VIOLATOR
PEDRO 'PONEY RET' ARCANJO
Violator from Brasilía, Brazil was formed by Pedro Arcanjo, Pedro Agusto, and David Araya in 2002. Since then the band has become one of the most popular bands to arrive in this new age of thrash. They first appeared on the Fast-Food Thrash Metal split together with Tsavo, Temenon and Revival. A year later, in 2004 it was time for Violator's first EP titled Violent Mosh. The band released their first full-length in 2006 titled Chemical Assault. They released another EP in 2010 Annihilation Process. Their second full-length was released in 2013 and it is called Scenarios of Brutality.
How should one measure a bands succes when album sales are going down? If it was by followers on Facebook the band would be considered one of the most popular in the genre since the band has gathered over 250.000 followers. If we talk bands that arrived on the scene from the year 2000 and forward only Municipal Waste and Havok have more fans online than Violator. They even got more fans than old-timers Forbidden and Heathen combined. Let's not forget to mention that they have toured around South America and Europe. They have also played with Hirax in Osaka, Japan. Over to Violator's vocalist and bassist Pedro 'Poney Ret' Arcanjo.
Hey, first of all thanks for the interest, it's always a pleasure to keep in touch with people from around the world that share our passion for thrash and underground culture. Violator is a thrash metal band from Brasília, Brazil, formed in 2002. We've being playing a lot through these years, released a lot of records, but the essence is pretty much the same from the beginning: four friends that love playing fast music and believe in the DIY (Do It Yourself) underground scene as a channel to voice that production.
It's a small scene but with a lot of great people and great bands. We recently organized a concert for our comeback and it was an insane night. Almost a thousand people showed up, a lot for here. We've got a lot of interactions with hardcore/punk bands, it's a nice and peculiar thing about here. Check it out some bands from here: Subterror, DFC, Neurotoxico, Terror Revolucionário, Pesticide, Dead Zone and more!
It's more than ten years now, we are late teenagers that were really amazed by a full commitment with thrash metal. I think both the strenght and the weakness of the record come from this naivy feeling. There's some innocence in it that it's really pure, and very rare nowdays. We couldn't repeat that even if we wanted to.
Really great concerts and experiences. Later we had other opportunities to play with Destruction (in Mexico) and Malevolent (in the south of Brazil) and it's always a pleasure to see some bands that you grew up listening to. Especially if they are nice people, as it was Entombed whom with we played last week.
Yeah, at the time completely satisfied. It's an album that is a declaration of our love for thrash metal music, haha. But I think there's a more critical approch to this "Thrash Revival" than people usually take on consideration. Of course nowdays I would change some things (but that's always the case - to stop caring to improve is very close to conformity) but it's still the favorite album of people who enjoy Violator, we don't like the word "fans".
Amazing! Hirax are the best guys in the world, an unbeliveable pleasure when you meet people that were so important for your life and they are nice, and simple, and welcoming. We hate rock stars, don't see the point of still existing this culture on metal scene, and it was great to see that Hirax is on our side. And Japan was great to, we played with awesome bands (Fastkill and Rose Rose, among others) and made a lot of friends. Some years later we came back for a concert with Exciter, Abigail and others. Total thanks to our japanese precious friend Miki-MOSH Matsuo!
He is simply the best. I think Katon is an example for all of us of how to get old still passionate about life and with a simplicity and good heart. Everyone should learn with that. Since our first concert in Japan we have met a lot of times, in Mexico, and many places in Brazil. Hope we can play together soon in the future.
You have been with Kill Again Records for the whole journey. Are you happy with how they have promoted you? Totally. Kill Again is a DIY record from our city, it is actually just one guy that have a regular job during the day and cultivate this passion for the underground - just like the members of Violator. We share the same ideas about underground policy as we share the passion for metal music. You must imagine how hard it is to find a label that is not interested in money and don't see the band as a product. We know that in other terms we could be getting more promotion, but we just don't care about that.
Just say thanks to all people who enjoyed it. And thanks to our friend Nico Gomes, who directed and produced everything with one camera. I really like the result, it captures the spirit of Violator, I guess. Simplicity and anger of the world, haha.
Yeah. It was released in Brazil, Canada and Europe with beautiful versions. I love that album, man. We travel to Germany to record it and it was really really worth it.
Chemical Assault (2006)
What do you think of this thrash revival, do you consider yourselves as a part of it?
I think the thrash revival was a thing for the last decade, don't you? About 2006-2008 was the peak of it, I guess. Anyway, we have being playing thrash long before that and will be playing after, because it's something we love doing for ourselves. The way I see it there was a generation that were really fed up about the metal scence and was searching for something more honest, visceral and angry. That was the case for us when we started playing in 1999, we hated new metal and melodic power metal and we were too young and normal to be a character of black metal theater. So, even aware that there were a lot of posers (in the sense of not being honest with yourself) in this 'thrash revival' i think it helped to bring back the spontaneity, the fun, the crazyness and the sense of "be yourself" to the metal community.
You have a lot of followers on facebook, just above 250.000 people. More than classic thrash metal bands like Forbidden and Heathen combined. What do you think is the reason behind your extreme popularity?
I don't know, man. I never think about that and for me Violator is just a regular metal band with my friends.
What bands are you influenced by?
The biggest Violator influences are those really fast and intense old thrash bands. I could say Sepultura, Kreator, Dark Angel, Slayer... this kind of straight ahead thrash. As for me, I listen to all types of rock 'n' roll music. From extreme grindcore to sensitive indie guitar bands, haha.
What's your plans for the near future?
We have just come back from a pause that lasted almost a year and a half. We have two fathers in the band now, so the biggest plan is to keep playing and thrashing as we enter in a new phase of our life.
What's the highlight of your career?
What's the highlight of your career? Talking about music, Scenarios of Brutality. I'm really proud of that record. There were a lot of memorable concerts, insane things usually happens when we play. I could also say also the time we spend five months travelling through South America by bus. Or just the fact that we have been friends for so long, this friendship it's the best thing about the band.
Violator
Have you got any funny story to tell, if anything weird has happened while touring or so?
All the time. I love remember how one time we stayed in a whorehouse and become friends with the working girls. Orth time our van was attacked by men with big sticks and we had to escape through a bolivian desert 4000 feet high. Crazy. Last saturday Cambito broke his knee at the concert. There's always something, it's the price of delivering yourself with full heart.
Any last words to our readers?
Just thanks to everybody that supports Violator and supports the underground. UFT!
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