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Interview: Violator
by Rafael Karasu (rafael@karasukiller.com)
originally published in DOLL (Japan) #259
2009/02

Violator - Thrash Maniacs ´till Death!!!
Violator Thrash Maniax from Brasília (Brasil) , got together at early 2002 by friends that have no pretensions beyond playing the old Thrash Metal. The essence keeps the same since that. Four Thrash Maniacs - Pedro “Poney Ret” (vc/bs), Pedro Capaça (gt), Márcio “Cambito” (gt) e David Araya (dr) - crazy about Vio-lence, Whiplash and Exodus that breath the spirit and the ways of Old School Metal.

Poney Ret will explain more about the band, now considered icons of the Brazilian Thrash Metal, which soon have achieved positive results in the world, and it will tell us about coming to Japan Now are back in home to do some more new rippin' thrashin' stuffs! The Violation Has Just Begun!
Mosh! Mosh! Japanese attention to destruction is just beginning!

1-Tell us about the band's history, when and how it began?
Hey, Rafa and all japanese maniax! Really cool to be heard in the other side of the world! First of all, let me say thanx to you and Doll Magazine. It's a real pleasure for us to be in touch with the underground production from so far. Violator got together on early 2002, we were just a bunch of thrash kidz that wanted to hang out together and play fast music. It was a real bad time for metal on our city, a lot of new metal stuff and people making bands to look cool or to get some chicks. We wanted to find something more real (not in the jerk sense of the world), but something that was made for the feelings and the music, not for money or status. We found that on the old school thrash.

2-What's the meaning of “Violator”?and why you chose this name?
Violator means "Violador" and we have no big history about this choice. We just wanted a strong name which rhymed with Kreator! (laughs) I could lie to you and tell a pretty story about how Violator means to violate the rules or the stablishment of a society, but it would not be honest. I sometimes say that we got the name from the Depeche Mode Album! (more laughs)

3- What do you have that's been released so far?
We've released a self-financed live recorded demo called Killer Instinct. One four-way split, Fast-Food Thrash Metal. One EP by Kill Again Records, whose name is Violent Mosh and its now been released in vynil. A split with Bywar, a thrash metal band from brazil. And a full-lenght album called Chemical Assault, which has been released also in vynil in Europe and worldwide by Earache.

4-Define Violator's sound quickly and precisely so Japanese readers can know what you're about.
In one sentence: Old School Thrash Metal Maniax: fast music for violent stage divings, crazy circle pits and insane headbangin.

5-What are the main influences of the band? And outside the Thrash there are other influences?
We listen a lot of different music. From Napalm Death to Running Wild, from Black Flag to Iron Maiden. But Violator is strictly influenced by old school thrash metal bands. I really love old american bands like Vio-lence, Whiplash, Dark Angel, Nuclear Assault, Anthrax. Canandian bands like Sacrifice, Razor. German bands like Assassin and Kreator and, of course, brazilian bands like Sepultura, Mutilator, Explicit Hate, and many others!

6-Do you guys have side projects?
We all play in different bands. I play together with two more Violators at Scumbag, a grindcore band. I am also in Possuído Pelo Cão, which is a speedcore/crossover band. And i recently join another band, Ameaça Cigana, a hardcorepunk band in the edge of old american hardcore bands. Capaça plays also in Pesticide, old school death metal band, and Cambito is originally from a thrash metal band called Slaver. We don't dedicate to these bands the same way we do with Violator. Violator is our priority, but we reall love playing and we really love a lot of underground music, that's why we have so many bands and projects.Oh, our city is also not so big, and there's not much to do besides playing and making new bands! (laughs)

7-Explain to us how the scene Thrash in Brazil? In his opinion, who are the highlights of the new crop of new thrash bands?
The Thrash comeback really happened on the last 4 to 5 years. In most part of Brazil, things are really small but it does not mean that there are a lot of interesting things happening. One of the most salutar things of this new thrash scene in Brazil is the interchange between Thrash and hardcore punk bands. In some places, like our city, one thing can't be taken separatelly. New Thrash bands that i really recommend you: Bandanos, Bywar, Blasthrash, Farscape, Devil on Earth, Eternal Devastation, Flagelador, Bomb Threat, Infected and much more!

8-What do you think is good and what is bad for the current phase of underground scene in Brazil. There is a backup? Nowadays, what are the difficulties to get a band in Brazil?
You cannot live of the underground in Brazil. That's a reality that I think is BIG difference from having a band in a third world country. I don't that's necessarily a bad thing, cause in the same way that Violator don't pay my bills, it gives us a freedom to play the way we want and never sell our music for money. We play what we want and how we wanted, money is not our objective with Violator.

9- Does everyone in the band have a job? How do you manage working and playing?
We all have jobs and we are in university too. I'm journalist and work in an education agency. It's not difficult to conciliate the two activities, we only play in weekends in brazil, so we left our city friday and comeback on monday. For making a huge south american tour, when we played over 9 countries, during 5 months and over 50 concerts, we drop our life. Quit the jobs and drop out school. It was a great experience, but i don't know if we can do that again. We are going to play in Europe at the end of the year, so I had to negotiate with my work to travel in the christmas holiday. No problem.

10-Brazil is a very big country, the band has been to many states and cities, tell me, what's the audience's reaction in each place? Is there a difference?
I don't know if there's a big difference. We've played more than 30 cities in Brazil, and over 9 countries in south america and we have always been recepted very well. There are a lot of small places, with people smashing each other on the stage dive, and a few big places, with gigantic circle pits. But in general, people respond our concert with a discharge of insanity and adrenaline, and thats the type of reaction that we enjoy. From more than 100 concerts it's hard to name you the most importants one. Playing at Portel, in the middle of Amazon Rain Forest and having to get a 20h travel by boat in the middle of jungle it was a unique experience. I also could say that the concert at Santiago, capital of Chile, was really exciting and moving.

11-Confirmed to participate in February 2009 in the 'TRUE Thrash Metal FEST' in Osaka, as is the expectation of the band to play here? Tell me about the enthusiasm for coming to Japan
We are really excited! We cant' believe in this great news untill now! When we started the band we never thought we would do one single concert, who could imagine that we one day we would be travelling to the other side of the world? It's the most incredible thing that have ever happened to us. Really unbelivable for 4 southamerican thrash kidz.

12-Besides Godzilla, what do you know about Japan? Any band?
I grew up watching old series from Japan! (laughs) Jaspion, Changeman, Jiraya... all of these had a big impact on my childhood and on all kids from our generation. I was raised playing all your videgames too and I also appreciate a lot the Kurosawa movies and I really enjoy japanese food! But most of all, i've to tell you that I love the old japanese punk bands! Mostly Death Side, one of the greates bands of all times!

13-You know that this is a country where many Brazilians have, you expect many of them in the Festival?
It would be great to meet some brazilians at our concerts, but we are really excited to make a lot of new japanese friends!

14-You already learned a few words in Japanese? What do you know?
I know how to count 1 to 10 in japanese, cause I did Judô when I was kid. Besides that, i just know how to say Konichiwa e Sayonara, which i know is really few! (laughs)

15-You is a brazilian, which is the impression that you have on the Japanese metal scene?
Japan always have great bands. It must be a great scene too. From Metal bands I really enjoy to you the classic Sabbat, Metalucifer, King's Evil, Fastkill and my favourite one, Rose Rose. I'm also a big fan of old hardcorepunk from japan like Death Side (fuckin great!) SOB, Gauze (the masters!), Gism, Systematic Death and many, many others! Japan Rules!

16-What are the next plans of Violator?
Our next big plan is travelling to Europe and Japan. We have some concerts here in Brazil too. We are also in studio recording some new material, a EP called "Annihilation Process" and a split 7" with our friends from Bandanos called Thrashin The Tyrants. The thrash can't stop!

17-Thank you for your availability and patience, please leave a message from VIOLATOR to Japanese readers.
Thank you! See you in february, japanese maniax! Keep the underground Spirit! UFT!

Contacts:
www.violatorthrash.com
contact@violatorthrash.com
www.myspace.com/viothrash