You can have machines, computers, software, but there's one irreplaceable thing, and that's chemistry
W (Nando Machado): Starting another interview here at Wikimetal, this time with our great representative of Brazilian Heavy Metal, the greatest Brazilian vocalist of all time, Andre Matos. How are you, Andre?
Andre Matos: Thank you for the compliments, but you forgot to mention one of the accolades I received when I was very young, when I was elected the greatest Rock Metal artist in Brazil, wasn't that right?
W (Daniel Dystyler): That's right, you're a great representative of Rock Metal, very good. Andre, we're super excited because this week your new solo album, The Turn Of The Lights, is coming out. We already know that this album had a very positive reception in Japan, tell us a little about that, about the reception, about the album, the expectations for the release. Tell us a little about what's coming up this week from Andre Matos?
AM: Well, along with all that planning for the Viper tour, the return of Viper, the 25th anniversary tour of Soldiers Of Sunrise, this was already clear, I mean, it was time to go into the studio to dedicate myself, me and the band, my solo band, to the third album of my solo career, right? We released the first one in 2007, which was Time To Be Free, two years later we released Mentalize, and now, it took a little longer, a little over two years of waiting for this one, but it was well worth it, because in reality we had been composing these songs for a while, the songs are a few years old and we were improving them over time, as we had the availability to do so. So when we went into the studio this time to record, we were, let's say, a little more aware and prepared in relation to what we had to do, what awaited us inside the studio. And it was entirely made in Brazil, it was all recorded, the pre-production, the actual recording, the mixing, the mastering, all in the same place, which was Norcal Studios in São Paulo. So I took advantage of the time I was in Brazil – I'm not there right now, I'm in Europe – but I used the time I was there to prepare for the Viper tour as well, while I was already in the studio with my solo band recording at Norcal and finishing this production. So it's been a few months now, the last four months let's say, months of a lot of work, a lot of dedication and a lot of sweat to make it all come out the way we wanted. And I'll tell you, at this point in your career, at this stage of the game, you don't really know what to expect anymore when you release an album, right? Because it's always that dilemma: "Well, will this please the fans or are we doing something extremely different that will please us?" When the album hit Japan, it was already a critical success, at least surpassing previous releases and even surpassing previous bands like Shaman and Angra. In short, we achieved a very high rating in Japanese specialized media for this album, and we'll see what that brings us in return. I hope we can repeat this impression in other territories where we'll release the album, especially in Brazil, which is the only country releasing the album simultaneously with Japan; other releases in the rest of the world will wait a month or two longer. Brazil and Japan are the countries that will have this exclusive release on the 22nd.
W (NM): That's great, Andre. I'd like you to talk a little about the songwriting process for the album, as well as the production of The Turn Of The Lights, the composition of the songs themselves, the lyrics, the melody of this new album.
AM: Well, as you know, I've been spending a good amount of time outside of Brazil this year, living mostly here in Sweden, where I'm speaking from now. So, there are many things I criticize about the internet; I think the internet is very harmful in certain aspects. On the other hand, there are wonderful things on the internet, such as Wikileaks and Wikimetal, and the fact that you can exchange files so easily. I wouldn't have imagined that 10 years ago, right? We used to take advantage of the time we were together to do a show, a tour, to work a little on the music. So, the cool thing about this songwriting process this time is that it's a little different from the previous album, which was a quickly made album, an album that we started composing and finished in two months, which was also a big challenge because we didn't know if we could do it, and we did. But this one, it took us almost two years to make, little by little, so we did it whenever we had spare time, and things suddenly took shape, and we basically had all the ideas finalized. Most of the compositions are a partnership between Hugo Mariutti and me; I wrote all the lyrics for the songs, but I also composed a good part of the music. I think we managed to find a combination of a way of composing that is very effective between the two of us; we respect each other a lot, and it's a great partnership. But on the other hand, in the solo band, I've always made this very clear from the beginning: if it doesn't go through everyone's hands, it doesn't work. Even tracks that you composed alone are then presented to everyone, and everyone has opinions, the right to say anything about them, and to make their own arrangements for their own instruments. So it's a collaborative effort, right? And I value that; it's something I won't compromise on. So that was basically the songwriting process.
W (DD): Great, Andre. And now that we've talked a lot about the album and you've mentioned that it's coming out this week, August 22nd, simultaneously in Japan and Brazil, we wanted to know if today, since our episode airs on August 20th, two days before, we could exclusively play at least one song for our WikiBrothers to get a taste of how good, strong, complete, and consistent this new album by Andre Matos is. Is that possible?
AM: It could be. To do that, I actually had to consult the Japanese record label, obviously. Even though it's the same day, anything done in advance—we were actually quite lucky this time that nothing leaked entirely. People can hear snippets, but the full songs will be exclusive to Wikimetal. So both the Japanese label and the Brazilian label Azul Music authorized us to play a track, and we're going to listen to the track that isn't the opening track, but is the second track on the album. It's a track that represents, let's say, the style of our career as it's always been, from Viper to the present day. I mean, I think this track, in a way, encompasses all of that. Those changes in tempo, changes in mood in the middle of the songs, but that doesn't mean the album only follows that line; the album is extremely varied. When all of you listening now can hear the other tracks, you'll understand that we put a little bit of everything on this album. This track, I think, is very representative in the sense that it encompasses, let's say, a style that represents my career, a style that has marked me from the beginning. So, let's listen now together for the first time on Wikimetal to the track Course Of Life.
In a solo band, if it doesn't go through everyone's hands, it won't work. Everyone has the right to say anything and make their own arrangements
W (DD): Sensational, that was Course Of Life. Thanks a lot Andre, for the first time, possibly in the world, right? But for sure on this side of the hemisphere this song is being played first on Wikimetal, we're very honored, right Nando?
W (NM): Very honored, very honored. I had the chance to listen to the entire album. I can say, in my opinion, it's the best album of your solo career to date. Now that your career is established, Andre, I'd like you to talk a little about the band's formation, the musicians who accompany you?
AM: The solo band thing is interesting in that sense because there's a lot of freedom, right? You don't create lifelong bonds with the band members, and those who want to stay stay in the band. I've never fired any musician from the band, that's never happened. What has happened is that musicians left the band due to private and personal needs, to do other things, to dedicate themselves to other projects. Anyway, and I can't object to that, I think it's cool because from the beginning, when one of the musicians joined the band and stayed for a certain amount of time, everyone was aware that if an opportunity arose that they considered better, or if they needed to do something else, they were free to do so. It's been like that from the start. So, just to list them, we had our first drummer, Rafael Rosa, who recorded Time To Be Free. He even completed the recording of the album, but left soon after. And then we started looking for a new drummer, and the two finalists were, respectively, Eloy Casagrande and Rodrigo Silveira. Suddenly, this 16-year-old kid joined us. It was a gamble, even a risk, taking a 16-year-old and putting him in the middle of an already experienced band that had toured extensively with other projects. But we decided to take that risk, and it paid off. We practically discovered Eloy, we revealed Eloy to the world. Today he's in Sepultura, he left the band about a year and a half ago, right? And went to Sepultura. He called me, obviously we still have a very good relationship, and he said, "I received an offer from Sepultura that is a great challenge for me, I would like to do it, I'm keen to take it on." I said, "Eloy, you can completely count on us for this. Of course, it will be a headache to replace you, especially you being who you are, right? But we'll go ahead and good luck, whatever you need, we're here." That was the basis of Eloy's farewell. Before Eloy left the band, Luis Mariutti, my great companion of many years, since the Angra days, and a great friend as well, had to leave the band for personal reasons. He started working on other things, changed his work focus a bit, and decided not to dedicate himself solely to music, something I also had to respect at that time. So, from the moment Luis left, he recommended a replacement to me. He himself recommended Bruno Ladislau, saying, "This is a guy I trust to do the work with you, I would recommend him to you." And Bruno joined and has stayed ever since, and I'm very happy with Bruno as the bassist in the band because he's an extremely easy person to get along with. After Eloy left, the question arose of who would be the finalist alongside Rodrigo Silveira, who has a more personal way of playing. Later, Fabio Ribeiro, also a keyboardist, had his reasons for wanting to leave because he wanted to dedicate himself to his own project, and he was very frank with me about it. I told him, "Fabio, the doors are always open for you, whenever you want. You're practically irreplaceable in my opinion." Fabio is the best keyboardist in Brazil in my opinion; it's always been great working with him, he's always been a right-hand man in a way. When Fabio left, we faced a big dilemma: should we put someone in Fabio's place or not? In my previous bands, I played keyboards, both in Angra and Shaman. Even in Viper, I took on the role of keyboardist, which, by the way, is the position I should never have left. The guys from Viper convinced me to be the vocalist in the beginning, but I started as a keyboardist. So I like playing keyboards, I like arranging, one of the parts I find most fun, sitting down to create an arrangement for a song, exploring the sounds, and so on. So, talking with the band members, we didn't see the need to have a permanent keyboardist again, since Fabio wasn't there, and since it wasn't Fabio, we didn't need anyone. So, on this album, I decided to take on my role as keyboardist, and together with Hugo, who is a guy, Hugo Mariutti, is very knowledgeable about technology, computers, all the latest software and equipment. Maybe he doesn't have the keyboardist technique, but he has the ideas. So, the two of us together managed very well in that keyboard aspect.
W (NM): Well, speaking a little now about this comeback, this 25th anniversary Viper tour of Soldiers Of Sunrise. We know the immense success of the first leg with 15 shows in 30 days. Now, what are your expectations for the second and final part of the To Live Again Tour, which takes place in September, starting now at Porão do Rock on September 8th in Brasília?
AM: Man, it's going to be amazing, the expectation is that it will be even more fun than it already was. Playing these songs live is something that excites us, this reception from the audience all over Brazil, who were so nostalgic for that time. And what's interesting about the tour is that the audience that filled the venues all over Brazil, literally filled them, it was a "sold out" tour. It wasn't just the Viper generation, it wasn't just the generation that lived through that time. Obviously, there were many people from that era and many familiar faces, and we talked, we had the opportunity to talk to many people who participated in that historic moment of Brazilian Metal in the late 80s. It's really cool to be able to meet all these people around the country. But the interesting thing about all this is how the new generations have also started to get into this story. Maybe this is largely due to the internet as well; people have access nowadays to things that have already happened. The cool thing about this tour, the interesting thing, the most impressive thing, is that a band that hadn't been on stage together for 25 years, the result of that is something quite impressive. Suddenly, Viper obviously isn't the most technically proficient band in the world, it's not Dream Theater, it's not the most flawless and perfect thing in the world, but the energy that comes from the sound, the energy that comes from the stage, that we manage to deliver when we're playing together there is indescribable, it was impressive to me. There were times when I couldn't believe it, I looked back and said, "Where is all this coming from?" And I think that's the big difference. You can have machines, you can have computers, you can have software, you can have equipment that reproduces, emits, simulates, etc., etc., etc., but there's something kind of irreplaceable, which is the chemistry, the talent, the will, in a way, the affinity we have together, and that really shone through on this tour, right? And it also has its extremely fun sides, like us making a thousand jokes there, feeling like we were playing in our backyard when we were 12 or 13 years old. As I said, I owe my career to Viper, I probably owe my life choices to Viper. If I hadn't been called to sing in the band at that time when I was between 12 and 13 years old… Crazy, right? But that's exactly it, I mean, I don't know if I would be here today, if I would be a musician, that's where it all started, trying to learn guitar by ear, figuring out the songs, watching Pit compose the songs. Everyone is in great shape on stage too, and the energy is renewed. So it was easy to do this tour, it was something that in rehearsals we were already feeling a lot of pleasure being together, rehearsing, and when it moved to the stage I think that feeling multiplied.
The guys from Viper convinced me to be the vocalist in the beginning, but I started as a keyboardist, I like playing keyboards
W (DD): That's great, Andre. I can't finish this interview without asking the traditional question we always ask everyone – you already answered this question the first time you were here. What song is this for us to listen to now on Wikimetal?
AM: I think the other time it was Touch Of Evil.
W (DD): That's it!
W (NM): Exactly from Painkiller.
AM: Any song by Judas Priest. Electric Eye.
W (NM): That's right, Andre Matos is releasing the album The Turn Of The Lights. One of the most anticipated albums of the year. Big hug to you, we were closer the last few times, but we're looking forward to the second part of the To Live Again Tour in September and all the work that will be done with The Turn Of The Lights, and good luck with that.
W (DD): And I just wanted to ask you before you said your last words, because when you were talking about Viper you mentioned Dream Theater, right? Do you like Dream Theater?
AM: Man, when Dream Theater's first album came out, the first album I knew was Images and Words, I was speechless. Someone showed it to me on a cassette tape in the car, I don't remember where. It was impressive, it was something we had never seen before. I had the opportunity to see them live a few times. Dream Theater was a band that came to make its mark, to change the history of what had been done before; suddenly everything was very saturated, especially in the early 90s. So it was a very strange time, even for Heavy Metal, because Metallica came out with a very successful album, completely different from what they had been doing, but which I think is a great album, and Dream Theater came out with this album Images and Words, which I think is perfect, I think it's a fantastic album, with great songs.
W (NM): We're offering our listeners a pair of tickets to the Dream Theater concert at Credicard Hall in São Paulo, and we need to run a promotion, ask a question, do you have any suggestions?
W (DD): The question will be: What is Andre Matos' favorite Dream Theater album? Of all Dream Theater's career, what is Andre Matos' favorite album? Send it to [email protected] and you'll be entered to win a pair of tickets to the Dream Theater show at Credicard Hall in São Paulo on August 26th. Unmissable, right Andre?
AM: Well, I think it's a show that's truly unmissable, a show worth seeing for fans, obviously, and for non-fans too, because it's impressive. I even had the pleasure of seeing them about a year ago when I was with the Symphonia project. We played at a festival in France at Sonisphere, and Dream Theater played with us, so I saw them right up close on stage. It's really impressive, especially now with a new drummer. For drummers, it's a lesson, a real class. Everyone there is incredibly talented, all super musicians, so I think it's a music lesson, it's cool, it's great to see. Man, one of the best bands around, I have no doubt about that.
W (DD): That's great, Andre! Congratulations again on the album "The Turn Of The Lights," released in Japan and Brazil on August 22nd. But here at Wikimetal, thanks to Andre, we've already heard "Course Of Live," a song that was played here first. That's awesome! All the best to the album, hopefully it's a real success.
AM: Regarding the music and also regarding the album right after its release. So write to Wikimetal and they'll pass it on to me later, and I'm keen to receive those posts.
W (DD): Whatever comments people make about the sound, we'll definitely pass them on to Andre, right, Nando?
W (NM): That's it. Andre, it's a great pleasure to talk to you again, a big hug and we hope to see you in Brazil very soon.
AM: WikiBrothers said I'll be in Brazil soon and we're going to rock the second leg of the Viper tour, followed by the Andre Matos solo tour. By the way, Azul Music, if you go to their website www.azulmusic.com.br, they're already doing pre-orders for the album, so if you're interested, go there and get it first, before anyone else by mail, okay? So thanks for your support, thanks to everyone who's listening, and we'll see you in Brazil in a few days.
W (NM): Thanks Andre, big hug!
