When it comes to sales- figures and media attention; Black Metal is a Scandinavian-German affair with combinations like Dimmu Borgir/Nuclear Blast riding high on the commercial charts. The music is very commercial. But outside the Northern Europe; you will also find a lot of brilliant Black Metal. Not commercial Black Metal, but more back to the roots of evil (Venom, Mayhem) Black Metal. Evil Horde Records from Brazil has so far released four brilliant Black Metal albums, without getting the recognition they deserve. We caught up with it's owner Agathodemon for an update on the Horde.



1. Please give us a brief history of Evil Horde Records. Please also give us brief biographies of the persons involved.

When Murder Rape release its debut CD on Cogumelo Rec, we felt the necessity to have a label dedicated to Black metal, a label that know what Black metal really is and know how to work with it. Our debut CD had a real bad distribution abroad and the few copies that reached foreign countries had been sent by myself. Also there were many good bands here in the same situation and difficulty to promote their material. By that time the foreign labels were only interested in Scandinavian bands. From this necessity came the idea to create Evil Horde Rec. Evil Horde Rec is not a very well known label abroad yet but I'm sure we will have a positive response for our work because we have a serious and most of all professional position.

2. Before we continue the Evil Horde Records interview; we have to mention the brilliant Murder Rape, where I guess you are involved in some way or another. Please tell us more about your two albums and the future of this band.

I really do play in Murder Rape since the very beginning of the band. Concerning our two albums released, I think that "Celebration of Supreme Evil" (debut) had a real bad distribution and reached only the Brazilian scene and a few European countries. "..and Evil Returns" (second album) had a little better promotion but we still have a lot of work to do in promotion. Our third album "Evil Shall Burn Inside Me Forever" may be released in November and plan to make a big promotion for this album just as we are doing for the other EH releases. There is a good probability that Murder Rape will play live in Europe next year.

3. Back to Evil Horde Records again. What is the concept behind Evil Horde Records ?

Our main objective is to support Black metal bands and help them spread their message all over the world.

4. Please give us a list of the Evil Horde Records releases. Please present these releases for us.

We have until now 4 releases:

EH001 Murder Rape "...and Evil Returns" CD
EH002 Miasthenia / Songe d'Enfer "Visions of Nocturnal Tragedies" split CD
EH003 Posthumous "My Eyes, They Bleed" CD
EH004 Ocultan "Belicus Profanus" CD

Our up-comings are:

EH005 Goat Penis (Bra) "Trotz Verbot - Nicht Tot" CD
EH006 Grand Belial's Key (USA) "Mocking the ..." re-release CD
EH007 Azaghal (Fin) "The Nine Circles of Hell" CD
EH008 Murder Rape "Evil Shall Burn Inside Me Forever" CD

5. Except from running a record label and mail order distro, what other activities are your label involved in ? Please tell us more about these activities.

Due to the distance between Brazil and Europe/USA the price of the foreign CDs here are too high and most of times the stores charge an even higher price that many times is an abuse. The intention of the distro is to distribute current foreign releases in a fair price and most of all show Brazilian people that the Black metal scene is not made only of the bands that are in the world media but there are many true bands that haven't had the opportunity to show their work because they do not agree with this trend. Evil Horde try to let people have the chance to know these bands. Another plan of the label is the creation of a magazine that would be called "Obscura Arte". It would be an extreme music magazine with a first press of 3000 copies. This project was supposed to begin in February this year but we had to delay to the second half of the year because of the massive work we are having with EH releases. We also plan to bring some foreign bands to play here, specially the foreign bands of the label.

6. You have sometimes used the slogan "metal from Amazonas". Please tell us more about Curitiba and the part of Brazil where Evil Horde Records is based.

I have never used such expression. Maybe many people don't know how big Brazil is. Only the State I live in is bigger then Holland, Belgium and Germany united. Sometimes it is easier to get in touch with people abroad then with people who live in the extreme parts of Brazil. Curitiba is situated in the extreme south of Brazil that is the coldest region in Brazil (it even snows sometimes). The colonization here was made by Germans and Italians most of all. It's very far from Amazonas and I don't know any Black metal band or activity related there.

7. What is the advantages and disadvantages being based in Brazil ?

The disadvantage is the distance from Europe/USA but even far our work is being recognized and appreciated.

8. How do you market and promote your releases and activities ??

As the other underground Black metal labels we spread flyers, put some adds and send promos for review in extreme magazines, and some times in the net.

9. What is your view on past and present Brazilian metal labels and the metal scene in Brazil ?

With the increase of the Black metal scene many bands are known here and it made people get interested in this kind of music. Nowadays I can tell you that people don't know Brazil only by Sepultura and Sarcofago but we have good new bands such as Krisium and Rebaellion that have got the interest of foreign labels. I can tell you that our scene is renewing because one of our qualities is not to copy what come from other countries.

10. It is my impression that there is a very clear South American brutal metal sound, with bands like Mortem, Posthumous, Sarcofago and Murder Rape as it's most typical exponents. What is your view ?

As I said before Brazil can be recognized by different ways of playing in the same music style. I can say that each of these bands have their personal way of playing and one of the highest virtues is that they are not musically similar to each other. I guess this will make people search for Brazilian Black metal bands because each band will show you something different.

11. How is the distribution of underground metal in Brazil these days ??

There are some new and good distribution arising together with EH, so I can tell you that people here can reach any new world release. Another thing that is helping this distribution is the internet because many people is using it to buy CDs and other stuff related to the scene.

12. What is your view on the MP 3 revolution ? Do you regard this as a threat to your livelihood ?

In terms of promotion it is really a revolution and will let people know the music of the bands. In old times we had to record many promo tapes and send many promo CDs ro let people know one band's music but know we can just put a sample of the music in the net. It saves a lot of work and time. I don't think it's a threat because I believe that when a person like a band he will want to have the complete CD of the band and not just a copy. I believe that as the record cassette don't take a place of the original CD or LP this CDR won't take it too.

13. Do you have any other fear about the future of the music industry ?

The big quantity and variety that Black metal has became made many bands try to find a new way of composing their material. This has given more space for the creativity and personal capacity of each one. I can say that Black metal will be always renewing and won't let (as some worms has let) this music style become a supermarket product. I guess those bands and industries must be afraid of us instead, because we are the noes who will threaten them.

14. What is Evil Horde Records' approx. total turnover ?

Firstly EH is pressing only 3000 copies of each release and after about 6 months we make a repress of about 2000 more copies. At the time of our EH007 release we plan to begin with a 5000 copies press and a posterior press of 3000.

15. What is your future release plans and other plans for the rest of 1999 ?

We have just released EH003 Posthumous "My Eyes, They Bleed" CD and EH004 Ocultan "Belicus Profanus" CD. Our next release will be EH005 Goat Penis "Trotz Verbot - Nicht Tot" CD. EH005 was supposed to be Grand Belial's Key re-release of "Mocking... " CD but in our last contact with Wood-Nymph Rec we've got to know that they couldn't sell the whole press of CDs they made and they want us to delay this release a little more. So EH006 will be Grand Belial's Key "Mocking..." CD and may be out at late August (if they let us do it). EH007 will be Azaghal "The Nine Circles of Hell" CD that is planned for September. Our last releases for this year must be EH008 Murder Rape "Evil Shall Burn Inside Me Forever" CD in late November.

16. Do you have any website ? Where can you be contacted ?

Our Website is under construction and will probably be on the net next month. Anyone who get interested and want to contact us can reach us in the net at:

blacklegion@vrs.com.br

or write to:
Evil Horde Rec
P.O.Box 4912
Curitiba - PR 82530-970
Brazil
Fax: ++ 55 41 367 4747

17. Any final comments ???

Thanks for the oportunity to show our work. Keep always lighten the Black metal Flame. WE ARE THE REBELLION!