Insanity is one of the most interesting bands from Brazil at the moment. Their blend of Thrash and Death Metal are not millions of miles away from Sepultura. Insanity's new album "Mind Crisis" has just been released through Mucuva Records and we caught up with the band. Bruno Gabai answered my clever questions.
1. When and where was Insanity started ? Could you give us a brief biography ??
Insanity started at the end of 1989 with me on drums, George Frizzo on bass and vocals and Alberto Lopes on guitar. At the beginning of 1990, Fábio Andrey completed the line up, taking on the vocals and the 2nd guitar. Since then, we have released a demo ("In Search of Reason" - 1990), a 7"EP ("Cryogenization" - 1991), our first CD, "Phobia" (1995) and participated of several compilations, including the tribute to the Brazilian band Dorsal Atlântica, "Omnisciens" (1996). On April 1996, Fábio left Insanity and joined the band The Mist. It was quite a shock for us at that time, as we had been the same line-up almost from the start. In order to keep the same spirit and to preserve our ideas for the new CD, we decided to continue as a trio, with George re-assuming the vocals and I doing some backing vocals. At last, we released our 2nd CD "Mind Crisis" at the end of last year and we keep on working for its promotion. We also intend to release some new stuff this year (compilations, etc.).
2. Please tell us more about your debut album "Phobia".
"Phobia" was OK for a debut album. In spite of the rough production, it was the best we could do at that time. It had a really good acceptance by the audience and many good reviews in magazines and fanzines. The main problem about "Phobia" was that it was recorded in 1993, but it just came out almost two years later. This has happened mainly because it would firstly be released on vinyl. However, as CDs were starting to take over the music market in Brazil, the label took some time before deciding to release "Phobia" on CD. This whole process lasted almost a year.When "Phobia" was recorded, Death Metal was still in the highlights and Insanity's music was pretty much between Thrash and Death Metal. We were influenced by bands like Forbidden and Coroner, but mainly by Florida Death Metal bands like, Death, Obituary and Morbid Angel and European bands like Entombed, Carcass and Napalm Death. It was a good reference for the early 90's, but it started to sound a little 'old fashioned' after 1995.
3. You released that album on Rock Machine. Please tell us more about your experience with this label.
In fact, it was a partnership of two labels, Rock Machine and Heavy Metal Rock, which are two Metal stores which have independent labels. The deal with them was OK, although they didn't help much to promote the CD. Most of promotion and spreading was done by ourselves. Anyway, as it was our 1st CD, what really mattered for us was to put the CD out. So, we are still thankful for them to have believed in us and helped us to spread our work.
4. How did you get in touch with Muvuca Records ? Why did you sign on this label ?
Muvuca is managed by Eduardo Lane, from the band Nervochaos. We had played together a couple of times before we started to record "Mind Crisis". Since then, we have kept in contact and he has told us he was starting a new label. As we already knew each other's work with our bands and we were looking for a new label to release our new CD, we grew the idea of working together. So, we sent him a preview tape of "Mind Crisis" during the recordings and we set the deal. Although Muvuca Rec. is a new independent label, it has been great to work with them. The fact that Eduardo also plays in a band makes our communication easier. We get in contact very often. So we can work and develop new ideas together for the promotion of "Mind Crisis". However, we are still looking for labels to release or distribute "Mind Crisis" outside Brazil (labels interested, please get in contact!).
5. Please give us a full insight to your new album "Mind Crisis".
There are different moods among the 14 songs of "Mind Crisis". It has some very fast and brutal parts and others very introspective and deep. We have combined many different elements in our music in order to create the appropriate atmosphere to each song, matching music and lyrics. We have also used this fusion of influences to make our music heavier and darker. We are happy with the final result of this album. We have received a very good answer from the audience and we have seen and heard good reviews and comments so far.
6. I wrote in the review of "Mind Crisis" that my impression is that this seventy-four minutes long album is more a compilation album than a proper recorded studio album. What is the truth ?
Actually, "Mind Crisis" has just 61 minutes, because there is a 13 minute gap between the last song ("Unsafe") and the "hidden track". You could say it sounds like a compilation because, as I said, the album involves many different styles, with faster and slower songs. We didn't want to make a linear CD, like many Death Metal bands do, where most songs seem to be the same. You also can notice some differences on vocal parts, according to the song. But none of the songs are so distant from each other. All of them are around the same context. I would say that there are 4 songs that really are a little bit different from the others. "Hopeless" and "Contemplations" are closer from the style we used to play in "Phobia" because these are some of the first songs we made for this album. The other song is "Feed Me". Our intention was to make a more depressive song, which sounded really different from the angrier atmosphere of the rest of the CD. About the "hidden track", "In This Cage", it is a re-construction of "Confined" made by the experimentalist musician Paulo Beto, who leads some electronic/industrial projects like Silverblood and Anvil FX. He had told us he wanted to do something different with a song of Insanity. So, we sent him a song, he re-made it and we thought it was OK to include it on the CD as a bonus. I don't think that 4 songs in a 14-track CD make it a compilation.
7. Please give us an insight to your lyrics.
"Mind Crisis"is about all the mental chaos in which we live today. The manipulation of human consciousness by media and government, excess of information, globalization, exploitation and hunger, holy and racial wars. Mankind is losing its humanity. All this free violence, in many forms, we see every day is getting out of control. In our lyrics we try to express our feelings about this madness and how it has affected the human mind.
8. How is the metal scene in Brazil at the moment ?
The Metal scene in Brazil is still very strong in the underground. There is an uncountable (and growing) number of bands and there has been a great leap on the quality of productions (CDs, demos and shows). Brazil is now (at last) on the route of international tours, with big festivals like Monsters of Rock. We have also some very good Metal magazines with a large distribution (including outside Brazil), besides fanzines, web pages and Metal radio shows (I also produce one) all over the country. The good response that Brazilian bands like Angra and Krisiun have achieved worlwide (after Sepultura) has encouraged newer bands and motivated the local scene in general. However, the main problem is still the lack of support (mainly financial) for underground music in Brazil. The bad economic situation of the country makes it harder. For instance, it's very expensive for us to organize a full tour in Brazil. In addition, there is still prejudice from people and media against Metal. As it isn't a "commercially attractive" musical style, media ignores Metal, when they don't try to ridicule it. It is easier for us to be recognized (and respected) here after we get recognized outside Brazil. Sepultura only started to be respected by media in general in Brazil after they were already very famous worldwide.
9. Are any members of Insanity involved in any other bands/projects ?
I play guitar and do the vocals in a grindcore band called Siege of Hate (S.O.H.). It is a project band that I created with a few friends from other bands in our city. We have already released a demo-tape and participated of a few compilation CDs. The others aren't involved with other bands, but George writes for some Metal magazines in Brazil and he is also involved with production of other bands.
10. I guess Insanity is not your daytime job. How is your life and how is life in Brazil?
Unfortunately you're right. We are all university students. I am a chemical engineer and I'm doing a Master degree course in Environmental Engineering and have my scholarship. George studies in the Sociology school and works in stores sometimes and Alberto studies Economy. We all still live with our families. It is very hard to play in a Metal band in Brazil. Specially in the region we live. There is almost no support from media and sponsors. As I said, people still have prejudice. Many people still relate Heavy Metal with that image of drugs, violence, satanism and other negative things. Moreover, we live in a country where more than 50% of the population are illiterate and very poor. So there is still so much ignorance, they don't have the opportunity to develop themselves because our corrupt government prefers to keep them as they are. So it's easier for media to manipulate the public opinion about anything, including music.
11. What is your plans for 1999 ?
We haven't played shows so much this year yet, but we intend to go anywhere we could to spread "Mind Crisis". It's not easy to schedule a tour in Brazil because it is very expensive and, as I said, it's hard to get support enough. We are also starting to work on new material, for we want to record our next CD in the next year. This year it's coming out a few compilations in which we have participated, including the tribute to Brutal Truth, "The New Generation", for which we have recorded the song "Displacement" from the album "Need to Control". We have also recorded the song "Bestial Devastation" for the Brazilian tribute to Sepultura and it has had as a special guest our former vocalist Fábio Andrey on the vocals. This tribute is being organized by the Sepultura Official Brazilian Fan Club and it may come out this year.
12. Where can Insanity be contacted ? Any web sites ?
We are still working on our Official Web Site. It is not finished yet but there already is a
'preview' version on-line (just in Portuguese, for a while)
We have also a small site in the home-page "Firestarter". This home page is about everything of our local underground scene (in Fortaleza/CE, Brazil). There you can find small sites of several bands, news, calendar of shows, it is very complete. Unfortunately, it is only in Portuguese too. There isn't an English version yet.
Our E-Mail contacts are:
mine: gabai@ivia.com.br
George's: frizzo@secrel.com.br.
Our contact address for conventional mail is:
INSANITY
P.O. Box 5013
60164-270
Fortaleza/CE
Brazil
Write us if you want to know more about us. All letters (and E-mails) will be answered.
13. Any final comments ?
I would like to thank the News From The Infested Graveyard for the support and the opportunity to spread our ideas and our work. We're very grateful. I would also like to thank all the people who have been supported Insanity throughout these years. And for all the readers, keep on supporting the Underground and keep insanity in your minds!