Interview with Perpetrator done by Patrick
1.Hello please introduce yourself to the readers?
Greetings; we are a Thrash Metal band from Portugal made by friends who have been total Metal fanatics ever since the eighties. Back then we realised that Metal is the greatest fucking thing ever and we have dedicated our lives to it thenceforward. Perpetratör is an homage to the pristine times of Thrash Metal, when the original bands were kicking ass like none other previously had.
2.Perpetrator was formed in 2008 what gave you all the idea to start this band?
I had always been a Thrasher, ever since I was 15, and in 2002 I and two friends created a band called Axe Murderers that lasted for three months and was a lot of fun. I had wanted to do a Thrash band ever since, or a Thrash project at least, and eventually, in 2008, I recorded a couple of tracks home alone for fun and called the idea Perpetratör. I ended up showing them to Paulão and we had the possibility of doing something out of it playing in our minds for a while. Eventually he insisted and composed the whole of the first album (including a re-take of one of my original tracks). I added lyrics and vocals and bass, we needed a stellar guitar player for solos and so we immediately thought of Marouco, and we needed a killer drummer and so Ângelo Sexo was summoned out of the Dungeon Dimensions.
3.What is the current line up for the band?And who would you say are Perpetrator's biggest influences?
The band has always been me, Rick, on bass and vocals, Paulão on guitars, Marouco on guitar solos, and Ângelo Sexo as a session drummer… live he is replaced, due to health issues, with Emídio, a good friend of ours who is a phenomenal drummer. Perpetratör’s main influences are probably Slayer and the German holy trinity of Kreator, Sodom and Destruction, but there are so many more bands that directly influence our sound… Artillery, Annihilator, Thin Lizzy, Necronomicon, Protector, Holy Moses, Testament, Living Death, Exumer, … the list goes on!
4.Altered Beast is the bands second full length how long did it take the band to write the music for the new release?Does the whole band work on writing the music or does one member usually write everything?
The majority of the new songs were recorded a couple months after the release of the debut album or even before the release date, really. We used some of this material in a split 7” with Hellbastard, and the rest was shelved for years. Eventually Paulão got me off my couch to finish the sophomore, we recorded a couple more songs and presto! Paulão does everything, then I come up with the lyrics and vocals and Marouco creates his solo orgy for the album. That’s pretty much how it works.
5.Who usually takes care of writing the lyrics for the music and what are some topics you all wrote about on Altered Beast?
I do all the lyrics… topics are usually whatever comes into my mind… I tended to explore altered states of consciousness and some mental anguish in the past, but also stuff like mythology, history, Metal itself, and so on… the new album goes the same way, adding a thing or two… I have a song about an extreme alcoholic incident I went through in Belgium… and there is a song about a mass murderer I wrote the lyrics to on the way to recording vocals. I wrote them in the subway and on the boat across the river… when I got to the studio I told Paulão, hey, I wrote some lyrics to that other song, and he said, let’s begin by recording that one then, ha ha! And we did
6.Does Perpetrator play live very often or do you prefer to work in the studio?What have been some of the bands most memorable shows over the years?
Well, Perpetratör is more of a studio project, really… from the beginning Paulão made it clear he cannot turn this into a real band because of his professional activity. So from the beginning we decided not to play live. In fact, right after the first album was released, a local organizer we have been friends with for a long time decided to make it happen, and so Perpetratör played one single gig in 2014. It was actually a great experience. Too bad it will be even more difficult now for it ever to happen again, because Marouco moved to the southern end of the country.
7.Are their any tours or shows coming up in 2018 in support of the new release?If yes where will the band be playing?
Nope. As I just wrote above, chances for live presentations are quite minimal right now.
8.Besides the upcoming release of Altered Beast does the band have any copies of the debut release still available?Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise available for the readers to buy?If yes what is available and where can the readers buy it?
I guess there are still some CDs available, although very few from us. Probably Stormspell has a bunch, if they didn’t manage to get rid of them. You probably can find them in distros, together with the Hellbastard split. Our current label has also released the tape version of the first album, and did some Perpetratör beer, but we drank all the ones we had.
9.What does underground metal mean to you all?
Well, to me it’s meant my life since I was a teenager. I am lucky to play in bands that allow me to occasionally travel and participate in festivals throughout Europe and see great bands and meet old and new friends. I revel in being a part of this great Metal family that exists around the globe. And I have always been involved in bands, fanzines, artwork, etc. Same for the others… Paulão makes a living from sound, recording bands, and both him and Marouco have been playing in Metal bands for decades. I have a lot of interests, from literature to archaeology, etc. But keeping the true Metal flame burning is more than that -- it’s a mission!
10.Besides playing in Perpetrator do you or any of the members currently work with any other bands?
Right now I play in Ravensire, a Heavy Metal band, and Filii Nigrantium Infernalium, a Black Thrash Heavy Metal band. Besides that, I always have a couple of projects with friends waiting to get off the ground. Paulão played in several bands, most notably The Firstborn for a long time, and now has mainly some Punk bands and projects other than Perpetratör. Marouco played several years with Omission from Spain and other stuff, and is now mainly connected to his old band Extreme Unction… and many bands ask him for a hand when recording. Both hands, in fact.
11. Perpetrator comes out of Portugal's thrash,death metal scene what are your thoughts on the scene in Portugal's metal scene?
I hesitate in naming bands, I am bound to forget important names, but the scene is actually quite good these days when it comes to bands. It could always be better, but truth is there are many quality bands. There is a good quantity and quality of gigs, and throughout the decades there have been much worse times… I still wish there were good real Metal bars…the scene is very poor when it comes to that.
12.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of Portugal?And are their any new bands you could recommend to the readers?
Oh well, I am just going to say a few of many good bands… my favourite band from the past is probably Thormenthor… and from the present probably Martelo Negro. Concerning Thrash the bands I most like are not too active…stuff like Motörpenis, Atomik Destruktor and Alcoholocaust. There have been some great Black Crust bands showing up, like Scum Liquor and Systemik Violence, etc. Death Metal is going fine with old bands like Sacred Sin, Theriomorphic and so on and new bands like Archaic Tomb. Heavy Metal has some great bands too, like Midnight Priest, Alkateya, The Unholy, and others. And I could mention many other names…
13.Besides bands does Portugal have any honest and reliable labels or distro's you think the readers should check out soon?
Yes, there are several of those… I think they’re all very reliable right now… I’ll have to make a special mention to the label we are working with right now: Caverna Abismal, who also do distibution. You’ll find none more honest and hard working.
14.When not working on new music or band business what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
As far as I’m concerned… Sex, booze and Metal!
15.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final words for the readers?
Yes, thanks to you for the support and to all the readers, mainly those who got this far! I raise my beer mug to all those who still keep Metal true. Cheers to all!
Band Contacts
https://www.facebook.com/perpetratorthrash
https://perpetratorthrash.bandcamp.com/releases
Label Contacts
http://www.cavernaabismal.com/
https://cavernaabismal.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CavernaAbismalRec/?ref=hl
