Regular visitors of this website know that we publish the latest videos from preferably new and unexplored female fronted metal bands. And so it happened that we ran into the video for “Hawthorn’s Whispers” by Brazilian death metal band ADVERSE that was founded only a year ago. And by-Thor, did we get impressed! Not only by the music, but also by the story that is outlined in the video. So, faster than a Joint Strike Fighter could bridge the distance by air, we sent some questions over the internet to Brazil for singer Jaque Albino and drummer and ADVERSE co-founder Juliana Novo. And guess what? We got them back within a day!
INTERVIEW BY: HENK VAN NIEUWENHOVEN
Olá Jaque e Juliana, como estão (how are you doing?)? What made you and guitarist Michel Turim decide to start a new death metal band last year November after your joint past with Crucifixion BR?
JULIANA: Hello, I’m fine thanks, and you? Well I was touring with Crucifixion BR, then Maxx Guterres (the vocalist and guitarist) had an accident, he was hit by a car on the road. So when that happened I wasn’t willing to stop playing, you know, and I was tired of some bad things in the band. Then I decided to leave and start a new band. It was a hard decision, but I had to make it. I couldn’t continue with Crucifixion BR without Maxx, that wouldn’t be fair to him, so that was the best thing I did. And Michel was willing to play with me in whatever music project that I was into, so we formed ADVERSE. Then after one year we were able to release the first single and perform live for the first time, opening for Septicflesh.
Brazil is mainly known for thrash metal, but is there a thriving death metal scene in São Paulo where you come from? Can you name some other active female fronted death metal bands from there?
JAQUE: Of course! We have great death metal bands with women in their lineup, such as Crypta, Dakhmas, In Raza…
How did you and Michel team up with the other members in ADVERSE, Jaque Albino on vocals and bassist Patricia Schlithler?
JULIANA: In the beginning of 2022, when I was still in Crucifixion BR, Maxx was willing to leave the band. Then I was looking for some vocalists in order to keep going and a friend of mine recommended Jaque to me, and I watched her singing Arch Enemy and was blown away! But Maxx decided not to leave the band, so she didn’t join Crucifixion BR. When I formed ADVERSE, I was thinking about the vocalists that I could invite and I remembered about her and invited her to sing. I was very happy that she accepted the offer! And about Paty, there was another bassist before her that came to two rehearsals, then decided to leave cause she had other aims in life. Another friend of mine recommended me Paty, I invited her and she accepted it. I’m very glad to have both in the band.
You were part of Brazilian thrash metal band Infestatio. Is there a big difference in the way you sing in ADVERSE compared to what you did with Infestatio as it comes to vocal techniques?
JAQUE: Actually no. In Infestatio, I also used guttural as a vocal technique. Despite being known as a thrash metal band, the band itself liked to emphasize that they didn’t cling to labels, so there were elements of other musical styles in the song compositions. There was a plan to incorporate some clean vocals in future songs, but I left the band before the project started to develop.
ADVERSE recently released their very first single “Hawthorn’s Whispers”. There’s also an official video for it. The story is about the spirit of hÚath, the White Thorn, who lives in a hawthorn forest. What else can you, as the lyricist, tell us about it?
JAQUE: It’s important to emphasize that the lyrics of this song were inspired by some elements of Druidry, which is a religion that recreates the beliefs of the Celts. One of the fundamental beliefs in Druidry is precisely “animism” – understanding that everything in nature has a living spirit. Therefore, it’s not just about a thorned tree in the forest, or even a creature that lives among the trees, but rather about the Spirit of the White Thorn. hÚath, from this perspective, is a spirit that helps us confront our deepest fears and, most importantly, find our strength during this process.
“Hawthorn’s Whispers” was not recorded with Patricia, but with Nat Vicent from thrash metal band Sounder on bass? Correct?
JULIANA: Incorrect. As I said before, Nat Vicent only came to two rehearsals and then left the band for other aims. Then in April, Patricia joined the band and recorded the single with us.
The first single will also be part of the debut album you are working on now. What can you already reveal about that? Will it be mixed, mastered and produced by Raphael Dantas again, just like “Hawthorn’s Whispers”, and isn’t he the guy who has connections with Soulspell?
JULIANA: Well, for now we don’t have a title for the album. Jaque may have a title soon as she is writing all the lyrics. The music is written by Michel Turim and I also help with the writing, when we make some changes in order to fit for Jaque’s vocals. I even helped Michel with a guitar riff for the third song and also composed a vocal melody for a choir (besides drummer I’m an average guitarist and lyric soprano, sang in a few music projects). I also helped with the choir for the first song and the intro, I love choirs. The album might also have an instrumental track with Michel’s guitar only. And the plan is to record the whole album with Raphael Dantas again at the Modus Operandi Studio in 2024. Yes, he was one of the vocalists for Soulspell. He’s a very talented guy.
Not so long ago, you shared the stage with Septicflesh from Greece. How was that for you as a beginning band?
JAQUE: I don’t even have words to describe that experience. It was a mixture of joy, satisfaction and insecurity. I had shared the stage with some smaller bands and cover acts before, but never for such a big band with such an enthusiastic audience. It was our first show with ADVERSE and we were all anxious and nervous about the experience. But the performance was very well-received and we were all pleased with the feedback.
JULIANA: It was wonderful for me to be back on stage with a new band and opening for a band which I love so much for their music! It was a great feeling, after a year having no gigs, only working hard with ADVERSE. Before that, I had never stayed one year without playing gigs, I was very active since ’99 with Crucifixion BR, so you understand how hard it was for me. But the result was great, there were so many people in the crowd who knew me already, and I’m glad they kept on supporting me and my new band. And the Septicflesh guys were very friendly backstage.
What are you hoping for when it comes to the future of ADVERSE? Maybe that a band like NERVOSA will take you on tour through Europe once your debut album is out?
JAQUE: We see great potential in ADVERSE, and we intend to explore it. I believe we can make a significant impact on the audience, not only because we are a predominantly female band but also because of our musicality. So yes, we do plan to tour in Europe and perhaps even beyond.
Since ADVERSE is a new band that still has to be discovered by death metal fans worldwide, would you like to say something to the readers of this interview? Go ahead, here’s your chance…
JULIANA: Well, I’d say be sure to check out our new video for “Hawthorn’s Whispers”, you won’t get disappointed! And stay tuned and follow us so you don’t miss the release date of the new album! I will try to be as much brutal and fast as I can, yet keeping the groove and the punch in our music. And I can’t wait to tour again in Europe (have been there in 2015) and other places in the world after we release our debut album!
JAQUE: First and foremost, I would like to thank you for the interview and express my gratitude to the readers who have followed along so far. For those who haven’t checked out our single “Hawthorn’s Whispers” yet, I sincerely recommend it. Both the song’s lyrics and the video were meticulously crafted, not only to create an impact, but also to provide rich content with symbolism and metaphors, making it worth every second of your attention. As for the album, we aim to maintain the same standard in terms of sound quality and the richness of lyrical details. All of us in ADVERSE are working hard to produce an album of excellent quality. Stay tuned!
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ADVERSEDEATHMETAL
BANDCAMP: https://adversedeathmetal.bandcamp.com/track/hawthorns-whispers