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As most of you may know, Mutilator is a true legend of the old school metal, being one of the classic Brazilian bands released by the mighty Cogumelo Records in the golden age of our scene, i.e., the second half of the 80’s. This band first appeared to the world in the legendary compilation Warfare Noise vol. 1 and, in 1987, released the unforgettable “Immortal Force”, one of the best death/thrash masterpieces for the ones who lived this era. Later, they released their last album “Into the strange”, but unfortunately, with all line-up changes, things were not going well for the band and they decided to split it up. Well, now, for the first time in a Polish magazine, let’s check what Ricardo, the bass player who recorded all their classic stuff and helped the band to be immortalized in the gallery of extreme metal!

01.Well, before anything, I’d like to greet you and thank for your willingness for promptly answering our questions! It’s an honor to be so well-received by such an important character of our scene. After all, even this magazine owns part of its existence to bands like Mutilator, which helped to strengthen the basis of the international underground scene! How have you been doing?

Hi! Thanks a lot! In fact, it’s me who thank you for the opportunity, since Mutilator has called its quits so long ago and headbangers around the world keep on digging our music and supporting the band. So, I thank everyone for the kindness and friendship.

02.I believe you have an idea of Mutilator’s relevance to the world scene. How do you see this importance?

Yes, but I see it with modesty. I’m always in love with metal and always want to gtive my contribution to the genre (Note: You’ve already done that, pal! Hahahaha!), so I’ll do everything I can to add value to the scene.

03. It is widely known that the underground scene worships the Brazilian and Latin American bands up to these days, especially the ones from the golden years circa 1985-1990. Do you think this worship is due to the bands being really good or is it a matter of luck, i. e., being in the right place in the right moment?

To be honest, I think both aspects must be considered, because there were lots of great bands, but there were also shit bands too. Just to give you an idea, there are some bands here in Belo Horizonte which are worshipped, but they never got onto a stage, only took pictures. Thus, I speak with conviction that there were many good bands, but there were other bands that just took advantage of this moment and turned into legends too. Presently, the bands are much more technical in general and most of those old bands probably wouldn’t record anything, nor would do a gig. After all, the musicians studied a lot their instruments, and, nowdays, after all these years, they are references. But I do believe that some bands were really good, but some were crap too.

04. Talking specifically about Mutilator, do you still listen to those old records? How do you analyse that stuff in comparison to the bands of the same era. And in relation to the music of the present?

I do listen, as I said in the last answer. There was great stuff from that time, but there also some bands about which I ask myself: “how can anyone like this crap? It’s awful!” Anyway, the bands of the present, in fact, are way better, because they sound heavier, are more technical and more professional.

05.By the way, are you into new bands too? Many old headbangers prefer to listen only to the old stuff, because they think it had more personality in terms of music and concept. Do you agree with this statement or is it pure nostalgia?

To me, it is mere nostalgia! I listen to heavy metal 24 hours a Day and I define it very simply: if the music is good, I’ll listen to it, independently of time, and if it is bad, I won’t listen to. I think that getting tied to the past is never a good thing.

06.Do you think that the Brazilian scene really had anything different? Particularly, I believe that not only the Brazilian acts, but also from all over South America, displayed a brutality which was above the average and also a rawness which is inimitable for many people, even in the present. Do you agree with that?

 

I do agree, but many times this brutality was much more due to a lack of musical skills. Many bands made a very brutal sound, but with poor quality. At the same time, there were bands which combined brutality and technical skill and the best example of this is surely Sepultura.

07.Speaking specifically of Minas Gerais, what, in your opinion, happened that there were so many good and seminal bands at the same time and same place? Do you think there is even an own BH sound signature, something like the "Bay Area Thrash" or "Gothemburg sound"?

Of course, the bands here had their own characteristics. I think that we had a lot of cool bands due to the appearance of a lot of cool bands abroad too, since we followed the scene abroad very closely and wanted to make a similar sound; hence, the emergence of so many good bands.

 

 

08.In the documentary "Ruído das Minas” – which is excellent, by the way – some people say that the guys from BH already dug before the Rock in Rio (1985), which is considered almost a metal starting point in Brazil. How was that? Were you really involved with metal before that festival?

Yes, much earlier, before the Rock in Rio, my brother and I were already friends of Sílvio SDN (note: first Mutilator’s vocal, who recorded the songs in Warfare Noise I), Max and Igor from Sepultura and there was already a scene in BH. Me and my brother, for example, saw Kiss in BH before Rock in Rio, and we also saw Peter Frampton. Then, we did have a scene in BH long before the Rock in Rio festival.

09.Well, Mutilator has begun as Desaster, right? Were you in the band at that time? And why did you change the name?

When Sílvio entered the band, we gained a more brutal sound. Then, we had the habit of gathering at the home of friends on the weekends to watch horror movies. In BH at that time there was a single video club called Banco do Brasil Video Club in Savassi neighborhood, but only working with bootlegs and bad image copies. We rented a movie called Mutilator, a B movie, with bad production. So, we thought the name Mutilator suited more to the sound of the band and we decided to change.

10.Do any of the band members have previous musical experience or have studied music, anything like that? I remember that, in the old days, a lot of people formed their bands for the simple need to play a heavy sound, without much concern for technique. Was this also true in the case of Mutilator?

Yes! At that time, we had no access to anything in Brazil, everything was in the beginning. There were some music teachers in BH, but they only taught samba, MPB (Note: short for Brazilian Popular Music) etc. No one had access to rock, much less to heavy metal. So everything we did was done the hard way!

 

11.You recorded two demos in the same year 1986, "Bloodstorm" and "Grave Desecration." Why two demos in so little time?

At that time, we were eager to show our music, all the bands were like that. Then we did not lose any opportunity! It was our genuine will to produce something, to appear.

12.By the way, it seems that only the second demo has resisted over the years the time, am I right? Does anyone still have the "Bloodstorm" demo?

I’m not sure, but a friend of mine from BH that had several demos, rehearsals etc. My tapes were lost over time, so this friend of mine gave me all over again, he recorded all the stuff for me on CD.

13.And how about the promotion at the time of release? Was it large or very modest? I know that Sepultura, for instance, had many contacts in Brazil and abroad. How was this for Mutilator? Was anyone responsible for the promotion in the band?

Yes, me, my brother and Sílvio were responsible for the promotion of our stuff. Just like SEPULTURA, we received thousands of letters with money inside, so we recorded the tapes or sent copies of Warfare Noise compilation etc. The procedures were the same for all bands.

14.Besides this material, I know that two other Mutilator recordings survived in the underground: one live in Festival da Morte, in 1986, and another long reghearsal of about 40 minutes, but with no certain date. Is there anything else circulating or some unpublished stuff from the years that preceeded the release of the debut LP?

Yes, there is a record company in Italy that is preparing a release with all that stuff. I have even authorized this release.

15.In the release of the first LP on CD, in the 2003 version of Cogumelo, there also two tracks from "Grave desecration" demo. However, is there any proposal to release the complete old stuff with live recordings, demos and rehearsal? Indeed, is it true that FOAD Records, from Italy, was looking for this material with good quality to release on vinyl?

As I told in the last answer, yes, it is true! FOAD Records is going to release a very good version of all this Mutilator’s stuff!

16. Do you remember how the invitation to Warfare Noise I? Who has suggested you?

Wow, I can’t remember now, since it was a long time ago! I just remember that we got very happy and we did our best.

17.By the way, this record was very important for Mutilator and all the bands present in it, right? Can you measure the importance of this compilation for you and the whole scene?

At that time, I could never imagine it that would become classic, but it really turned classic over the years. At the time of its release, it seemed to be just another metal record, but time and the loyalty of headbangers made it become a classic. I am very happy, it is gratifying.

 

18.Both Mutilator tracks present in Warfare Noise I are excellent, two of the best and most awesome tracks of the international extreme metal so far, in my opinion. How did you get that amazing result, considering the technical precariousness of the time?

Well, we worked really hard, because, as you said, everything was too precarious, and I assure you that it was much more precarious than you can imagine at this moment! We were young kids full of dreams. So, we tried to do our best, we left our message and the result was that one you know. I assure you, nothing at that time was previously planned, there was no producer, there were no good sound technicians etc. Everything was done in the hard way, with too much feeling, for sure!

19.Sílvio SDN has left the band right after this. Why?

He had divergences with Magoo and Kleber.

20. I also have the impression that things happened very quickly at the time, right? After all, if Warfare Noise was released in August 1986, in May 1987, you already had a new record in your hands, with a new vocalist and only previously unreleased tracks. How was this fast process of writing and recording?

It was very fast, we did not do anything in life, we spent the day just playing, so it was natural that the songs came out very quickly. As I said, we did nothing the whole day, so we spent it playing and listening to music.

 

21.We all know that the impact of "Immortal Force" was huge at the time. Do you still remember how people received this record? I’m speaking about the scene, specialized magazines and such. I believe that not everybody has dug it at first, since the most extreme metal from BH was still a novelty for some sectors of the media, right?

We had a great response! At that time, everyone was hungry for Brazilian metal, so any release – and at that time there were many – was a party to metal community. Just think, we country of samba and carnival and, all of a sudden, there was a release after another release and for us who love metal this was great, we were in heaven!

22.Some people say that the "Immortal Force" was a thrash metal record compared to the older material. How do you see it? What was the intention of the band? After all, we can see an evolution – natural, of course – in terms of instrumental and the vocal was actually less guttural than Silvio.

Yes, for me, it was a natural evolution. As I said before, we did not do anything in life, only played, then even the technical development came naturally.

23.By the way, what were the direct and indirect influences that motivated Mutilator to make the music you did at the time you were in the band?

 

Many ones, like Slayer, Hellhammer, Exciter, Metallica, Kreator etc.

24.Unfolding the previous question, did you hear only the most extreme metal or also had a dose of punk/HC and more classic heavy?

Many punk bands, for sure! And classic Heavy Metal too! Of course, even due to my age, my brother and Sílvio – we are between 46 and 50 years old – so we dig A LOT all the music from the 70’s and 80’s.

25.By the way, how was the relationship of Mutilator with other BH bands? With which bands did you have a better relationship?

We had a good relationship with the other bands. Well, there were some small disputes, but we were all kids, 15, 16 or 17 years old. Have you ever seen anyone of this age who shows a good level of maturity? I have seen just a few ones, haha! That’s why we saw some stupid brawls among the bands, but, to be sincere, I think it’s a waste of time to talk about this, because everyone was too childish, only kids entering adolescence, so we cannot take these fights seriously. Pure bullshit, mere child’s play.

26.I’ve never heard about some kind of involvement of Mutilator with the famous brawl between Sepultura and Sarcophagus? Were you really more neutral in this juvenile dispute?

So, as I said before, we were a bunch of boys, but people still need to talk about these fights. I prefer to always highlight the wonderful music that Sepultura, Sarcófago, Mutilator, Holocausto etc. made than to give too much value to these fights, which were only a boyish thing.

27. Today, almost 30 years after the release of "Immortal Force", how do you evaluate this album in the underground scene? What is its importance? In your view, could you say it's a classic album of the genre?

In the musical and visual aspect, it is an international landmark, in my view! I do believe that it had and still has its importance in the national and world scene.

28. And what about that cover? Who had the idea? Its layout is simple, but it has become a visual classic, if I may put it like that. Was there any influence from Possessed’s “Seven churches” in the conception of that artwork?

In fact, there was no influence from Possessed at all. It was lack of money, indeed! We wanted an artwork and the logo in high relief, but the cost was too high and Cogumelo could not afford it, so, we put only the logo. We were really Lucky, because, after all, even the cover became a landmark.

 

29.Finally, after this album, you left the band, right? What made you leave, considering that the band was going through a special moment?

I got sick, I had a nephritis, and the medicine of the time was very little evolved, so I was forced by doctors to leave the band for health care. With this, my brother Rodrigo felt unmotivated to keep on playing too.

30.Moreover, why Mutilator did not have the same success as Sepultura, for example? Do you think it was lack of organization, opportunity, something or, in your vision, the band can be considered successful within your expectations?

It’s hard to say. Sepultura was and still is the best band from Brazil, in my humble opinion. I think there are many more aspects involved, like talent and luck.

31.I read in an interview that you haven’t even listened to the second album, "Into the strange". So what is your opinion on this album? Particularly, it is a much less impressive record than the first, in my opinion? Haven’t you even take part of those compositions?

No, to be honest, I've never heard this record. Many people may even get surprised with my answer, but few ones are familiar with sincerity and I'm being sincere. In fact, me and my brother Rodrigo had no participation at all in this album.

32.Well, pal, sorry for the long interview, but a historic and seminal band like Mutilator deserved even more space. Thank you so much for your kindness! If you have anything else you consider important to add, feel free to say it!

I want to thank you for the opportunity and say I'm always available to report my experiences with Mutilator and I can assure you that this trip was wonderful. Thank you so much!!!! Long Live to Rock’n’Roll!!!!!!

Cristiano Passos