Interview: Deceivers

Deceivers Questions Answered By Marcel (Bass). 01/04/00 Interviewed by Pedro Einloft

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PRP: What's up, dog?
Marcel: Not much, man.

PRP: I didn't take the time to think up many questions, so just be patient...
Marcel: Ok. Have you noticed how Furia MTV is totally pimp rock today? It's playing Coal Chamber at the moment.

PRP: Yup, I'm watching, hehe. You can start by telling us how was Deceivers formed. I know you're one of the last members to actually join the band, but you must know something...
Marcel: Well, Embass (drums/vocals) and Gregório (vocals) used to play together with Chico (guitar) just for fun, doing covers of bands like Slayer, Iron Maiden, Sepultura, Fear Factory, Metallica, etc. Then they called Pablo "Cebola" (guitar) and Deceivers was formed. Back in the day, the band was more of the thrash metal vibe, kinda like Slayer or old Fear Factory.

PRP: So, initially Deceivers were a thrash metal band, and started changing, or should I say, evolving till you reached the point you are now.
Marcel: Pablo always dug different things than thrash, like Faith No More, Dead Kennedys, punk rock, funk rock. I love hardcore. Gregório and Embass dug hip hop. So I guess it was kinda natural, we just mixed our influences and the results were the sound we have today.

PRP: I must say you guys have done a great job on that. You kinda reached to the perfect mix, because in almost every Deceivers' song, if not in all of them, we can definitely sense the metal side, the hardcore side and the rap / hip hop side.
Marcel: I think we found our own sound. We have loads of influences, but we try to sound unique. Actually, I've been listening to the Deceivers' cd to try to get some ideas so I can write new songs.

PRP: Good job on that. I definitely can't compare you to any other band I know. Oh well, here's another one: Is there any meaning behind the name Deceivers for the band? Or did it just popped up?
Marcel: It was just a name that the previous version of Deceivers dug. They took it off of that Metallica song, Battery. One name on a big list.

PRP: I see. Any side projects?
Marcel: Some. The most serious of them is, in fact, the continuation of my old hardcore band that I used to have with Embass and Pablo "Cebola". It's called Fallboy, and at the moment it only counts with Cebola and his sister. It's sound is more emocore now as well. There's also our BIG project called Leite de Burra. It's a badly played grindcore with fucked up instruments. It's me on the lead guitar (hahaha), Beavis (roadie and the 6th. deceiver) on the bass, Andre Mãe on the guitar, Marco (Flesh In Nails) on drums, and finally, Gregório and David PD (the punk responsible for the insane hidden track of our cd) on vocals.

PRP: What should a person that doesn't know shit about you expect at your shows.
Marcel: A bunch of nuts jumping like retards, hehehehe. The truth is, we have just as much fun as the crowd in our shows, and because of that we make some mistakes, hehehehe. But it's always good, loads of stage diving, slam pit and heavy music. Hehehe, you can only have an idea of how we are live by watching us play.

PRP: What's your opinion regarding the brazilian crossover scene. Does the number of bands, their quality and originality satisfy you?
Marcel: The brazilian crossover, metal, hardcore, punk and whatever scene has bands that sound like they're not from here, because of their amazing quality. What's missing for those bands are good conditions so they can show their music. Most of the shows have a good crowd, but usually the venue don't have a good acoustic, equipment or conditions in general. Bands have to believe in themselves and use the DIY style.

PRP: There're also a bunch of show organizers that fuck with the bands....
Marcel: Yup. There're loads of people that do it the right way, but man, there are so many dishonest people. When we played in Campo Grande (It was like a mini-festival. Our friends from Punch played as well,) we were the headliners. There were 6 bands, with Deceivers being the sixth. So, when the fourth band was playing, the dude who was with the money ran away. The worst is, he owed us money so we could go back to our state.

PRP: Lack of proffisionalism from those people doesn't let the brazilian scene grow.
Marcel: Definitely. But bands shouldn't put their heads down. They should organize themselves and make good shows and put out great demos. Only that way, by believing in themselves, they will be able to grow up.

PRP: You know just as I do that here in Brazil there's the dilemma of: "should we sing in portuguese or english?" Do you have any opinions regarding that? The question may seem a little stupid, considering the fact that you sing in english, but I think that's because of the fact that Deceivers is a pimp rock band, and only a few bands have the guts to play this kind of music in portuguese (Lei do Cão.)
Marcel: There's also Flesh In Nails from Brasília, that follow the lines of Korn / Limp Bizkit. Oh well, I think that depends a lot on the band. I just think that's bullshit that people keep bugging us like "Hey, where are you guys from? Then sing in portuguese, damnit!". Fuck that shit. We think our style sounds better with english, so we'll sing in english. There's also an example of these dudes from Europe, who said to us: "your band is cool, but you should sound like brazilians, not americans." Man, I don't think we should mix regional music with our heavy sound or sing in portuguese to show people we are brazilians. There's only one Sepultura, and we love them, but we won't try to follow their success doing what they're doing because that's just lame.

PRP: I agree. I think that naturally you'll find the answer for that. Just have patience. Now, you mentioned regional music and shit. I must confess that since PUYA's success, I'm waiting for some brazilian band to come up mixing pimprock with samba. Hahahaha, would it sound that bad?
Marcel: Hahahaha, that'd suck. I think that's not an artistic creation, but a marketing creation.

PRP: Can't disagree.
Marcel: As I previously said, there's only one Sepultura.

PRP: Hehehehe, here's an indiscreet question for you: how many fans have ya fucked after the shows?
Marcel: What the fuck?? Hahahahaha.

PRP: What's wrong? Should I have asked how many male fans??? Hahahahaha.
Marcel: Hahahaha. Well, actually, me and Embass are the only ones who aren't compromised. But I don't think that the girls we had dated in the last months had something to do with Deceivers. Well, maybe one or two, hehehehe.

PRP: Do you consider Deceivers a quick band when composing songs? For instance, some bands can write a song per rehearsal, while others take like 3 months to finish one.
Marcel: That varies a lot. There was a time that we wrote 3 songs in less than 2 weeks. At the moment, the band is a bit slow, thanks to the other constraints the band's members have (work, college, etc.) Besides that, we have a new guitarist and it takes a bit of time for us to mesh while writing songs.

PRP: That's something I'd like to ask you, by the way. Chico (guitar) left the band. What happened? And who's the new guy?
Marcel: Chico left due to personal problems: family, job, and even a bit of disinterest in more serious appointments of the band. But it's all good, Chico is our friend and always hangs out with us. The new guitarist is Rafael "Charlie". He has been our friend for a long time, and had previously played with Cebola, in school. So we decided to call him to see if it worked, and it actually is. The band is working great together, musically and personally speaking. It was perfect.

PRP: Are you sponsored by any clothing stores or anything?
Marcel: As a matter of fact, we are. We have a sponsorship with Billabong. At first, they would only help us in the cd's cost, but then, when we finally released 3rd. Machine, they started advertising it in surf and sk8 magazines like Tribo, Hardcore and Methods. Besides that, we receive some free clothes. It isn't nothing big, but it feels good to know that someone trusts in us.

PRP: I totally agree. Is there any band from the pimprock indie scene which you'd love to tour with? It doesn't have to be brazilian.
Marcel: Hmmm, actually I'd be more than happy if we could tour Brazil with Punch and Unfashion. We did one show with this lineup in Goiania, and it was insane. An amazing show. It'd be even more cool if Flesh In Nails were there. Maybe Macakongs 2099 as well, but they aren't really of the style. I don't know many bands out of Brazil... Local Porn Star, PLY, Eye Against...

PRP: Macakongs 2099 is fucking amazing. By the way, I want to know if I can put their mp3 available for download in the site.
Marcel: Of course you can. Phu encoded this mp3 for people to enjoy it.

PRP: Hehehehe, perfect. I'll try and give these guys some promotion.
Marcel: They deserve it...

PRP: I agree. What have you been listening too lately?
Marcel: Only different stuff: A LOT of Mr. Bungle, the new Misfits, Guns N' Roses (hehehe, it's true), Korn, Dominatrix, Incubus, Anthrax, Kiss, Suicidal Tendencies, and loads of brazilian demo tapes and cd's, thanks to my webzine.

PRP: Man, Dominatrix is the shit. I think those chicks are a bit too radical, but they're truly professional on what they do.
Marcel: I like their ideology. I don't agree with all their ideals, but I do admire. Their sound is wonderful, truly professional. You see; that's the brazilian scene: loads of amazing bands, lack of help. I'm a bit cautious to talk about 'em, since I'm a good friend of the band's singer and bassist. It's all good, though. Hehehehe.

PRP: Hehehe, well, I'm not and I'm here to say they kick ass.
Marcel: Pedro, man, here in Brazil, we can listen to some band every now and then and ask ourselves: "God, how can this band not be touring the whole world?" The thing that lacks in the brazilian scene is a bit of structure.

PRP: Yup, and that's kinda terrible. I mean, I can list at least 20 bands in that situation. There's this melodic hardcore band from Rio de Janeiro, called Rivets. They just released their first cd, and it's truly amazing.
Marcel: Heard about them. Let me list another one: Garage Fuzz, melodic emo/hardcore.

PRP: Definitely. But Garage Fuzz signed a deal with a small label that has an international distribution. They're going through the correct way. Even Deceivers, man. I think you guys should be signed. For real.
Marcel: Thanks. But you see, there're loads of good bands in the country. People should try and help the brazilian metal scene a bit more.

PRP: I agree. Has someone influenced you to play bass?
Marcel: Loads of people, actually. Gene Simmons (Kiss), Robert Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crue), Lemmy (Mötorhead), the Napalm Death dude, Billy Gould (Faith No More), and the list goes on. Lots of them not for being the most virtuous bass players, but for writing some badass bass lines.

PRP: Does Deceivers intend to tour outside of Brazil?
Marcel: Well, yeah. But there's nothing scheduled. We need to find ourselves a foreign record label, even being indie, to promote and distribute our CD better than we can. We're all some broke fuckers. We don't have money anymore; we spent it all to make our cd. We have to negotiate a lot for shows inside the country, try to imagine for shows outside of it?

PRP: Hehehehe, I imagine the situation.
Marcel: It's extremely difficult.

PRP: Name a band which you can't believe that hasn't got a deal yet.
Marcel: Loads of bands. Cash For Chaos, DFC, Unfashion, Bois de Gerião (best brazilian skacore, in my humble opinion), Mechanics, Dance of Days. Well, truth is, most of these bands prefer to stay indie, which is something that I think is pretty cool, even knowing of all the difficulties.

PRP: I'm not against this, but I must say I think it's stupid. I mean, what do they have to lose by signing a deal? I can't find any negative aspects.
Marcel: Well, it depends. I know most of those bands, and I know that their members have their own jobs and have no pretension to earn money with their respective bands. I'd definitely like to live only by making music, but I have no idea when this will be possible here in Brazil.

PRP: Well, in this case it's all good.
Marcel: Negative aspects, I must say that there are some. The pressure of a big label, for instance. And also, I can tell you the example of Garage Fuzz as a negative aspect. The band was signed to the brazilian Roadrunner (big label outside of Brazil), and was fucked because Roadrunner couldn't promote them well. And you know that their independent cd, released right after, was much better promoted than their Roadrunner one.

PRP: But Roadrunner was starting here in Brazil. Garage Fuzz's cd was actually the only cd released by them that sold well besides the records from Sepultura and Ratos de Porão.
Marcel: But Ratos de Porão and Sepultura only came to Roadrunner after signing contracts outside of the country. That's the big difference. You can only sign a good deal in Brazil if you had received support outside of the country. That's kinda funny.

PRP: For real? Ratos de Porão had a deal outside Brazil before signing with Roadrunner?
Marcel: Yup, they had already released "Vivendo Cada Dia Mais Sujo e Agressivo" outside. You can only have respect here if you have signed with a label outside of the country.

PRP: Bizarre. Is there any thoughts of you guys changing your distinct sound due to the new guitar player?
Marcel: Nah. As I told you before, Charlie was the perfect choice. He filled the spot of someone who had the same influences he has, metal. I don't think it'll change much. The new song we wrote is one of the heaviest we have ever made, and the fans who've heard it already told us it's pretty much the Deceivers style.

PRP: Cool. Here's a question which I don't know if it's stupid or not, since I don't know shit about instruments. In my point of view, though, the bass was always a limited instrument. I say that due to the fact that 95% of the bands I listen to have a bass line that follows the guitar line. Is that bad for a bassist to improve their creative side?
Marcel: Dude, bass is a instrument that can lead the band's music (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Infectious Groove), just as follow the guitar lines. I guess I'm in the middle, hehehe. I'm trying to work with Embass (drums) some dope bass and drum lines to then put some guitars on top of that. But that depends a lot of the band and the bassist. I can't play shit, hehehe.

PRP: Yeah, RHCP and Infectious Groove, as well as 99,9% of all reggae bands are lead by bass. But only a few metal bands or crossover try to give some different lines from guitar for the bass.
Marcel: That's true. In our cd, me and Cebola try to work the bass so it stays exactly in the middle, as I told you. There're songs like Twenty, Third Machine and Panic Store which the bass is totally different from the guitars, but in others, it kinda follows the same lines.

PRP: I see. Is there a favorite Deceivers' song to you?
Marcel: 3 favorites. Third Machine, Bitter and Akko. The new one we just wrote is a good one as well.

PRP: Is there any that you don't dig that much?
Marcel: Sun. We used to play it very fast. Now we slowed it down a bit, and in my opinion, it's 1000 times better. The other members have other preferences.

PRP: I love Sun. I think you should put some emotional passages in that song.
Marcel: I like it, but I'm a bit tired of it. It happens, hehehe. When we made this song, it had some melodic vocals. But it wasn't very good. In fact, we have so much fun watching some videos which contain the previous versions of our songs. Most funny of which was D.I.R.T.Y.'s vocal.

PRP: I think Gregório's voice is too deep. Maybe YOU should try singing some melodic parts on it, hehehe.
Marcel: I think that melodic vocals don't work well for us or our style. The most we have ever done were those chanting on Twenty.

PRP: Pure studio tricks. Hehehe.
Marcel: Well, kinda. In the studio, Embass sang both chants. In shows, me and him take care of it.

PRP: Last question: do you think Deceivers is in perfect condition to sign with a big label and make a huge world tour? Not only technically, but emotionally speaking as well.
Marcel: Yeah, I do. We're all very united with common objectives. That hardly will happen in a short period of time, but if it does, we'd be ready.

PRP: Cool. I think that's pretty much it. Last comments?
Marcel: For anyone who might want to check us out, buy our CD and/or contact us by e-mail (deceivers@hotmail.com), or access our homepage at http://www.geocities.com/deceivers/, which will be totally revamped in a few weeks. Thank you, Pedro, and all the PRP for all the help ya gave to us. Take care, y'all.