Launching their 7th album, we spoke with Tor, the leader and vocalist of 'Zumbis do Espaço', who is offering a kit with 2 tickets to the album launch show, CD, DVD, t-shirt, keychain, sticker, etc…
Rafael Masini: Starting another edition of "National Pride," and today, look, I'm passing the ball... I'm the one who's been bringing the latest ones, to our great Nando Machado, the captain.
Nando Machado: Shall we do something different now? Let's do another mini-interview on this National Pride program, because this band really deserves it, these guys are out there battling it out…
Daniel Dystyler: And they sent an amazing kit that we're going to promote again.
NM: How many promotions did our program have?
DD: We talked about the headphones, we talked about Amy Lee, the sweatshirt…
NM: And the Space Zombies kit!
Tor Tauil: Hello?
NM: Hello, can I use Tor please?
TT: Him.
NM: Hey, Tor. Nando.
TT: Nando, what's up man? How's it going?
NM: Great, and you?
TT: No problem, man. Let me turn the sound down here.
NM: What are you listening to over there?
TT: Sabazão, right, man?
NM: Saturday morning, yeah, Saturday is Black Sabbath day.
TT: You gotta start making a move, man.
NM: Very good. I'm here with Daniel and Rafael. We're already recording a quick interview for the Wikimetal's "National Pride" segment, and today's featured band is the great Zumbis do Espaço.
RM: Hey, Tor?
TT: Alright Rafael, no worries, man.
DD: Hey Tor, how's it going?
TT: Hey, how's it going Daniel? All good, man?
DD: Everything's great, everything's great. We were super excited about the kit you sent, it's going to be really cool, we're going to do a really great promotion to promote your work, which is really great. And the sound is amazing, tell us a little bit about this CD.
TT: This is our seventh studio album. We already have more albums, besides the live ones and the DVDs. Man, it's kind of in the same vein as "Destructus," which was the previous album, a bit heavier, and we're very satisfied with the result. While it has a lot of the classic Zumbis sound, it also has that heavier phase of ours, with more emphasis on the guitar work. And we tried to make the production... It sound very organic, as live as possible, and I think we succeeded. We're very satisfied with the result.
NM: “Nós Viemos em Paz” (We Came in Peace), the seventh CD by Zumbis do Espaço, is produced by John Marshall and the band itself. Tell us a little about John Marshall, what was it like working with him?
TT: John Marshall is like this: he had already worked with me on my solo album, my third solo album, and man, he's a really good guy, a really good producer in this more organic sound style. He's not really into the heavier rock school, he's more into that classic thing, kind of rockabilly, a bit of country, but he really understands this ambient thing. We were very satisfied with "Destructus," man, which was the previous album, which we did with Eros and Pompeu, where we reached an absurd level of heaviness. So we had two options: continue, make a "Destructus 2," in that vein, or try a slightly more organic sound, and I thought John was a perfect fit for that, because he really understands sounds. So much so that I thought the cymbal sounds on the album and the bass notes were sensational, man, with a production more focused on the vinyl release. It was released on vinyl, 12 inches, that record.
RM: So, something that really caught my attention, it was really cool, I don't know how you guys created it, if you gave them the idea… But tell me first who created the cover, who designed the cover, because it's wonderful. I think on vinyl then… I only have the CD in my hand, it must be something grand.
TT: The cover is fantastic, it was done by Ed Repka, who you probably know well, he did the classic Megadeth covers, "Peace Sells...", "Rust in Peace", he did all the Death covers, most of them, that "Spiritual Healing" cover, which is beautiful, by Death.
NM: Nuclear Assault as well.
TT: Nuclear Assault! He made Nuclear Assault, Ed Repka is a legend, right man… And it was great that we had the opportunity to make a record with him. It was really cool, we got along really well, so much so that we gave each other the freedom… He asked me what I wanted, what I thought of the cover, and I said, “Dude, do whatever you want and we’ll figure it out here,” and then he sent a fantastic drawing, man.
NM: Let me tell you something, I really admire Zumbis do Espaço, especially you, Tor, because you guys are truly warriors. You run the record label, you're the band's vocalist, main songwriter, and you even book the band's shows, is that right?
TT: Man, first of all, we do it because we love it, it's our life. I know it's a job and we have to be professional at it, but for me it's what I know how to do, it's what we do. And the thing about booking shows and everything is a more difficult part, but it was the only way that worked, that we never had a problem with, you know? We try to be as professional as possible, keeping to schedules and contracts, and things work out, you know? On one hand it's hard work, but on the other hand it's much easier for us to have control of everything. All the rights to the records are ours, so it's easy to work this way, yes.
DD: Hey Tor, speaking of shows, which you were mentioning, do you have any shows scheduled that you could announce?
TT: Yes. So, we already started the "We Came in Peace" tour in September, we've already played Rio, Goiânia, and the São Paulo launch will be next Saturday, the 22nd, at Inferno. You're all invited, and I want you to also raffle off a pair of tickets for the Wikimetal staff and listeners during the Wikimetal promotions. And man, next Saturday, September 22nd, here at Inferno. The venue opens at six in the afternoon, there are two opening bands, Fire Strike and Leather Faces, maybe you know this band, which is a really good new thrash band. And we, Zumbis, will be on stage promptly. Inferno is a venue that everyone knows where it is, on Augusta Street, and I hope to see you all there, it's going to be really cool to have the São Paulo launch, to see old friends and have a beer with the guys there.
NM: Besides the wonderful kit you sent us, with a t-shirt, CD, keychain, button, sticker, DVD, and I think I already mentioned the t-shirt, there's also a pair of tickets to the great Zumbis do Espaço show, the launch show for "Nós Viemos em Paz," on September 2nd at Inferno, here in São Paulo, on Augusta Street. Just to finish, you mentioned that John Marshall has worked more with rockabilly, country, and everything. So it all ties in with Zumbis do Espaço. I wanted you to talk a little about Zumbis do Espaço's sound, because it's difficult to define their style, isn't it? It's a mix of metal, rockabilly, and country… How would you define Zumbis do Espaço's sound, and what are the band's influences?
DD: And then, Tor, after you've defined what the sound is like, you can request a song for us to play here on Wikimetal.
TT: Okay. Man, here's the thing: when we started the band, we loved that kind of psychopathic Misfits thing, that first phase, for me it's the only one that exists, the original one. We loved that and were crazy about the psychopathic lyrics, but we came much more from a metal school, and what we did was play in this simplified way, we put in a little rockabilly, we put in a little country, which was another style we really liked, and the first album, "A Invasão," came out with the lyrics in Portuguese. But I think we only really arrived at our sound from the third album onwards, which was "Abominável Mundo Monstro," which for me was an album that defined the band's sound style, which had metal, had that more "garage" feel, like American bands, like the Ramones, the Misfits, had country and had rockabilly. Lately… In the last few albums, we're sounding heavier, but the essence of Zumbis remains the same. But we… I don't know if it's because of age, experience, and years on stage, but we naturally sound heavier, and pay more attention to guitar riffs and stuff. But I think that's it, man, that's the style, and it's always linked to this more horror and psychopath theme, which is something we kind of started here in Brazil, we've already done… Now it's been almost 20 years.
DD: And what sound are we going to hear?
TT: Put on the song "Onde o Diabo Chorou" (Where the Devil Cried). Since I'm talking about Black Sabbath, it's a song we did very much in the style of Black Sabbath.
NM: Thanks Tor, thanks Space Zombies. It was really cool to have Space Zombies on Wikimetal.
TT: Thanks guys, nice to meet you. Whenever you need to be around... Hope to see you at the show at Inferno next week. And, man, it's a pleasure to be participating in Wikimetal, which is one of the coolest things out there at Wikimetal, I'm a huge fan, and I listen to it every week, man.
NM: That's it, Tor, big hug, see you in Hell, on September 22nd, on Augusta Street. Zumbis do Espaço at Orgulho Nacional was really cool, I've wanted to bring that to Wikimetal for ages, I've liked them for a long time now. And it's great, Tor is a great guy, hardworking, and deserves all the success with Zumbis do Espaço.
Listen to the full episode:
Click here to learn more about the band Zumbis do Espaço.