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Hello how are you doing this week? Please introduce yourself to the readers?
Hi there! Leon
Manssur "Necromaniac" here, from Apokalyptic Raids, Brazil, hellhammering
for 20+ years now.
I
believe all of the members in Apokalyptic Raids have been active in the
underground scene since the early 90's. How do you feel it has changed over
the years?
I was at Kiss at
Maracanã 1983, in Rock in Rio 1985. That was mark zero for me. The other
 members
and ex-members are younger, and have been active since the 90s. Exception
for our first
drummer, he was older than me.
Did you ever do much tape-trading back in the early days? What were some of
the early demo's you acquired?
Yes! I traded tapes
with Metalion from Slayer Mag and with some other guys from Brazil and
outside. I had started a fanzine called Mosh. Mosh has returned some years
ago and did some nice color printed mags. I got demos from all over. Some
have left deep impressions on me like
Devastation
(Chicago), Sindrome, Massacre, Death...
Were you a big reader of fanzines back in the early days of the band? If
yes, what were some of your favorite fanzines that you read? Are their any
current fanzines in today's scene that you enjoy reading?
Not a lot of fanzines
and magazines reached Brazil back then. Maybe some mainstream mags. So rare
and so expensive that people used to sell loose pages of those mags. I got
Slayer, Cut-Throat, Blackthorn, just to name the english language ones. Of
course there always was Snake Pit and Metalica from Argentina... There was a
lot in portuguese, like Acclamatur, Metal Cross (really old!), Necronomicon,
Metal Conspiracy, and some from São Paulo... Still today with Headbangers,
Metal Age, Morbid Tales, Sepulchral Voice, Proselytism, just to cite a few
on my desk from recent years... Of course I have a couple of issues of
Canadian Assault (Good man!! - Dale).
What do you feel makes a good fanzine and are you a reader of any of the
newer web-zines?
Things have changed a
lot today. Back then, zines were the only way of spreading stuff. Today we
have metal archives and everything is there. You can find an interview with
a band you like on google. You can find tons of unasked for opinions on
social media. So what is left for the press? I believe articles should be
really small. Like "Hey, hear this!", and stuff like that. (Of course I have
an issue of Legacy magazine that contradicts that idea hahahaha) So aside
from Mosh which has a life of its own now, I also helped writing a small cut
n paste 4-page zine called União Headbanger, same name as our local group.
There we include some stuff we think it would worth be put to paper, like
memorable events, bands that deserve a listen, old memories, tour
impressions, etc. Sorry, portuguese only. Few people in Brazil speak English
like in Italy sometimes... So English zines are harder to come across here.
What were some of the first concerts you witnessed and who are some of your
favorite bands that you got to see live?
Kiss 1983, then Rock
in Rio in 1985, and by then I was 13 so I got into the underground. I saw
Taurus at the end of 1985 and then our weekly club, Caverna II presented all
those from that generation, Dorsal Atlantica, Sarcofago, etc.. In 1986 there
was Venom! Then some international names started to include South America on
their tours.
Apokalyptic Raids was started back in 1998 when did you first get the idea
to start this band? Who would you say are the bands biggest influences and
have they remained the same over the decade's?
As soon as I knew
Hellhammer and Celtic Frost in 1985, I got extremely disappointed when I
realized they ended Hellhammer to form a watered down (although still good)
version of it. My disappointment was greater later when they did Into the
Pandemonium (You and me both brother! - Dale). So, since 1985, I wanted to
play like Hellhammer. I was a Venom maniac, and I thought bands like
Hellhammer, Bathory, Onslaught on 1st album, Sodom, Vulcano have took the
concept of Venom and took it to the ultimate consequences. Since then, it
was my one and only obsession in music. Of course I like Heavy Metal like
Manowar and Running Wild, and it shows marginally in Apokalyptic Raids. It
took so many years to find out how to do it and the correct people. I tried
to find 2 guys exactly like me, but that would be impossible. I composed
some bad songs, while Death were doing wonderful demos for instance. Then,
in the late 90s, in my late 20s, I was mature enough to start Apokalyptic
Raids, compile my old riffs, and find the right musicians...
The Pentagram is the bands newest full-length, which was originally released
in Brazil through Hell Music back in 2018. But will be re-released through
Hells Headbanger's Rec. when did you and the band first come in contact with
Hells Headbanger's?
We did other
rereleases on HHB before, our 1st and 3rd albums. So when we were finishing
The Pentagram, I got in touch with them, and we reached an agreement quite
fast. The label became huge and there is a long line of releases. So I did a
brazilian CD pressing for the local release dates in 2018, and now in 2019
they are releasing it worldwide on LP, CD, tape.
Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member
usually write everything? How long would you say it takes to complete one
song?
Normally I write all
lyrics and 70 - 90% of the music. Vinicius Hellpreacher, our bass player
writes a couple of songs on every album, and he has matured into a fine
composer over the years, he got into the band's style. We take sometimes 10
years to complete a song. I write and record lots of ideas and they can sit
there for years before being finished. Sometimes songs come in at once, but
it is not often. So we use this "riff bank" to match things and think about
all the hooks a song should have. And then we include all the dates in the
albums, so you can get a picture of how long did that song take to mature.
What have been some of the bands most memorable shows over the years? Who
are some of your favorite bands that you have had the pleasure to share the
stage with?
Oh, that is killing
me. So many good shows and good bands to choose... So many friends and so
many great audiences. Of course the shows in Europe have superior sound and
equipment in general. Tours are always great. We have shred the stage most
frequently with Whipstriker and Farscape. The shows in Berlin were so great
and so full of people... But I remember and keep pictures of every one, and
I try to document all in our albums.
Are their any tours or shows planned in support of the new release The
Pentagram? If yes, where will the band be playing and who are some bands you
will be sharing the stage with?
Not yet. We did some
one-off shows in 1st half of 2019, covering Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Porto
Alegre, Rio, Cascavel. Maybe in 2020 we will have a tour, that depends on
everyone's work schedule.
Apokalyptic Raids comes out of the legendary Brazilian metal scene what is
your opinion of the scene over the decades?
Well, I like a lot of
bands from up to 1988, but not a lot after that. But that's worldwide. After
1996 or 1998 we got a revival of Metal so there are many good works although
they are limited and not a mass thing like back in 1984 or 1985… I liked a
lot the Vulcano comeback, it is an exception worldwide. There are some very
good newer bands today in Brazil, others not so good.
Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of Brazil and are there any
new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?
Vulcano, Sarcofago,
Dorsal Atlântica... About new bands, check out Velho, Tyranno, and many
others, there's new stuff coming out everyday.
Are there any honest and reliable labels or distro's you could recommend to
the readers?
With sales dropping
and dropping, sadly labels are disappearing. Aside from the bigger ones, and
aside from my own Hell Music, I could cite Mutilation, doing a very good
work for 20+ years now.
What does underground metal mean to you?
It is the riff. It's
all about the riff, and the network you gather. Go get yourself a road, meet
friends, find great tunes, think for yourself. Life is short so stay well as
much as you can.
Besides working in Apokalyptic Raids do you or any of the members currently
play with any other bands or projects? If yes, please tell the readers a
little about them?
I have enough work
with Apokalyptic Raids, and a cover project. Hellpreacher, our bass player,
sings on Atomic Roar, a band you should check out. They have 3 albums out
and a crazy personality. Great work! Skullkrusher our drummer plays on
Farscape, Whipstriker and some other bands + he is a drums teacher. We have
a live member drummer Hugo Golon that plays
some shows when Skullkrusher is busy. Hugo sings in Cemitério and plays in
some 10+ bands! Atomic Roar, Comando Nuclear, Flagelador, Diabolic Force,
Heritage, are some of his most active bands. You will find some of the bands
I'm citing on Hell Music's bandcamp.
When you need to take a break from working on new music or band business
what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
We have started a
cover project, Morbid Tales tribute band. We play only Hellhammer and early
Celtic Frost songs hahaha So it is more of the same after all hahahaha
Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any
final comments for the readers?
Thank you! An honor
to appear in your pages! Thanks to all for your support! It's beeen 20
amazing years of Deathdoom Noize!!! Please check out our latest stuff on
www.apokalypticraids.com and
links therein.
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