VERSOVER  

The brazilian heavy metal scene are grew all day and some bands have a special touch and talent that will put them in the hall of the best acts borning in our tropical country. VERSOVER is one of these great bands, a intense mix of traditional heavy metal with the named "melodic power metal" with a lot of creativity and groove! The second full lenght "House of Bones", released by legendary brazilian label DIE HARD RECORDS, already is, for us, one of the best power metal albums produced in Brazil, KREPUSKULUM interviewed Rodrigo Carmo (vocals).

KREPUSKULUM: Please, talk to us about the VERSOVER history from the beggining up to the HOUSE OF BONES.

RODRIGO CARMO: We began with our demotape ENDURANCE, containing 4 songs, which we sent to Die Hard Records. It was select among 148 demotapes to be the debut band of the label. We then released LOVE HATE AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN as a licensee trade as our first complete album, following by our appearance at Hamlet Project. We participated Tarantulas´s tribute as well. We signed with Die Hard Records and release HOUSE OF BONES. We have a contract for 3 cds with them.

VERSOVER is a curious name. Where come from the idea to put this name in the band?

We found this name in Rush´s COUNTERPART booklet. We found it very curious and called our attention because it sounded very well. It can mean a lot of things so we decided to use it as the name of the band. Basics of the meaning... Verse is Over... like Game is Over. 

The music of VERSOVER mixed great influences of 80th power metal with some melodic touches and some echoes of 70th hard rock, Am I right? 

Sure. Our new sound is based in the old stuff. We decided to be like the idols of our idols, I mean, we listened so much to bands that the people that make success nowadays used to listen. 

HOUSE OF BONES is a very interesting album, with intense atmospheres and various climates, the production is marvelous, talk to us a little about the record process.  

We made a very detailed and careful pre production, which gave us a very overview of how it would sound in the end. We made all the arrangements and not to few things appeared new in the final studio recording, I mean, we knew where every piece of playing would be. We saved time and could waste it with another things such as sound experimenting. We were very sharp as players owing to this pre production. All the recording process were assisted by very talented people who knew very much about Metal recording. So from all this processes comes the result.  

Your vocals  are very personal and beautiful. Talk to us a little about your voice, do you study chant? Do you realize some exercises to the voice? What are your influences in the rock scene?  

Yes. I have been studying vocal technics for 9 years and I sing in my local city choir as well. The exercises I do with my voice are made in the classes I take and together with the choir. I always do some warm up exercises before rehearsing and before the live gigs. My main influences are James (Metallica), Jonh Bush (Antrax), Devin Townsend , Hansi (Blind Guardian) and Dio (the best for me). I try to mix all of then and do a unique style. My vocal register isn´t so high like Michael Kiske, or André Matos. In the choir for eg. I am a bass. All the songs of VersOver are done for my register. I think this is the difference. Most bands nowadays try to do music with high vocals, which does not fit so much for me. I prefer more aggressive and dense lines.

HOUSE OF BONES is a conceptual album based on the interesting tale " A Casa dos Ossos" of Adriano Villa. What is the reason to work with another person to create the lyrics concept ? We can see some echoes of the OPERATION MINDCRIME´s lyrics atmosphere in the album, is it a influence for you?  

There is not a defined reason for working with another person in the album, despite the fact that we found the story of “A casa de ossos” with a very heavy metal oriented approach. The first time I got in touch with the story I started to imagine some melodies and some nuances that would fit the story very well musically. It is a fact that Operations Mindcrime is an influence. For me it is one of the best heavy metal album ever. Among the ten bests for me.  

We really love the various climates that you created in the album, coming from the deep title track to the incredible & powerful TOUCH THE WALLS (we are very ansious to listen this music alive!!!), talk to us about the creative process behind the songs of this marvelous album!

We made use of many resources... I had a couple of tapes with riffs and melodies recorded and I made a very heavy selection of this material. At this time we had already translated all the lyrics and made some adaptations. So we started attaching some riffs and part of songs to part of the history, so it would sound very well. Of course new material came up with the lyrics such as the song “House of Bones” which I imagined started to create real time while reading the lyrics. After having some sketches of a song, we jumped in our instruments and played together to check how it would sound. New things emerged, old things were cut. That´s the thing.  

The rock & metal music are infested by the bad feelings, pain and death messages but some musics of VERSOVER has a kind of good feeling inside, I can feel that you believe in life and humanity when I listen some of your musics. Do you agree with me?  

Quite clear !!! We like to input positive messages in our songs. We are not pessimists people. Even not being as happy as Helloween, we just like to have good messages inside our material.  

HOUSE OF BONES have more agressivity than the debut album LOVE HATE AND EVERITHING IN BETWEEN. How do you compare these two works?  

They are different in many ways starting from the new drummer, which allowed us to give a new approach to our way of doing music. We had more experience in composing, arranging, constructing and finalizing songs. We had a different set of lyrics, as well as more malleability with them. We made a very extensive pre-production, and we had more experience in producing as well. We counted on a very good technical staff. We wanted to sound more aggressive and direct, and we made songs for playing live, I mean, with more energy inside... warmth. Of course I like Love Hate, and its songs, I like to play them live. However we tried to improve every piece of our work.  

How have been the world reception for the album? Do you intend to play gigs in another countries?

We have had many good results with this new album; good reviews, good comments from many people and good receptivity from our old and new fans. Well, we would like to play some gigs abroad, but I think it is quite far from now...  

If possible, give to us the name of the 10 best albums of the metal history in your opinion and the 10 best bands live now?  

I will write down the ones that come in my mind right now... maybe it is not my real opinion, all right ? For the albums, not in an order:

1-Judas Priest – Pain Killer  

2-Queenrÿche – Operation Mindcrime

3-Iron Maiden – Powerslave

4-Vince Neil – Exposed

5-Kiss – Alive III

6-Black Sabbath – We sould our soul to rock and roll

7-Megadeth – Rust in peace (the best, with countdown... do not know how do decide)

8-Megadeth – Countdown to extinction

9-Metallica – Master of puppets

10-Metallica - ...And justice for all

For the live bands, not in an order:

1-Iron Maiden

2-Megadeth

3-AC/DC

4-DIO (BEST EVER)

5-Skid Row (With S.Bach.)

6-Judas Priest

7-Metallica

8-Clawfinger (I liked them live)

9-Mello Jr. Band (He knows how to do a live gig... from Brazil !!!)

10-Stratovarius (they are really good live... or were... new line-up... do not know)

Thank you for your time and congratulations again for your great music, we are very ansious to see VERSOVER´s gigs!!! Give your final words to the worldwide fans.

We would like to thank you for the interview and we would like to invite the people that has never got in touch with our songs to visit our website and download our mp3s.

Thanks to all the people that have supported us all over the years.  

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Contacts:

Band:  versover@versover.com.br ,  www.versover.com.br  

Label DIE HARD: diehard@diehard.com.br , www.diehard.com.br