Albums of Purgatory interview Angra's Rafael Bittencourt

Albums of Purgatory: Firstly, whats the band up to right now?

Rafael Bittencourt: Well , at the moment we're cleaning our finances and preparing ourselves to the new record.
I'm starting to put a few metal ideas together.

AoP: How would you describe the Angra sound?

RB: I would say it is an ethnic metal with a spice of classic taste.

AoP: How did you get involved with the band?

RB: I started it. It was in the Santa Marcelina Music University, here in São Paulo. I have always wanted to have a metal band. At the time metal was going really down, grunges we're taking over and the traditional metal image didn't seem to last. I thought that we should try a new perspective. If it wasn't for Angra, Stratovarius, Helloween and Gamma Ray, together with a few other bands, metal would have died without perspective.

AoP: Can you remember your first gig (how did it go)?

RB: The one I will never forget was on school. I was fifteen and my band had punk purposes, even though we were all wealthy pricks. It was called "Lixo Atômico" (Atomic Waste)

AoP: Are you involved in any other projects and if so how do they compare musically to Angra?

RB: I am endorsed by Peavey music instruments here in Brazil. With them I do workshops showing the woflgang guitar and the 5150 to the people. I have recorded a few tracks for other endorses, but what I focus the most is the work on Angra. It is always fun, though to have a range of variety on your job, so it doesn't get too boring.

AoP: What are your favourite Angra tracks?

RB: Stand Away, Never Understand, Holy Land, Make believe, Gentle Change, Millennium Sun and Rebirth.

AoP: What are your favourite all time songs?

RB: Let me put my love into you ( AC/DC), Children of the damned ( Iron Maiden), Don't stop me now ( Queen)
Aqualung ( Jethro Tull), Separate ways ( Journey)

AoP: What was the first record you bought?

RB: The number of the beast ( Iron Maiden)

AoP: What would be your dream band line-up?

RB: Ronnie James Dio, Steve Harris, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jens Johansson (keys) and Mr. Rosenthal ( Queensryche) on the drums. Or we can exchange all for the Journey line-up on the Frontiers Tour.

AoP: If you could do a cover for a tribute album to any band, which song of which band would you pick and why?

RB: Any of those I have picked as my favorite songs ever. Because the mean more then just a collection of notes done by a bunch of hairy dudes, they represent a time in my life, the years of my youth.

AoP: What do you think of the position of metal and music in general today?

RB: I think it is still changing. In America it sounds totally different then everywhere else, but it's cool. In Europe people are more traditionally oriented, so the bands are melodic, gothic, classic and doom. In America they tend to experiment more, sometimes not so pleasant to the mind but they're always looking forward, and very creative.

AoP: Which other bands stand out for you at the moment?

RB: Symphony X, Nickel Back, Tools, Pain of Salvation and Soil Work.

AoP: Do you have any funny stories about the band you can share with us?

RB: Well, in Taiwan, they had prepared a great reception for us. Different TV channels were there to contemplate the exotic metal band from Brazil, Angra. Not many other bands have played there before , so we were kind like the topic of the week, maybe the month. So they were all there, expecting smiles. In front of all the TV cameras they presented us a gift of welcome. No one should turn that out. It was sort of a spring roll. I wished it was. But actually it was made with rice, something that looked like tiny shrimps, all wraped on a plant leaf which I can't remember the name, it probably finishes with ching or chang, cause they all finishes either way. We started to eat the thing in front of many journalists and the fan-club, but we sudden realized that inside the wrap, together with rice it wasn't tiny whammy shrimps, but worms, yes, WORMS!!!! TV was shooting us live, we started to have the funniest reactions, I started to laugh, but kept eating, Aquiles was almost puking but we couldn't show it, it would be the end for Angra in Taiwan. It was a welcome gift!
All the journalists seemed to have written only one question, "So, is it good?"
We said yes but I was afraid of a second question: " So, why don't you swallow?"
It was funny at the moment.


AoP: and finally, what do you see in the future for Angra?

RB: I see a good future for Angra, cause I believe we have conquered a good spot in the scene. Now it is just a matter of keep bringing fresh ideas to the fans, which isn't easy. I believe we will be touring every year for at least ten years more. Many of our songs became a classic for this crowd, and many people have Angra as part of their lives, like I have Maiden and other bands as part of mine. I think there will always be a group of people that doesn't follow the trends and don't obey the orders to the mass. That's the spot we're filling in.