Hanna Tsepesh: Hello Ricardo and Rui! Thank
you so much for accepting this interview and welcome to THE GATES OF METAL!
First of all: how are you and how are the things doing with the concerts?
First of all: how are you and how are the things doing with the concerts?
Rui:
Hey, Hannah. Thanks a lot for this
opportunity for us to spread our project! We’re good, life’s been just as good as it has been chaotic for the last
couple of months, with the album’s release and our personal lives (work, studies, etc) being blended at
the same time... but it’s been awesome. Life should always be like this: busy yet fulfilling!
The gigs have been great, we’ve been
playing every weekend, sometimes on consecutive days. It might seem like a small feat, but you remind to
keep in mind that we’re still on the Portuguese underground. We’re not complaining, we like to rise from
below... We met lots of new and interesting people and places, made friends... still, we want
more!
Ricardo:
Hi Hanna. Thank you very much for the
invitation, it’s really great to have the
opportunity to talk about our project in
your blog after so many great bands have
done it, we feel honored.
It has been quite a stimulating month, with
plenty of hard work but loads of fun as
well. We’ve been playing every weekend and
it’s been great. As with most bands what
we want to do is play live and fortunately
enough that’s been happening regularly. It’s
been a positive month for Terror Empire.
Hanna Tsepesh: you guys are very welcome,
thank you for accepting my invitation! For those who do not know
the band, could tell us a little bit about how it all started
and the present line up? You and Ricardo
Started in Against (band) and the band played new metal? Is this true?
Rui:
Let me “grab the bull by the horns”... you
mean nu-metal, right? The answer is yes, I suppose. When you’re 19, and the only
drummer available is a friend of yours who is basically more of a rock drummer than your typical
thrash-metal drummer, you have to know how to play with the hand you’re given. Ricardo was screaming his lungs out while
me and Puga (our bassist, who was also in the band) we’re pushing riffs after riffs with
a Dropped-C tuning... If anything, we belonged to the early Slipknot/SOAD type of metal, the more
aggressive one. It was 2001, on the peak of nu-metal, so it’s easy to be mixed or
confused with that type of sound. The live shows were awesome, too! I had really long hair (so
had Ricardo) and I headbanged from start to finish! I didn’t care, for I was playing and creating
music with my friends, and I had a blast! It was an honest effort and the only thing I feel bad
about it is the fact that we didn’t record any of it.
But it could always be worse. I could tell
you I had Katy Perry on my iPod... which I do! Hahaha!
Who cares? I mean, I hate it when people
take themselves too serious. Anyway, we disbanded in 2002, and by the time we reunited in
2007, the sound was way more Machine Head-like.
Again, it’s a pity we didn’t get to record
any of it. Sometimes I still find myself humming some of it...
Ricardo:
(laugh) those were the days, we had
nothing to worry about. Yes, we started as
Against, four friends who played
nu-metal. I just wanted to scream my lungs off, bang
my head and be able to share those moments
with my friends. That’s what life is all
about! Then there was a hiatus, but we got
together again later and started to play heavier
stuff, as Rui said, a more Machine
Head-oriented kind of sound. Pity we didn’t end up
recording any of it.
In 2009, Rui, Puga (bass player that was
also in Against) and me invited Gonçalo
Marques (drums) and Sérgio Alves (lead
guitar), formed Terror Empire and started to
play the sound we’re really into, the sound
that makes us want to keep going.
Hanna Tsepesh: the name of the band has an
interesting reason. Can you tell our readers what the
inspirations for the TERROR EMPIRE name?
and why the band decided to put this name…
Ricardo:
The name has its origin in the way we see
the world today. The way the leaders of the
world and the major nations enslave all the
other ones. The way people are led to live
in a permanent state of fear… of terror.
For instance, there’s still too much to explain
about 9/11, there are lots of things about
that tragic event that doesn’t seem logic. All
politicians do since that event is to
instill fear in people, whether it is fear of war, fear
of terrorism, fear of the economic state of
things… FEAR. People are subdued by this
ubiquitous terror, thus becoming easier to
tame by the obscure interests that rule the
world.
Hanna Tsepesh: What are your favorite
bands? Do you have any musician that you admire?
Rui:
Easy one! The bands I kept collecting as
“favorites” since I was a teen are still my fave nowadays:
Sepultura, Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth,
Death, Machine Head, Exodus. I also dig Slayer, despite their terrible solos... haha. There’s lots of
stuff I dig nowadays, too, but these are my classic choices... As for musicians, Dave Mustaine, Chuck Schuldiner,
James Hetfield, Gary Holt and Dimebag Darrel. Outside of the metal spectrum, I love The Beatles,
Bob Marley and, as weird as it might sound, I used to love Michael Jackson when I was 8 or 9. That’s
my most brutal choice... as a musician, of course! Still, among other things, the man knew how to write and
perform excellent music.
Ricardo:
Well, the first that come to mind are
Sepultura, Pantera and Slayer… and also Machine
Head. But that’s really hard to answer, as
there are so many bands that I’m really fond
of. I can name Sepultura as a really,
really strong influence, they really got me with
their music. I also have to mention RAMP,
as well. I remember the first song I listened
to was ‘Last Child’… I got really into it
and then I ended up watching them live when I
was 12. My first gig ever! The musicians that influenced me are many
and from different genres, from Kurt Cobain to Max Cavalera, Phil Anselmo and
Tom Waits.
Hanna Tsepesh: I would like to know if did
you had or have any guttural technique lessons? I really liked a lot your work in this album! We can feel
in the album your emotions…like some people say: “you sing with the soul” and I will finish that with
the…” and anger” (laughs)
Ricardo:
(laugh) Thanks for the compliment. It’s my
way of screaming – with blood, sweat and
tears. All that! Haha. It is quite
therapeutic, I recommend it to all. Haha!
I think I got to that point due to all the
guys in the band, really. We work hard and give
everything we have. Over the years, we
pushed ourselves in a way as to make the best
of each one come out.
But I never took singing lessons nor
trained screaming techniques. I used to try and
sing the songs I liked when I was a kid
without getting my throat sore, that’s basically
how I started and got to the point I am
today.
Hanna Tsepesh: you play guitar. why you
decide to pick this instrument? Which brand do you like the most and why?
Rui:
When my cousin Claudio, who used to live in
Lisbon came to spend the summer with me (this must
have been 1992 or 1993, when I was twelve,
living in the peripheral Lousã, central Portugal, where
I still live), he brought two things that
blew my mind away, and that would change my life forever:
an “Arise” tape, from Sepultura, and his
guitar. He also had long hair, which I copied right away! Friggin’ hair always takes too long to grow, when
you’re a kid and want to be a poseur! I immediately bought the Chaos AD compact disc thinking it was
Arise. It changed my whole life. However, I only grabbed the guitar when I was 16, because Puga, our
bassist said he was gonna learn the instrument. I felt envious, and decided that I wouldn’t be
out-poseured! I spent the whole summer learning the guitar with Claudio, who eventually moved to “rural”
Lousã. We played Metallica side by side with acoustic guitars.
I still think it’s the best way to start
learning the 6 strings...
As for the brand, since I’m a huge Megadeth
fan, I felt in love with Mustaine’s Jacksons. The Jackson King V was something I wanted so damn
much... I even had dreams about it. My father soon realized the less-than-stellar Ibanez I had wasn’t gonna
cut it, so he eventually gave in. But it wasn’t easy to get my hands on one! This is was in the
pre-widely-spread-internet era, 1999, and we didn’t know what would be on stock or not. We went to Oporto,
northern Portugal, and zit. No Jacksons on sight. There was a Gibson Flying V lying around, but I said
no. My dad said he would give me the Gibson I wanted, for it was the brand he knew the best, since his
teenage years, from listening to BB King. We eventually drove to Lisbon, and bought my faithful King V 1,
Dave Mustaine signature model (fuck yeah!!) in December 1999. I remember as if it happened
yesterday. As soon as I arrived to the store, that was a Korina-finished (wood like, no color) King V on
the wall, and I remember thinking it wasn’t the coolest color ever, but what the hell. I wasn’t gonna
risk a change of my dad’s mood! I asked if he was sure he wanted to give me the guitar, and he said yes.
Don’t think I’m spoiled, it was the only guitar I used for 12 years, it was a great investment. I have its
serial number tattooed on my right shoulder. I still use it every once in a while, but I don’t want it to get
damaged, so I recently bought a Jackson RR24. It’s black and red, it’s metal, and I love it! It also has a Floyd
Rose, which the King V has not, so I’m always making divebombs!
Total satisfaction. Jackson is the ultimate
guitar for thrash-metal!
Hanna Tsepesh: Let’s talk more about the
“face the terror” album. What people can find in this album? This album reminds me a lot of the old
thrash metal… liked a lot! Congratulations to the entire band…long time I had’t listened to such a great
album.
Ricardo:
Thanks, Hanna. It’s really great to get
that kind of feedback regarding our work. I hope
that people see in ‘Face the Terror’ a
powerful and dynamic thrash metal album, full of
energy with some strokes of a more
modern-based sound.
Rui:
Thanks for the compliments! It’s very
fulfilling to get positive feedback. People can expect a thrash
album with a modern flavor to it. It’s got
speed, lots of riffs and solos, aggressive solos and furious
drumming. We added some groove, breakdowns
and odd-time signatures to make it sound modern and not like it’s an album that has been done
before by thousands of bands. We use these elements with moderation, though. We want to sound like a
thrash-metal band at its core, and I think we’ve managed to pull that out, if you say so in your
question!
Hanna Tsepesh: At the recording studio, did
you guys face any difficulties? If yes, tell us which and how did it affect the whole process? How
was it to work with Miguel Seco? Did you guys learned something from him?
Ricardo:
Miguel Seco was the perfect addition to our
sound. He made the album sound exactly like we wanted to, and made us feel safe in
a way that the only thing we had to do was getting there and play the songs. The hard
task of producing was on Rui’s back. (laugh)
But really, Miguel is a sound genius. He
has worked with major figures in music, in many different genres. The least positive
thing about the recording process was the fact that he isn’t always in Portugal, as
he works between his homeland and England –half a month in one country, half a month
in the other.
Above everything, he is a great friend!
Rui:
Even though he could’ve been the producer
for the album, for he has the skills for it, he worked more as the sound engineer during the whole
process. The pre-production had already been home-made, and the songs were already written and tested
as a recorded product, so there were very little changes to make. Miguel is just as patient as he is
competent, and I say this in a good way. We felt like we were in very good hands, by working with him at GMP
Recording Studios, in Arganil (great studios, by the way).
He’s worked with pop, rock and metal
legends, but you wouldn’t know that from his mouth, because he never brags about it - it’s his job, and
he’s super-professional about it.
The only downside is that he has to spend
half of every month in Birmingham, working at a local studio, and we took ages to complete our recording
process - we started in December and only wrapped the record in June, days before its release! If
I had to keep a positive take on this downside, I’d say it gave us more time to prepare the release show and
the artwork and packaging. Things don’t happen by chance!
Hanna Tsepesh: How has the response been to
the album by media?
Rui:
So far, so good! The lowest review we
had was a 7.5 out of 10, and we’ve just scored a perfect 10
by a guy who wrote a pretty solid review
(if I’m allowed to review his review... haha), so I felt very proud when I read it. One could say he doesn’t
care by reviews, but the thing is: if you’re reading them, you care. Afterwards, you can always put on a
high perspective, but very emotional review (so you keep your feet on the ground), or a biased
opinion disguised as a review (so you won’t feel frustrated out of someone else’s frustration). Regardless of
the score, I care for reviews that respect the artist. But people tend to confuse “critique” with “opinion”,
so much... at the end of the day, you should trust your work, when you put it out there for the world to
listen to.
Hanna Tsepesh: Which is your favorite song
from this album and why?
Ricardo:
Just one?! That’s unfair. It’s like asking
a father to pick his favorite son! (laugh)
But no, I’ll choose Redemptive Punishment,
as a whole, and Last Fire because it’s fun
to sing.
Rui:
It’s hard to pick one, out of six
songs that apparently sound so alike, but in reality are so different
from each other. Right now, it’s Dirty
Bomb. It goes so many places without losing coherence... plus, it features my own solo I like the most. Sorry
if I sound like an ass because I like something I wrote, but I’m really proud of it!
Hanna Tsepesh: your entire album is free
for download. Why? You guys don’t have any more cd’s or something? Also, can you tell us the link?
Rui:
Initially, the plan was to go 100% digital.
Give the album for free, put our name out there. We knew
the album would eventually be stolen, so
why pretend it wouldn’t? At least, we’d get to control the
number of downloads (well, not anymore...
even though it’s free, it’s already available at strange Russian blogs and such!). In the meantime, during
the build-up for the album release, we had lots of people saying they’d love to have the physical
copy of the record, so we thought we’d be fools not to grab the opportunity to gather money to fund our
next record, a van or other stuff the band would eventually need! Plus, we decided to help a local
association, Louzanimales, that takes care of misfortuned cats and dogs: for every copy we sell (for 7,5€
- send email to band@terrorempire.net),
fifty cents will be donated to Louzanimales.
Hanna Tsepesh: for the future, what are the
band plains? Record label? Are you guys thinking about a 2nd album or something?
Ricardo:
Well, our plans are to make ours a more
solid project, to grow steadily, to take one step
at a time, in a consistent and solid
manner. I don’t see the labels as the Boogeyman,
nothing like that. We’ll try to look for a
deal that’s favorable for both parts. We don’t
want be on the wrong end of a deal, but we
also don’t want it to happen for the label it has to be a 2-
way process.
We are already thinking about our next
release, but first, as I said, we have to spread
our word regarding ‘FtT’, to get our music
to more people.
Rui:
I’m already thinking about the
direction to take on the second record, but we should milk this one
while people won’t grow tired from it! We
need to grow consistently, and this means playing lots of
shows, going everywhere, meeting the right
people, etc. I wouldn’t mind a record deal with a label if it was fair for both parts. I think we’re need
of professional booking, so we can grab bigger shows and let the heavy metal music industry that the
Terror Empire is rising are thirsty for more...
Hanna Tsepesh: Do you want to send any
messages to the people who are going to read this interview?
Rui:
Yeah. Thanks for reading the interview
and this website. Support the supporters! Without them,
there would be no scene! As for the rest,
download our album (everybody likes free stuff, right?), like
our Facebook page, and tell your friends
and enemies about us! Come to our shows if we ever drop by the city you live in!
Ricardo:
Of course! Thank you for taking the time to
read our interview. I wish all the best to each and every one of you. Download our
album, visit our Facebook page, go to our gigs and join our family.
Hanna Tsepesh: Thank you very much for this
interview. I wish the entire band big success with this album and maybe an European tour…who knows!
Ricardo:
Thank you, Hanna, for the opportunity. I
wish all the best and see you soon.
Rui:
Thanks a lot for this opportunity,
Hanna! Hope to see you soon. I’ll buy you a beer or three!
Hanna Tsepesh: you guys are very welcome!
Thanks a lot! Rui, I will make you pay that promise…(Laughs). Good luck!!!
By: Hanna Tsepesh
TERROR EMPIRE links:
Download the album:
