Rebaelliun
with whole band on Sep 03, 2001
They once sold all their equipment to pay for tickets to Europe, paradise for the death metal fan. But after hearing "Annihilation" you can certainly tell that it was worth it. Oh man, my ears popped open, my neck was going up and down and my hair flew around on the many blast-beats of Rebaelliun`s well-balanced release until now. I think Rebaelliun will gain more and more respect of a big group of extreme metal fans in the future. But when a band has so much left to reach that, they deserve it. Let`s hear what this Brazilian foursome has to say about that.


First of all, tell me some more about the `legendary` story of REBAELLIUN going to Europe after the recordings of the "Promo-Tape `98". What made REBAELLIUN decide to go to Europe, and was it true that you even had to sell all your equipment?
Before REBAELLIUN we had played in another band called Blessed, from `92 to `96. When we formed REBAELLIUN in the beginning of `98, we all knew how things work for a Death Metal band in Brazil, it`s really hard to get some support over here, since the scene is not so strong as in Europe for example. And we knew also that our music was in a level compared to many other `more well known` bands, and then we decided to start our career in Europe, we thought we would have more chances over there than here.

For around 6 months we prepared some songs and the trip itself, we sold almost everything we had in Brazil, the equipment, furniture, and all the money was saved for the trip. We arrived in Belgium between November/December `98, we had just a few telephone numbers and we started to call some people to try to get a gig or at least some support. In 1 week we got our first gig, in a pub called Frontline, in Gent/Belgium, and after that gig things changed a lot for us, we received many offers to play in several different cities, as well as some offers from record labels. We stood in Europe for 3 months, and that was the beginning of this journey.

I saw that "Annihilation" also was recorded in the almost famous Stage One Studio of Andy Classen. What is it that makes this studio so special? Is it the sound, is it the producer, or the equipment?
Andy has a good structure in his studio, the equipment is really good, and he knows how to get a good sound for Metal bands. At least with REBAELLIUN the work was pretty calm, we didn`t get stressed to find our sound, and we didn`t have to rush things to finish in time. The point is that Andy has good equipment and he knows how to get a good sound with this equipment.

  Personally I think `Annihilation` has become REBAELLIUN`s best balanced release with a combination of technique and intensity. What do you think of this statement and how would you like to describe `Annihilation` yourselves?
I think you`re 100% right, "Burn the Promised Land" is a very intense album, but there are still some mistakes and several things which could be better. In "Annihilation" we were able to play everything we wanted for those songs, I mean, we improved a lot and than we became able to play different things this time. "Annihilation" is an extreme, intense and powerful album, but with good melodies and different structures in the songs.

  I noticed that the songs on "Revelation…" are more compact and recognisable then the songs on your previous releases, but on the other hand this is Vomitory`s most brutal release ever. What do you think of this contradiction, and do you agree with me?
Yes, I agree that "Revelation nausea" is the most brutal and most solid album so far, but I don`t think the style of the songs differ so very much from the ones on our previous album "Redemption". The differences are much bigger between our two first albums.

  What was the influence of the new vocalist/bass-player, Lohy Fabiano, on "Annihilation"?
We worked a lot since Lohy joined REBAELLIUN, we tried to have all the structure of the vocal lines in a way that Lohy could record them paying attention in all the details. He`s very influenced by David Vincent, who was able to sing in a clear, but still intense and powerful way.

  Is there any deeper meaning or concept behind "Annihilation", and can you tell me how I should interpret the opening phrase of the booklet?
Each one will have his own meaning for that quotation, for us it means that every day we have faced many different problems to keep going on in this path, one day is enough to quit everything but we will never surrender. About the concept of "Annihilation", all the lyrics are about the end of this empire which reigns in the Occident, the end of all these morals and dogmas that are part of this failed empire.

  How is the Brazilian scene doing nowadays? I mean, is there any contact between bands like Krisiun, Abhorrence, Ophiolatry or Mental Horror (and others of course). Are there many Death/Grind gigs to check out in the weekends, and so on?
It`s much better than a couple of years ago. We don`t have so many gigs as in Europe, but there are some good gigs around, and the fans are much more supportive as well. Last week we played a gig for more than 600 people, and that was the second time we played in that city in 3 months... Krisiun play here for 1500/2000 people... and there`s a good connection between most of the bands. I believe things are going in the right way.

  What are the band`s influences? Or are there any bands who have been a source of inspiration for REBAELLIUN?
The main influence comes from bands like Morbid Angel and Slayer, we grew up listening to albums like "Reign In Blood", "South of Heaven" and "Altars of Madness", and for sure these albums made us to choose to play fast and aggressive music.

  What can we expect from REBAELLIUN in the near future? Are you going on European tour soon or is it America`s turn first?
Nothing is fixed yet, we have received some offers to play in Europe, and we are checking with Hammerheart what`s the best option. We wanna play our first North American tour as well, but it depends on several things. But be sure we are already working on this and very soon we will have some news about this. We have around 10 shows booked in Brasil for September/October and right now this is our goal.


What do you want to achieve with REBAELLIUN in the future?
I think that REBAELLIUN will grow a lot in the scene in the future, Death Metal is a genre of music which is growing quite a lot on last years, and we believe we can be part of this new generation which is putting this style in a higher level in the Metal scene.

Is everybody in the band living in Brazil at the moment or are there any band-members that are living abroad right now?
All of us are living in Brazil, and there are no plans to live abroad on coming months.

Do you think it is hard to get some proper gigs for a Death/Grind band nowadays?
I think it depends on the level the band is. Morbid Angel is a band that is playing some great tours - beside bands such as Pantera and Slayer - and which has a good structure. At least in Brazil even the underground bands have played better gigs in every aspect, with better equipment, bigger audiences.

  Anything you would like to tell which I did not ask?
I`d like to thank you for this interview and for the support. An European tour will follow for sure, so visit www.rebaelliun.com to check out the dates soon. WWW.REBAELLIUN.COM

(Teun Jans)

© Rockezine.com Sep 03, 2001, viewed 925 times since 666
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