costa, Garage was located in Praça da Bandeira. The venue played a fundamental role in bringing together the Rio de Janeiro underground scene and also attracting bands from other states at a time when there weren't many venues in the city. Another unique aspect was the favorable setting of Rua Ceará, located near the red-light district and populated by motorcycle clubs, workshops, and dilapidated buildings. These elements, combined with the venue's alternative scene, formed its own aesthetic.
It's impossible to talk about all the bands that have played at Garage, but it's worth highlighting some that started there, such as Planet Hemp (Rap Rock), Gangrena Gasosa (Saravá Metal), Unmasked Brains (Thrash Metal), Hicsos (Thrash Metal), Cavalast (Thrash Metal), Piu Piu e sua Banda (Rock n' Roll), Matanza (Hardcore), and many others. From outside Rio de Janeiro, bands like Angra, Ratos de Porão, and Volkana have played there, and from abroad, Buzzcocks and Agnostic Front.
All of this underground spirit was captured in the compilation Garage Voices, which brought together music from four underground bands from Rio de Janeiro. The bands featured on this compilation are Freaks?, Unmasked Brains, Scars Souls, and Go Ahead!.
A Time of Uncertainty:
The arrival of the new millennium marked a resurgence of Metal, but also brought a series of changes, both beneficial and detrimental. With the rise of the internet and the intensification of globalization, shows by foreign bands became much more frequent, and independent bands had to compete for this space more and more intensely. With the decline of the Garage scene, many bands reduced the frequency of their shows and focused on promoting themselves online. Even so, in this time of uncertainty, a wave of bands emerged in the underground, albeit subtly. We can mention some such as Statik Majik (Stoner Metal), Apokalyptic Raids (Black/Thrash Metal), Atlantida (Progressive Metal), Unearthly (Black Metal), Scatha (Thrash Metal), Trinnity (Gothic Metal), Diva (Melodic Death Metal), and Coldblood (Black Metal).
Over the years, the number of cover bands also grew, making it much more difficult to promote new bands. Another point is that most of these bands mentioned did not last very long, but it is worth noting that they served as the embryo for the emergence of other bands.
Current Times:
In this author's view, the Rio de Janeiro underground scene is currently experiencing its best phase. There are excellent bands from various genres releasing works with great production. Obviously, the difficulty remains enormous, precisely because of the large number of venues that don't provide adequate infrastructure and the lack of interest from people in discovering new things or their settling for only established bands. But I believe this mentality is changing, and these bands are undoubtedly fighting to change it.
Today in Rio de Janeiro's music scene we have a vast collection of bands from various metal subgenres, but it's worth mentioning some such as Forkill (Thrash Metal), Melyra (Heavy Metal), Syren (Heavy Metal), Lacerated and Carbonized (Death Metal), Hatefulmurder (Death/Thrash Metal), Velho (Black Metal), Tamuya Thrash Trible (Death/Thrash Metal), Indiscipline (Heavy Metal), Deus Castiga (Grindcore), Blind Horse (Hard Rock), Handsaw (Technical Death Metal), in addition to the return of Unmasked Brains and Metalmorphose. Regarding the main venues, we have Circo Voador (already mentioned), Planet Music (Cascadura), Lira de Ouro (Duque de Caxias), Calabouço (Vila Isabel), Teatro Odisseia (Lapa), Subúrbio Alternativo (Brás de Pina), Saloon 79 (Botafogo), among others.
Finally, we can note that even with a market that is completely unfavorable to heavy music in Rio de Janeiro, it still survives in the underground. And this certainly isn't unique to this state; perhaps this is the reason why this genre has endured and renewed itself for so long. No matter how bad the situation is, as long as there is an audience wanting to witness a good show, there will be bands wanting to play for a good audience, because as the song by the band Cara de Porco says: "Those who are in Rock, are meant to get screwed!".
