A Brief History of Brazil’s Brutal Metal Scene

There are several rumors surrounding the emergence of heavy metal music in Brazil. The most accepted theory, endorsed by journalists such as Jeder Janotti Jr., author of two books about Brazilian metal, is that musicians saw an influence to start bands after two key historical moments: Kiss‘s tour in 1983, with shows in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and the Rock in Rio festival in 1985, which had artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, and Iron Maiden in its lineup. 

But there were bands and releases previous to that: the group Stress, from Belém do Pará, north of Brazil, released their self-titled debut record in 1982. The speed metal outfit was formed in the 1970s by a group of teenagers who listened to what, at the time, they called “heavy rock,” since the term metal was still not as well-known in the country. Their album Stress, recorded in a 16-hour trip to Rio de Janeiro, is thought to be the first metal album ever made in Brazil.

Other scenes formed around cities like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and, mostly, Belo Horizonte, where the compilations of early metal Warfare Noise, from label Cogumelo Produções, would project to underground success thrash and death metal bands like Mutilator and Holocausto.

São Paulo group Ratos de Porão was also important in the building of an underground metal scene, thanks to their pioneering crossover thrash sound and the pull and influence that its vocalist, João Gordo, had on other musicians around him.

By the late 1980s and early 1990s, a lot of Brazilian bands had an established audience and important albums under their belt. An obvious but important example is Sepultura, which had made history with the releases of Schizophrenia and Beneath The Remains. In the following decade, they would take it up a notch with Chaos A.D. and Roots, albums that would grant them a seat amongst the biggest metal bands in the world. Their signature mixture of the death and thrash metal sound with folk and tribal indigenous music, latin genres, and samba would give them an irreplaceable appeal in the metal scene, in Brazil and internationally.

Fellow band from Belo Horizonte, Sarcófago, made a name for themselves by establishing black metal aesthetics with their release I.N.R.I. in 1987, as did Mystifier with the album Göetia in 1993. That strand of Brazilian black metal reportedly inspired musicians from the True Norwegian Black Metal scene like Euronymous from Mayhem and Fenriz from Darkthrone. Later, Sarcófago’s record The Laws oO Scourge, released in 1991, kicked off their first international tour in Europe and South America.

Another example of a group that sparked international success around this time is the power metal outfit Angra, whose leader, André Matos, is frequently remembered as one of the greatest metal vocalists of all time.

The 2000s came with lots of lineup changes to some of the most important metal groups in Brazil. After Max Cavalera had left Sepultura in 1997, his brother Igor followed him in 2006 and together they formed Cavalera Conspiracy, a project that allowed them to play Sepultura songs along with their own new ones in concert.

Angra also suffered lineup changes, with Matos leaving the band in 2000 and starting Shaman, which became a huge force in power metal. Kiko Loureiro, who remained at the forefront of Angra up until 2015 (and then performed in Megadeth from 2015-2023), would record highly celebrated solo albums like 2005’s No Gravity.

The international popularity of nu metal gave way to more metal elements showing up in mainstream records in the 2000s, like Tihuana’s Ilegal and Pitty’s Admirável Chip Novo and Anacrônico.

But the real potential of the underground was just starting to show up, mainly brought by death metal outfit Krisiun, who in the year 2000 signed a deal with the German label Century Media Records and embarked on a long tour of over 120 shows abroad.

If by the 2000s Brazilian metal was already huge, the 2010s signaled a time in which the metal underground also propelled itself internationally. The decade was marked by less obvious sounds, aesthetics and fusions emerging from scenes originally linked to other genres. 

A good example is the power trio Deaf Kids. Hailing from Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, the punk-influenced experimental metal and rock group quickly gathered international attention for their speedy, dirty sound, signing with Neurot Recordings in 2017 for the release of the full-length Metaprogramação. Grindcore duo Test also came from punk beginnings and soon started messing with more death and black metal-inclined sounds.

In the post-metal realm, the São Paulo-based outfit Labirinto formed in the 2000s inspired by the sound of bands like Neurosis, Isis and Cult of Luna. In 2016, the six-piece got themselves a record deal with German Pelagic Records and have played in important festivals with a more experimental focus, like Belgium’s dunk!festival.

And there was still space for more classic thrash and death metal at the hands of Prika Amaral, founder and lead guitarist of the band Nervosa, who made waves in the metal scene with their first release Victim Of Yourself in 2014.

In what has been defined as a golden era for Brazilian metal, the 2020s have brought even more amplification and structure to what’s already a gigantic scene, even if it remains far from the Brazilian mainstream. 

Big metal festivals in Brazil like Summer Breeze and Knotfest have had their first editions in the last few years, with bands like Slipknot, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, Kreator, and many others playing shows to huge crowds. 

Brazilian bands have also made significant tours abroad. Sepultura have sold out dates for their farewell tour in Europe and Latin America, and the group is hitting the United States later this year; the band Crypta, formed by ex-Nervosa members Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto, have gathered attention with big shows in the US and Europe.

This decade, Brazilian metal has expanded on its motto of giving way to important political and social issues. The crossover thrash outfit Black Pantera have splashed onto the scene speaking out about racism and homophobia with their release Ascensão. Papangu’s album Holoceno tells a tale of the traditional Northeastern outlaw character of the “cangaceiro” grabbing from sludge and progressive metal, and the indigenous band Arandu Arakuaa takes inspiration from folk metal to write the stories of their people in traditional languages like Tupi, Xerente, and Xavante.

Many of these new names have been establishing themselves as symbols of the plurality Brazilian metal can uphold today – and putting our country as one of the centers for heavy music around the world. With many bands and scenes appearing, and fans devoted as ever, the future of Brazilian metal looks bright (or, rather, it looks even darker).