Dreams of Consciousness: Please introduce Grave Desecrator - who are you, where are you from, and how would you describe the music you make?
Hi Adrian! I'm Rafael Guimarães, but I'm known in Grave Desecrator as "Butcherazor". I'm from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And I make music for the Devil!
DoC: Tell me about the genesis of Grave Desecrator - what brought you together, and what were your goals at the time? Have you accomplished those goals - why or why not?
When we started in 1998 we just wanted to drink a lot and play what we liked. At that time most of the bands here wanted to sound like Europeans, with excessive keyboards and all that shit. We wanted to rescue the rawness of Brazilian Extreme Metal. I think we made it. And the "European cocksuckers" and their keyboards are gone. Good!
DoC: The first Grave Desecrator album I heard was Insult back in 2010. How do you look back on that album? How well do you think it represents the band now?
I like this album. I tried to do something rougher than Sign Of Doom [the first Grave Desecrator album]. Today I don't like that mixing very much but there are great songs on there. From the beginning the idea is the same: Try to create the most violent and diabolical atmosphere possible.
DoC: Your band is based in Brazil, which is the home of many legendary death, thrash, and black metal bands. Do you feel there is a style associated with Brazilian bands, and would you say Grave Desecrator plays in that style? Do you feel a responsibility to represent your country or the Brazilian metal scene in any way?
Yes of course. Brazil has a very unique style of Extreme Metal. It's like Death Metal in Sweden or Black Metal in Norway. Some bands from Brazil try other ways, other bands just copy old bands, and that's not a problem. But my intention is to evolve within the Brazilian style bringing new ideas and textures and without losing the South American rancid.
DoC: How does a Grave Desecrator song start? Does the band have a primary songwriter, or does everyone contribute to the songs?
Before any note I think about what I want, the concept I want to approach, how I want the riffs sounds, etc. I think this is extremely important that our albums don't sound repetitive. Since Insult I shared [writing] the compositions with another guitarist, but he is no longer in the band, and the next compositions I will do alone again like in the past. I'm excited for this.
DoC: You just released your fourth album, Immundissime Spiritus. What were your intentions for this release? How would you compare this album to previous Grave Desecrator albums?
As I said before, try to sound as violent and diabolical as possible. That's always the idea. I consider Immundissime Spiritus our best work. This album has great different ideas and for me it has a horrendous atmosphere.
DoC: Where/when did the recording of this album take place?
This time we recorded in different places. Only the drums were entirely recorded in a studio. The guitars and vocals we recorded at our homes and we did some adjustments in the studio. We work in an excellent studio called Tellus Studio in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. The recording process started in October last year and lasted until the beginning of 2023.
DoC: You recorded a cover of GG Allin's "Fuck The Dead". Why did you choose to cover this song? How much of an influence is punk rock on Grave Desecrator, musically or otherwise?
I wanted to try something different and try to bring it into our style. I like GG Allin a lot and this song always sounded perfect for my ideas. And the influence of punk in extreme bands is undeniable. Motörhead, Venom and Sarcófago all drank from this source.
DoC: You are self-releasing this album, and partnering with labels from around the world to handle physical releases and distribution. Why did you choose to release the album this way?
To have full control over our art and receive some fair money. For bands with no support like us, it's very common to receive from a label just a few copies of our album and a little money from royalties. Meanwhile, the labels generates significant profits on our work. So if we don't have a good contract, I prefer to do it this way.
DoC: What's next for Grave Desecrator?
Our mission now is to spread Immundissime Spiritus all over the world and do as many concerts as possible.
If you want a copy of this damn album in Europe, Asia or North America, contact From Deepest Records.
If you are in Latin America, the labels are Black Hearts Records (Brazil), Misanthropic Records (Brazil), Xaninho Discos (Brazil), Tanatofobia Productions (Colombia), Goat Eyaculation (Peru) and Morbid Ways To Die Records (Chile).
Follow us on our social media for news and shows dates.
Thank you very much!
Grave Desecrator on Facebook
Grave Desecrator on IG
Grave Desecrator on Bandcamp
Grave Desecrator on Youtube
Bestial Devastation:
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