1. Hello Miguel and Johnny, please introduce yourselves to the readers?
Johnny: Hi everyone, I'm Jhony (Rith Pedrazoli), one of the creators of Blood Raises Blood.
Miguel: Hello everyone, greetings! I'm Miguel Silva, co-founder of the band. Thank you very much for the opportunity!
2. When did you first discover extreme metal and death metal and who were the first bands that you listened to? Who are some of the current bands that you have been listening to?
Johnny: I think the first extreme metal band I heard was Cannibal Corpse, back in 2013, but I had already been listening to more traditional stuff too, like Metallica, Megadeth, and Judas Priest.
But currently I listen to a lot of Testament, Kreator, Death, Sodom, Sepultura, Cancer, Inhuman Condition, Immolation, and Autopsy.
Miguel: You could say that I started with some lighter stuff, such as Cradle of Filth at the end of 2012. But when it comes to extreme metal, some of the first bands I listened to were local bands from my region, such as Os Capial.
Nowadays, I've been listening to a lot of different things. I'd like to highlight Cerberus Attack, a crossover band from Brazil, a style that I really enjoy! Also Left to Die, an amazing death metal band featuring former members of Death, a band I have a huge affection for.
3. Miguel, you handle writing the music for the band. At what age did you become interested in writing and performing music?
Miguel: I would say that most of Blood Raises Blood's songs were co-written with Johnny. He was essential in the composition of some of the riffs and lyrics.
Personally, I believe I've always had the desire to write music. Ever since I started playing guitar at the age of 14, back in 2015, I've been writing things, so I think songwriting just comes naturally to me.
4. What are the current instruments that you play? Are you self-taught or did you take lessons when first starting out? Are there any instruments that you would like to learn to play one day?
Johnny: Currently we play guitar. I even took a month of guitar lessons, but Miguel learned on his own.
I'm starting to play drums, but Miguel already has some knowledge of bass and keyboards; he's the one who composed the drum parts.
Miguel: As mentioned, I'm self-taught. I've never taken guitar lessons or lessons for any other instrument. I believe I already play the instruments I enjoy, but I would like to have the opportunity to improve my drumming skills.
5. When did you first get the idea to start the band Blood Raises Blood? How did you choose the name for this band?
Johnny: As a project, Blood Raises Blood has existed more or less since 2014, but we only named the band in 2015 when we were on a call discussing compositions.
Initially, we wanted to name it Blood for Blood, but we did some research and found that something with that name already existed.
That's when we had the idea to do something like "blood begets blood," and that's how Blood Raises Blood was born.
6. The band seems to draw influence from traditional heavy metal, thrash and death metal. Who would you say are the band's biggest influences? For the readers who have never heard the band, how would you best describe the band's musical style?
Johnny: We created Blood Raises Blood with the intention of making heavy metal using influences from everything we like, and it varies quite a bit from thrash to power metal.
So we're heavily influenced by Metallica, Sepultura, Angra, Helloween, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, Death, Kreator, Black Sabbath, etc.
7. I believe it is a two-man band. When you started out, did you plan to work as a duo or would you like to find more members to create a full lineup?
Johnny: Yes, Miguel and I are Blood Raises Blood. It's like Megadeth: although it has other musicians, Megadeth is Mustaine.
The others are hired musicians, and we intend to have another musician participate, in this case a bassist, but he will only be a contracted musician, although of course he will participate in the compositions.
As long as they fit the Blood proposal, that's it. Blood Raises Blood is Miguel and Rith Pedrazoli.
8. If you had the opportunity to work with any musicians, who would you like to work with?
Miguel: That's an interesting question. There are several musicians we would love to work with. Obviously, my favorite bassist, Jason Newsted, and also Mille Petrozza from Kreator.
They are musicians who inspire us, and if we ever had the opportunity to work together, it would be amazing.
9. The Wall of Souls is the debut full-length that was released earlier this year.How long did it take to write the music for this release? How long would you say it usually takes to complete one song?
Miguel: The songwriting itself was quite quick. We started at the beginning of 2022, and I remember we wrote around six or seven songs.
Then, because of personal commitments and things like that, we took a break and returned in 2023 to write the final three songs that were still missing.
10. Where did you draw inspiration for the lyrics and what are some topics you both wrote about on the debut? What usually comes first, the music or the lyrics?
Miguel: It's difficult to say what comes first. For some songs, it was the music, while for others, it was the lyrics.
But the idea for the album's theme came after we finished the first song, which was "Nuclear Warheads." After that, we adopted the apocalyptic concept surrounding the myth of "Mirith," an infernal entity that defeated the Devil himself and rules over Hell.
11. The Wall of Souls is a digital-only release. Would you like to release it on a physical format someday? Are you interested in working with a label or do you prefer to release your own music?
Miguel: We are definitely interested in that. But for now, we're keeping things as they are because of logistics and other bureaucratic matters.
12. Are there any plans to hire some session musicians to do some live shows someday, or do you prefer to work as a studio-only band?
Miguel: We definitely have plans for that, but for now, we'll continue working in the studio.
13. Blood Raises Blood comes out of Brazil's death and thrash metal scene. What is your opinion of the scene in Brazil over the years?
Johnny: Unfortunately, Brazil isn't a country that values or supports this more aggressive musical genre very much, but we do have some good bands that have reached a high level.
Miguel: Although the Brazilian scene is somewhat undervalued and doesn't get much exposure in the mainstream media, it has given us excellent bands for many different tastes.
Especially within our scene, we have outstanding bands such as Cerberus Attack, Hellside, NW77, and many others!
14. Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of Brazil? Are there any new bands you could recommend to the readers?
Johnny: Angra and Sepultura, but there are also Dr. Sin, Krisiun, Korzus, Shaman, Almah, and Ratos de Porão.
Miguel: There are many bands, including all the ones Johnny mentioned, but I'd like to highlight a few others such as Salário Mínimo, Cerberus Attack, NW77, Hellside, D.F.C., Corazones Muertos, and Saruê.
15. When you two need to take a break from working on new music, what do you like to do in your free time?
Johnny: I can speak for myself. I, Rith Pedrazoli, am more of a family man, so I spend most of my free time with my family.
Nothing beats a weekend barbecue and a game of pool.
Miguel: I usually really enjoy playing video games, reading books, and studying philosophical subjects, but I also spend some time with my family.
16. Thank you Johnny and Miguel for taking the time to do this interview. Do you have any final comments for the readers?
Johnny: Don't let rock and metal die, this energy that has crossed centuries bringing joy to so many lives, and listen to The Wall Of Souls.
Miguel: Thank you very much, Patrick, and thank you to everyone! Thank you for the support. Listen to The Wall of Souls and stay tuned for more news! Blood Raises Blood https://bloodraisesblood.bandcamp.com/album/the-wall-of-souls https://www.facebook.com/bloodraisesblood https://www.instagram.com/bloodraisesblood https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4HwFycz217nyPHbBL5w6fg