MAD DRAGZTER
The
Gods of thrash metal blessed Brazil!!!!!! Yes, they put here the best thrash
metal band of today and the name of this aborted child is MAD DRAGZTER!!!!! If
you are a lover of the roots of thrash metal with Bay Area touches and echoes of
european legends such as KREATOR & DESTRUCTION, you will break your head
with this insane band! But MAD DRAGZTER is more, they have the magic touch of
personality that only great bands have. The debut album STRONG MIND is a
marvelous lesson of agressivity, power and genuine thrash feeling, more than 70
minutes of impressive music. Welcome to the new sensation of brazilian metal
scene!!!! Krepuskulum interviewed Tiago Torres (guitars & vocals).
KREPUSKULUM:
First
of all, congratulations for the album, this is one of the best metal gifts of
today, simple marvelous! MAD DRAGZTER exist since 1998, the band change the name
for two times and release a powerful demo "New Times", talk to us
about the tragectory of the band in these years.
Tiago
Torres: Thank
you very much for your words!!!!! Mad Dragzter was born in São Paulo at 1998
with me (guitar), Alessandro (drums), Tarcisio (vocals), Gabriel (guitar) and
Armando (bass) in line-up, under the “Bulldozer” name.
We changed the name to “Dragster” and we wrote many songs in 1999.
After this, the band finished and returned in the middle of 2001 with a new
drummer Evandro Jr. We recorded our demo” New Times” and promoted 2000
copies around the world. This demo started all!!! By 2003 we recorded our first
full-length- cd “Strong Mind”, released in December 1st. At the
beginning of 2004 we changed our drummer and joined the band Eric Claros and we
are in the “Strong Mind Tour” in Brazil. In the second semester we will be
releasing a “Strong Mind” European version and our first video-clip of the
track “Break Down”.
STRONG MIND receive great reviews around the world and you are include in
some lists of the metal revelation of the last year. Did you wait for a such
positive reception?
Really!!
We are very happy about the cd repercussion!!!! We expected good reviews, but we
didn’t expect this KILLER repercussion!!!! In fact it has helped Mad Dragzter
in Europe, Latin America and other countries, and sure in Brazil.
The production of the album is great, we can listen all details of the
instruments, the mix are fabulous too. Talk to us about the record process of
the album and about the work with the producer San Issobe.
We
recorded the cd in 7 months!!! And it was very difficult because we didn’t
have money so we had to record in very difficult hours (dawn). But, we are very
happy with the final result. San Issobe was terrific!!! He managed to get the
best out of us. He will probably work with us again in our second cd!!!!
With an album good like STRONG MIND, i think that you would find easily a
label interesting in release it. Why did opt for an independent production?
Thanx
for your compliment. We really tried to release 100% independent. We wanted to
have total freedom to do our sound, marketing, cover, distribution, licences,
etc……..
But
now we are looking for a Brazilian label to sign with us for the following cds.
We are 99% signed with a French Label Anvil.Corp/Wagram for Europe and maybe
other countries. This label is associated with the great French label NTS which
releases great bands such as: Motorhead, Shaman, Angra, Primal Fear and others.
We are also closing a deal to be licensed in Latin America and Japan.
The cover art of the album are crude and suggestive (it remember me the IRON
MAIDEN´s Piece of Mind cover pictures). Who did conceive the layer? Is that a
photographic assembly or was the brain sculpted?
This
brain is a silicon model. But looks very real!!! The blood is tomato sauce (like
the movies……ahahaahahaah) and the pic with the plate is on the wall!!!! All
the work was conceived by Andre Gola and Paulo Lisboa. They are our great
brothers and have been with us since de first Dragster’s logo and demo!!!! The
metalheadz really dig it!!!!!!!!
I believe that STRONG MIND is the longer thrash metal album of the history,
but he is not annoying, because it maintains our interest of the beginning to
the end. Do you agree with me? Why did you opt for such a long album (71:26
seconds!)?
We
like to write many songs!! ahaahahahahaha………..Believe me, we had to lay
some songs aside. I think we are always going to do long cds. And this is fair
to the people who buy cds. At least I as a cd-buyer think so.
We are already working on the songs of our second cd, and I can see that
is going to be as long as the first one!!!!!!! Ahahaahahahahaah……….
The thrash metal style has been going by a renewal and returned with force in
the last times. Could you aim us which the new bands of thrash metal that more
they please them (in Brazil and world)?
We
are very happy because thrash metal is getting the attention it deserves. And
sure with that some new names are coming out of the shadow. These are my
choices:
Brazilian:
Claustrofobia
Andralls
Reviolence
(Band of Edson/Ex-Panzer)
Foreign:
The
Haunted
Dew-Scented
Grip
inc.
And
sure a small band called MAD DRAGZTER………….ahahahahahahaahaha………..
Still on the return of the Thrash metal genre. What do you think on the
renaissance of bands as DESTRUCTION & ANTHRAX? Did you like the new album
from the old kings' of the thrash metal (METALLICA)?
Destruction
are the really German Thrash Metal Gods. With Kreator, Sodom, Tankard and
Assassin they Rule!!!!! Their new albums are killers!!!!!!! I like very much the
old and the new Anthrax!!! But I prefer the “Among the Living” era!!!!! The
new cd is ok, but it is nothing compared with the old stuff!!!! Now, the new cd
of Metallica is big SHIT!!!! I consider Metallica the best band of Metal of all
years until “And Justice for all…..” After that, they wrote many good
songs, including in Load but St. Anger…….Sad!!!!!! Really SAD!!!!
Some musics of STRONG MIND are real hymns of the new thrash as the
incredible DESTROYING MY LIFE and the powerful RAGING CITY. Talk to us about the
crative process behind your music.
Thanx
for your words!!!! Normally I write the principal riffs and Gabriel writes the
melodic or groove lines of the songs. After that we put the drum lines and bass
lines. And then we record a demo and we discuss about it.
The lyrics of the album are great and some of it are critics to the system
such as the great 402, that talk about the tragic brasilian airplane crash in the
90`s. For you which are the importance of the music´s message for your
listeners?
Yeah!!!!
We consider the lyrics very important. We talk about reality, violence, corruption,
don’t talk about fairy tales!!! We believe in the combination of powerful
lyrics and powerful sounds!!!!
The guitar riffs and soles of the album are very creative and powerful! Talk
to us about your influences to create this impressive riffs and soles?
My
influences are Hetfield, Gary Holt/Rick Hunolt and King/Hanneman. Sure I like
many other guitar players, but these guys are killers!!!! In solos Gabriel is
strongly influenced by Blackmore, Michael Schanker, Vivian Campbell (in Dio
era), Santana and others. We have many different influences. That is why I believe
Mad Dragzter have such a different sound!!!!
What are the 10 best bands of the thrash metal history? And what are the 10
best albums?
This
is a very difficult question, but in my opinion:
Bands:
Metallica
Exodus
Slayer
Testament
Anthrax
Sepultura
Kreator
Sacred
Reich
Suicidal
Tendencies
D.R.I.
Álbuns:
Metallica
– Master of Puppets
Exodus
– Bonded by Blood
Slayer
– Seasons in the Abyss
Testament
– First Strike Still Deadly
Anthrax
– Among the Living
Sepultura
– Beneath the Remains
Kreator
– Extreme Aggression
Sacred
Reich – Surf Nicaragua
Suicidal
Tendencies – Camera……Lights…….Revolution
D.R.I.
– Full Speed Ahead
Special
cd : Megadeth – Rust in Peace
What are your planed for STRONG MIND tour?
Play,
Play and play!!!!! We are looking for gigs in all Brazilian states and we are very
interested in promoting our cd to all metalheadz. We will play in all Regions:
South, North and Northeast, São Paulo, Rio, BH, Brasília, Gôiania and other
cities. Maybe we will be playing in other countries of South America. Play or die!!!!!
Ahahahahahahaahha…….
THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the interview. Give your lat words to the fanatic
MAD DRAGZTER legions!
Thank
you very much Edgar and Krepuskulum for your strong support and to all
Metalheadz, THRASH OR BE THRASHED!!!!!!! See our site, download the mp3 preview,
write, promote……NOISE, THRASH METAL ATTACK, MAD DRAGZTER!!!!!!
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