WEEK 226 – PERSEVERA

My HeadBangers  I ran across this band from Brazil, I had to bring them to the blog.   8 seconds into this first song I was hooked.   That guitar, the vocals, just the overall sound got me.  Listen to it and see what I mean….

“The Last Horseman”

“Death”

Well my HeadBangers let me know what you think.  In the meantime here’s some bio on the band, and and Interview.  Like I said I am focused on more interviews.  I like to know what makes a band tick and I know my HeadBangers do too.  So let’s get to the bio.

Persevera is a project started in Sumaré/Brazil in mid-2020 by Danilo Bredda (guitar), along with Paulo Carrara (vocals), Thadeu Castro (bass) and Claudio Lima (drums). Since then the band is in the studio for recordings, whose material is enough for two complete albums. The band’s strategy is to release each song as a single; it was the way the band found to stay more active on social media and gradually increase their fan base.

The band’s first album was recently released both on digital platforms and in physical format (CD). At the moment the band is focused on recording the second album. The band’s sound is influenced by 90’s heavy metal, but with some more modern elements. The biggest influences are bands like: Helloween, Iced Earth, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Candlemass, Lamb of God and Machine Head.

Now for the interview.  As always mine in blue and Danilo Bredda, founder and Guitar player is in black.

When did the band start, was it around 2020, that was Covid time, did that have anything to do with starting the band and who started the band?

No, covid had nothing to do with the beginning of the band, it was just a coincidence. Perhaps, given the greater amount of time available of the members, it may have accelerated the recording process of the 1st album. The band was a project started by myself.  It was a teenager dream, which eventually became possible.

 What made you want to start a band?

I’ve played guitar since I was 18. But I was kind of lazy. I didn’t like to learn songs because I found them difficult to play. So every time I picked up the guitar it was more to create things, mainly riffs. A few years ago I got a boss loop station, which is a guitar pedal where you can record things. It helped me a lot in the creation process. Over the years I’ve created 25 songs, just the guitar lines, on this pedal. When I finished the 25th song I decided I should do something more serious with them. Firstly, I would just like to record in a studio, in a professional way. When I saw the result of Iced Hell, I was very surprised. That’s when I decided that I should go further and turn the project into a real band.

Did you all know each other before starting the band?

Paulo, vocalist, is my cousin and when we were teenagers, we played together in a band focused on covers, Dark Haze, but I soon left the band and they continued for a while longer. Paulo was the first person that came to mind when I thought of recording the songs in a studio. He ended up introducing me to Thadeu (bassist) and Thadeu introduced me to Claudio (drummer) in addition to being the owner of the studio where we are recording. I honestly couldn’t have found better partners, the synergy was the best possible!

 Have any of you played in other bands before Persevera?

When I was a teenager I played in a band called Dark Haze, but that was almost 20 years ago. And Paulo, Thadeu and Claudio also have their projects, including projects outside of metal.

What does the name “Persevera” mean to you, and why did you choose it for the band’s name?

When it came time to choose a band name, I wanted it to be one that had real meaning, and not just sound like a cliche.  So the name Persevera came up, which comes from perseverance, not giving up.  I think subconsciously for me it means not giving up on your dreams.

I can relate to that, I’m sure there are a lot of  us that feel the same way.  How do you come up with ideas for your songs? Is it one person or more of a collaboration of all the members?

I made 25 songs on a guitar pedal. But when I say songs, I only mean the guitar lines. When we started recording, the lyrics were lacking. So I started writing them down. As soon as I finished the lyrics, I would send Claudio the guitar lines with a voice guide. We exchanged an idea about how the drums would be, then he recorded the drums in the studio. Then I would go to the studio to record the guitars. After the guitars, Thadeu recorded the bass. He basically made everything up on the studio. Either he followed the guitar line, or he invented something more in line with the drums. And finally, Paulo recorded the vocals over the voice guide that he had sent in the beginning.

Do you do gigs in Brazil or do any touring? What would you like to see in the future for Persevera?

We haven’t played in public yet. As we entered the studio with 25 songs, enough material for two albums, until now our focus was only on the recordings. I believe that by the end of the year, the second album will be finished. Then we will start rehearsals to play in public. Well, it costs nothing to dream.  And mine is to see Persevera playing at Wacken! 

Wacken would be spectacular.  We all have dreams and like you said ‘never give up on your dream’.

Let’s meet the band:

Danilo Bredda – Guitar

Paulo Carrara – Vocals

Thadeu Castro – Bass

Claudio Lima – Drums

My Thoughts:

All my HeadBangers know I love finding bands from all over the planet and bringing them to the blog.  Some bands have been around longer than others, we all start somewhere don’t we.  The fact that they entered the studio with 25 songs already made says a lot.  To write that many songs over the years and keep them until finally one day the timing was perfect, and here you are.   I feel that when the time is right for anything it will come forward.  They have their plan laid out and as Danilo said by the end of the year they hope to have the second album complete and will begin rehearsals for live gigs.  You know they may just show up at Wacken one day, and if they do you can believe I will be here asking for another interview.  I plan on following this band, as I do with most of my metal familia, and will update as they follow that dream.

That’s it for this week my HeadBangers.  Join me Wednesday for Hump Day and next Saturday for another band and another song.  In the meantime, don’t stand to close to the fire if you can’t handle the burn…..