The Brazilian band NervoChaos emerged in the summer of 1996. Over the past years the band has managed to build a sort of cult status in the scene. Those years of experience in the dark side of the metal occur, NervoChaos already processed many years within their albums. Also in the seventh album Nyctophilia, which is marketed through over Cogumelo (only Brazil), Greyhaze (USA / Europe) and distributed by Plastic Head (Europe). Appears to provide this high dose 'life experience' for pearls of black metal, doom, death, thrash. That this music actually even some beyond. We had a nice chat with the band about the new album, the past and the future
Gentlemen, congratulations with the new album. What are the reactions so far?
(Edu) Thanks a lot! So far, the reactions have been awesome, both from the media and the public. It’s our 7th studio album, it has 13 tracks and over 40 minutes of music. We did 3 video clips to promote it and it’s official release is on April 7th. I think it’s the best album from our career until now.
To allow readers, who do not know you yet? How it all started? Who are NervoChaos?
(Edu) We’ve started in mid 1996 from the ashes of a band called SIEGRID INGRID. We were feed-up with all the trend flooding the scene and decided to create a band that plays extreme music and that wouldn’t be limited by any music styles or musical labels. We’ve released 3 demo-tapes, 8 albums (7 studio albums + 1 live album), 1 split 10” and 4 DVDs. We had several line-up changes along the way and our actual line-up has Lauro ‘Nightrealm’ on vocal/guitar, Cherry on guitar, Thiago ‘Anduscias’ on bass and myself, Edu, on drums. I’m the only remaining original members in the band. We’re an extreme band fueled with 80s blackened extreme music influenced by old school Thrash/Death/Black Metal and some HC/Punk feeling added to it. We’re not afraid of performing live or touring and we’ve shared the stage with acts such as VENOM, VENOM INC, CANNIBAL CORPSE, DISMEMBER, NAPALM DEATH, KREATOR, D.R.I., AGNOSTIC FRONT, EXTREME NOISE TERROR, MAYHEM, CARCASS, GORGASM, KRISIUN, VITAL REMAINS, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, INCANTATION, PENTAGRAM CHILE, BIOHAZARD, VADER, MASTER, HEADHUNTER DC, ABSU, MONSTROSITY, THE EXPLOITED, RAGNAROK and many more to list.
Where does the name NervoChaos actually coming from?
(Edu) We wanted a name that could relate with our music and the city where we come from. We wanted something strong, different and that could mix English and Portuguese languages. So, NERVO is in Portuguese and it means NERVE and CHAOS which is an English word….we decide to combine both words together and that’s how we came up with the actual name.
You are from Brazil. Is there something like a "black metal scene 'in your country? Or a metal scene?
(Edu) Yes, I’m Brazilian. Yes, we do have a METAL scene since the early 80s and also we do have a Black Metal scene or a Death Metal scene or a Thrash Metal scene and so on. Brazil had rightwing military dictatorship for 30 years and by early 1985 that regime was over. So our ‘boom’ really happened in early 1985 with the end of that regime, followed by the first edition of Rock In Rio Festival, which brought METAL (Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Ozzy, Whitesnake, Scorpions,…) definitively to Brazil. For example, look at VULCANO, they’re from 1981 and we consider them the pioneers of the extreme music scene in Brazil, some even say they’re also the pioneers of the Black Metal style. The most well-known Brazilian band, SEPULTURA, is only from 1984… or check bands like KORZUS from 1983, or DORSAL ATLANTICA from 1981, RATOS DE PORAO from 1981 and so on….back then it was extremely hard in all ways, but despite all difficulties, lots of killer and pioneer acts were born and raised from Brazil. Over the years, just like a snowball, it all grew insanely. Nowadays Brazil has an extremely rich scene, with very strong new and old bands, from all different genres in the extreme music scene.
The band was formed in 1996. You have seen change the music, but I have the impression "those guys still doing the same thing then 20 years ago"? Not that this is a bad thing, I could be wrong though. Or is there an evolution in your music, which has eluded me?
(Edu) Your point of view is almost correct…in my opinion, we still true to our roots and faithful to our initial proposal, but we did evolve as a band and consequently in our music too. We’re on an endless search for our own sounding, our trademark music-wise. We do have lots of influences but we’re never trying to copy or clone any band…we try to have our own sounding and I think we’re getting closer to that. So, you can hear our earlier stuff and our newer stuff and still relate it to us….there’s that feeling of doing the same thing since the beginning but on the other hand, each album is different from each other, there’s clearly an evolution and we always try to overcome our previous releases with each new album but never loosing our identity.
I'm a fan of bands that you can't 'label'. This is also your case. What music prevails? I hear doom, also black but also death metal back.
(Edu) We only do what we like, what feels right for us and we never think about fitting on any particular genre…we don’t want to limit ourselves when creating our music. Each one of us has a different background and each one of us brings their own influences and ideas. We choose together whatever feels right and good for us. We prefere to call ourselves an extreme music band because of that. We blend so many different styles in our music. One can hear influences from Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, HC/Punk,…I’m glad that you’re a fan of bands that you can’t label, just like us. We do it for passion and not fashion. We see it as art and not as competition. So, the good true music should prevail always, it doesn’t matter if you can or can not label it.
True!! Especially so that mix between dark music, pulled me over. Why the pure darkness? Why not even power metal?
(Edu) We do extreme music. We live in a extreme era, in a 3rd world country, so our day-by-day, is also extreme. In our music, we want to talk about our believes, our vision of the reality and the world. We do see a lot of darkness out there. I also think it fits the style of our music and it’s a strong tool to communicate and bound with the extreme generation out there. We pass along our believe and our experiences and sometimes we also hear different interpretations to our lyrics from the fans which is amazing and makes it so special.
Between all that 'darkness'. What are you personal views on Satanism and Occultism?
(Edu) Satanism is not easy to define…there are several divisions of Satanism. In contrast to Christians, Satanists themselves disagree on their very fundamental principles. Christians may differ in opinion or conviction about interpretation of certain Bible passages, but they believe the same foundational principle that Jesus is God’s son who “paid the price” for our sins by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Satanists argue among themselves whether Satan even exists and whether they are worshiping him or themselves. There is a plethora of ideologies within Satanism. Some of Satanism's practices are constant, and Satanists’ unity is found more in rituals than in an underlying belief system. Terms like “Satanism”, "Satanic" and even the name "Satan" encompass a variety of ideological, philosophical and spiritual beliefs today. Satanic groups can be quite different from one another but use the same terminology. There are different ways to classify Satanic groups according to how each group believes and behaves. Not every group performs Satanic rituals, participates in Satanic worship, reads the “The Satanic Bible”, uses traditional Satanic symbols or attends "The Church of Satan”. Not every form of Satanism professes a belief in Gods or Spirits. While some forms of Satanism believe in spiritual entities others have a materialistic world view and in relation to faith and religion, they are atheists or agnostics. Satanic spiritualists on the other hand, contend that Satan is a God or a chief evil spirit and they pursue interaction with him and other evil spirits. In contrast, those Satanists who are professed atheists and agnostics see Satanism as a philosophical world view manifesting in a particular lifestyle often characterized by questioning authority. Satanic groups include a wide range of adherents. Some Satanists are teenagers who are dabbling in self-proclaimed diabolical groups and covens. These young people practice Satanism recreationally and their activities often include fantasy role-playing games, Heavy Metal music with satanic lyrics and drug use. Other Satanists belong to groups whose purpose is less recreational. This type of Satanic order is often esoteric and regularly practices occult rituals. Satanic organizations have different purposes. Some are public, while others are private. There are, however, private groups as well, which largely operate in secret.
Occultism is the study of occult practices, including (but not limited to) magic, alchemy, extra-sensory perception, astrology, spiritualism, religion and divination. Interpretation of occultism and its concepts can be found in the belief structures of philosophies and religions such as Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Kabbalah, Tarot, Theosophy, Thelma and Modern Paganism. It’s a strong desire to reconcile the findings of modern natural science with a religious view that could restore man to a position of centrality and dignity in the universe. By the eighteenth century these unorthodox religious and philosophical concerns were well-defined as 'occult', in as much as they lay on the outermost fringe of accepted forms of knowledge and discourse. They were, however, preserved by antiquarians and mystics. Occult science is the systematic research into or formulation of occult concepts in a manner that resembles the way natural science researches or describes phenomena.
Also METAL music has often been connected with Occultism and with Satanism, in part for the lyrical content of several bands and their frequent use of imagery often tied to left hand path beliefs. More often than not musicians associating themselves with METAL say they do not believe in legitimate Satanic ideology and often profess to being atheists, agnostics, or religious skeptics. Most of Black Metal's "first wave" bands only used Satanism for shock value, but other bands like MERCYFUL FATE, DEICIDE, DISSECTION, MAYHEM, GORGOROTH and others, have also identified themselves as Satanists and actively promoted their beliefs.
In my personal view, Satanism, Occultism and METAL music are related from the core. I believe in the need of taking charge of our own business and making things our own way. An occult musical theory.
Do you agree that it is difficult to a very wide audience in what you doing? It's not 'mainstream' music or music for a big audience. Not that I has a problem with that. Or is that not the intention?
(Edu) I totally agree with you. Extreme music is not for everyone, so I think it will never be ‘mainstream’. I believe is meant to be that way and that’s why we do it, because we love it, for the passion of it and not for anything else. It’s a very idealistic and extreme scene that is getting more and more recognition, but will never be ‘mainstream’.
Let us talk about the future. I have read. Just recently you toured in Europe with Venom Inc. followed by another European tour with Gorgasm. What can you tell me about them? Where can your fans find you in 2017?
(Edu) Last year we did 3 tours in Europe. One with INCANTATION, one with VENOM INC (plus VITAL REMAINS, MORTUARY DRAPE and DESECREATOR) and another with GORGASM (plus RECTAL SMEGMA and PIGHEAD). All tours were excellent! We were lucky enough to tour with such legendary acts and do some awesome tours! We fell so honored to share the stage and become friends with amazing people…many of them inspired us to start playing and still true METAL warriors. I would never dreamed of touring with Abbadon and Mantas for example…it’s such an unique feeling that I can’t even describe it on words. For 2017, we already started touring and we pretend to go on full speed ahead until late 2018. Recently we did a 15 dates Latin American Tour with KRISIUN and the same package will be touring Asia in May. We also have a huge Brazilian Tour scheduled for June, July and August and we’re planning to tour Europe during September, October and hopefully part of November too.
Next to the near Future. Is there a 'goal'? In other words. The band still distant plans, many bands go after twenty years to rest on their laurels. I hope you guys keep going. What is your final ambition?
(Edu) As long as I’m healthy this band will keep on touring and releasing albums. There are always new goals for the future and the flame keeps on burning high over our camp. This is our lives and we’ll rest when we’re dead.
Are there any 'non musical' interest you like to share with us?
(Edu) For sure there are many. Speaking for myself, besides music, I’m into tattoos, world history, weed smoking, occult arts, movies, barbecues, traveling and spending some quality time with my friends and family.
Finally, do you have any final words do our readers?
(Edu) Thanks a lot for your support, without you guys we’re nothing. For those of you who don’t know about us, check us out at www.nervochaos.net. Listen to our new album “Nyctophilia”!
Thanks for this nice interview. Hope to see you guys soon in Belgium, on any Stage. And drink a couple of beers together.
(Edu) Thanks a lot for your support and for such an interesting interview. For sure we must have a beer (or 10) together as soon as possible. We hope to see you guys in Belgium soon. Stay fuckin’ sick and keep it fuckin’ METAL! See you on tour!
