Embrioma – The persistence in wanting to be what they were born to be

Embrioma are the most promising band from Brazil that no one’s ever heard of – yet. The six warm bodies who comprise its line-up play a unique brand of metal that’s at once familiar and refreshing. To even try describing their sound would entail naming a dozen influences from Sweden and Brazil, but even then you still won’t have any idea how modern and futuristic Embrioma are. Having come together after the breakup of several previous groups that lacked the commitment or direction Embrioma’s current members were looking for, since forming, the band’s achievements to date include a 2006 EP, endless roadwork, and their own studio. Currently polishing the songs for next year’s debut album, whose working title is Post Industrial Metastasis, Embrioma and their lovely girl manager took the time out to entertain Fury! The result is a lengthy conversation about the band’s origins, what they do for a living, and the DVD’s they like to watch.

Ola Embrioma! How are things down in Brazil?
Scream (vocals): ‘Things in Brazil are always dangerous! But we're good, don't worry, hahaha!’
Denis (bass): ‘It’s too hot. We’ve got African Safari climate!’
Dektri (keyboards): ‘I think we should talk about the beaches, Carnaval, women, and soccer, but now that I think about it, "I just saw a lost bullet right over there"! But I like it here, regardless of all our country’s contradictions.’

You are recording a first album, aren't you? Any updates?
Scream: ‘The demos are practically done. A few ideas are still in our minds but I think we are almost ready with the whole record.’
Denis: ‘We are at the final phase of pre-production. We are adding the vocals and fixing parts that are not exactly how we want them yet.’
Dektri: ‘I believe we are reaching a new level as a band while still sounding like Embrioma. We have about 20 songs from which 11 to 13 will be chosen for the record. We make a lot of the demo recordings definite. It won't take too long before we have something for audio circulation around the world.’

Isn't the studio you're working in right now owned by Luiz (guitars/backing vocals)? Can you relate how he got that place started? Which other bands does he record?
Scream: ‘I’ll let him explain that. I can only say that the final result is impressive.’
Luiz: ‘I started recording with one of my other bands called Soulhost. Right after that I started recording the bands of my friends such as Steelwings, Avantgard and After:life. All of this happened around 2005 and 2006. The studio stopped being a hobby after that and became a real studio, having recorded Embrioma's single "29" and bands such as Calm Manner, Mess Joker, Same Old Morgue, Pensilvania, Temblor, and many others.’

What release date for Post Industrial Metastasis are we looking at here?
Scream: ‘Around 2009! I can't give a specific date but yes, it will be in the beginning of the coming year.’
Dektri: ‘Maybe that won't be the final name of the record but if everything goes well, the album will be out around the time that Scream mentioned.’

Will it include the material from The Demention Frequency Projekt EP?
Scream: ‘No it won’t. The old songs can be found online. The first album will have new vocals (in that EP, it was a different singer) and new music.’
Denis: ‘Probably not. Other than the old songs, we have the 20 new ones for the record.’
Dektri: ‘The past is the past but maybe we'll record something from this EP again in the future. We have actually considered this idea but it wouldn’t happen in this album. By the way, you can download the EP at http://ep1.embrioma.com.’

You actually shot a video for the aforementioned EP (The Demention…). How did that go down? Can you take the reader behind the scenes? How much circulation has it enjoyed?
Dektri: ‘We recorded the video for the track Dementia [Bullets] between March and April of 2006 (the EP was only released at the end of that same year) with a director named Gabriel Gemenez who works in productions of Rede Globo television ( the biggest TV channel opened in Brazil). We were able to get space at the University Anhembi Morumbi, which were two huge sheds. We posted an invitation on our website asking fans to participate in the video. On the day of the shoot we brought the director, the production, sound equipment, cameras, photographers, and fans all together. All I'm gonna say is it was a very intense and busy day. We were there from eight in the morning until seven pm. I don't think we had ever banged as hard as that one day in our whole lives. We had a problem right when we started filming, with the local security crew, who prohibited us from filming with the shed 's gate closed (that thing was practically a hangar, it was so big) so, we had to work with the lighting differently, since we had to respect the local security norms. In the end, practically everything went wrong and, even with only one day of filming, we were able to get a pretty cool result, considering it was our first experience with a music video. Pretty soon we should be doing something for the first single of the new album. The video had a few million views on You Tube and some Independent TV shows or on the internet that played it.’

Embriona is modern death metal (meaning it has melody and all) mixed with a lot of synths and electronic sounds. Has this been how the band envisioned Embrioma's musical identity from the start?
Scream: ‘Embrioma is a mix of insane minds working together. There is no secret behind how we sound. As a group we talk and decide over everything that goes in each song. If each of us his happy about it, we record it!’
Dektri: ‘In the beginning, when Denis and I started Embrioma, the idea was something more industrial but without limits. However, we were lucky to have talented guys join the band who incorporated the death metal and rock aspect that brought our sound to another level. Nowadays, we push our capabilities more and more regardless of what we sound like. And for me, this is always badass!’
Denis: ‘From the beginning, Dektri and I kept in mind that Embrioma wouldn't have musical limits; that it would be heavy, extreme, and melodic.’

In the first place, what got you started with music? How has your understanding of a music career evolved since the days when you were still learning your instrument?
Denis: ‘I was born to a family that loves music. My uncles always had bands and I grew up listening to Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Yes. I was in music school learning how to play the guitar when I became a Jason Newsted fan and then switched to the bass! Well, I think I haven't evolved very much, hahahaha! But I see music as something unlimited where there will always be something new to learn.’
Scream: ‘I started by listening to Iron Maiden and playing the electric guitar! But that's the past. The ideology of the music I listen to has always fascinated me so I looked for what I liked. I always live with music. The evolution (if it can be considered that) comes individually, where every person absorbs what interests them in a different way. Maybe even what I consider a great evolution is a regression for others. After all, we are talking about personal taste.’

Dektri: ‘I started in music when I noticed I preferred listening to the soundtracks of electronic games (they were 8 and 16-bit ones) than playing them. Then I got hooked on bands like Metallica and White Zombie and became excited with the idea of having a band. I started as a singer (I sucked, by the way) to a bunch of amateur garage bands, which I didn't even play a concert with or stay in for more than six months. Around my fourth band I decided (and was able to invest in) to play the keyboards and synthesizers, and since then I focused on taking this idea of the electronic world with a "rock and roll" attitude of being. Here in Brazil most of the keyboardists (not to discredit anyone) act like statues without any performance on stage and soon enough, nobody cares about playing that in a band. I listen to everything you can think of in terms of metal, electronic music, and experimental. Everything that is weird and nonsense interests me and now I'm used to composing music almost 100% in a laptop with a midi controller. Synthesizers and computers are the most demonic instruments that rock has ever known, hahahaha! And, in terms of the music business, I learned from my mistakes a lot especially with other people's flaws. Listening to the professionals of the medium and forming my vision of things and always focusing on getting better and better.’

Bob: ‘Since I was very young, I've always wanted to play the drums. I would pick up my mom's pots and pans and would beat them like crazy and she'd get pissed as fuck. When I was 12, I started listening to a lot of Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Metallica. I was crazy about it all but it was when I got to know Pantera that things changed. I fell in love with the drum lines and the band's sound, guitars, vocals, bass... Anyway, for me they are the best band in the universe! So then I started studying the drums. I've been part of many bands and I've recorded CDs for a few as a freelancer. Nowadays, I'm dedicated to Embrioma and to the work we are doing.’

Nayla (Manager): ‘I was also born to a family of musicians (my father and my uncle). At an early age my dad was in the Brazilian tribute band Guns n' Roses Cover. I, who had always felt like I was somewhat "different" (not to say weird) and extreme, found myself loving the heavier music, wearing bandannas and round sunglasses at age nine, and having a room filled with metal and rock band posters. I also grew up listening to Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, etc. (All the bands that were considered "rebellious" at the time they came out.) I have been composing my own music (which is far from ready, if it ever will be) for a while and going to many underground hardcore metal concerts whenever I'm in Brazil. I was friends with Denis and Dektri for a while when the band sat me down to discuss my involvement and, when they did, I was happy to join a band I already admired.’

To your credit, Embrioma's sound is already distinct and very refined. At what point did just being good at your instrument shift to learning how to craft great songs? Who were your major references when it came to songwriting?
Scream: ‘I learned to scream head-first! The lyrics are reflections of personal experiences, critiques of banal doctrines, and everything that can be used against you (laughs)!’
Dektri: ‘I don't know if I am that great at my instrument... I could spend minutes citing my technical deficiencies and what I still don't dominate as far as musical techniques or production. But I know whatever level I'm on and I have to be open to auto-criticize myself and to hear criticism from the other band members and people that work with us.’
Bob (drums): ‘I think I still have a lot to learn, which is why I'm always studying. What I do in Embrioma is use my emotions to compose the songs.’

Who writes the lyrics by the way? Are the words and music the responsibility of only one member of the band or do you all pitch in? What happens when any particular composition isn't working or improving the way it should?
Scream: ‘Before, other people used to write the lyrics with the old singer. Now I asked them to leave that up to me. My work as a singer is to write and compose the vocal parts. I like this part and I feel it's my responsibility. So now they can pay attention to their instruments with less worry.’
Denis: ‘Before it was always Dektri and I who would write about personal experiences or about some ideas we had. I'd write something, then Dektri would complement it and vice-versa. Now Scream is responsible for the lyrics but of course, if he needs help or an opinion, we'll help him out. Because we have the same ideas about what to write we've always lived in the same area and we think alike about what happens in the world so that makes it easy!’

Dektri: ‘As far as my contribution to the lyrics goes, my main preference is to go from the critique to the personal systems or doctrines with the individual's point of view, opening metaphors for you to also understand other things. Guys like the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche or the French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre were my influences when writing for Embrioma. Maybe I'll annoy Scream about the lyrics within the next few days if he doesn't beat me up first, hahahaha… When a song doesn't work, we either let it go without mercy or we clean up the bad parts and work on it till it's good enough.’

Let's now move backwards to Embrioma's history. When did all your previous bands dissolve and Embrioma form? What do you consider the number one factor that propelled each of you to come together?
Scream: ‘The persistence in wanting to be what we were born to be. When many stop, only some continue. And living for a dream is not easy so why not share this aspiration with other people who also want the same? That's Embrioma.’
Denis: ‘Dektri and I used to play together in this other band from this region, which we left because our ideals didn't match with the rest of the members anymore. We wanted to get out there and play, show the world our work, and the bands we were in previously didn't so we left and built Embrioma. The main factor is to play with people who think of the same objective and walk together and forward. There's always somebody doing something to benefit Embrioma.’
Dektri: ‘Scream and Denis synthesized the spirit that gave birth to Embrioma. It all started September 2004 at ABC Paulista (the area where we're from). We had a few band members who were in and left at first, others that were still in other bands and are now only with Embrioma (like Bob), and others who still play for other bands and will have to leave them soon and dedicate themselves totally to Embrioma, hahahaha! Embrioma is my last shot at a band and I know it will last many years considering the passion we all have for this band.’

How much work did it take in the last few years for the band to get where it is now? And how long is the road ahead?
Scream: ‘The road ahead is never-ending. There is no end and even less rest. It is a straight line. The problem is going up this line and keeping ourselves up there. Going down is easy (laughs).’
Denis: ‘A lot of work and many nights without sleep. We know we still haven't started the true road. We are conscious about having to work a lot and we are anxious to confront everything that comes our way.’
Dektri: ‘So far, it's been four years of fighting, many victories, and a few deceptions. But we've been having more victories than failures so far. We've actually encountered very uncommon and tough problems, which are better left unmentioned.’

Do all of you sit together and strategize what's next for the band?
Scream: ‘Yes, all of us. This type of philosophy is very important. We've spent nights talking, eating and drinking, to discuss Embrioma's next steps.’
Dektri: ‘Definitely, the victories we've conquered were results of all this hard planning that Scream mentioned. Our business is music and entertainment but still, it is serious business, like any other imaginable.’
Denis: ‘We always have meetings to decide what's the best path to take. Embrioma works like a business. Each of us is responsible for an area, but the decisions are made as a group.’
Nayla: ‘That is the reason why, between many bands, I decided to work with Embrioma and try something new. Well, actually two reasons: 1) Because they really want it and work hard for it and 2) Because they meet and talk about EVERYTHING and honesty to me is HUGE! I grew up watching my dad deal with bands and I know it is a family that needs a lot of care and conversation so things don't get out of control. With too many minds in one project, you need to clarify everything. Watching my father deal with all this has made me only want to work with Embrioma and, even if and when I make my own music, to finally go SOLO – Hahahaha!’

Embrioma is quite the seasoned live band and you have so many different support slots to your credit. When did the performing bug infect you? Mind sharing some of your shittiest/best experiences live?
Scream: ‘After more than 10 years on the road as a singer, I've been through many melancholic situations but with Embrioma in this phase, I believe we still haven't been through anything absurdly disrespectful or unprofessional. Once, okay, only once.’
Dektri: ‘Delving into the facts behind what Scream said, the worst time was in a third category pub, which we won't name (even though it's now bankrupt and closed) where we had the contractual proof that our manager at the time was stealing money from us, charging a fee that didn't exist, behind our backs. Like that wasn't enough, the place where we played had a stage where the six members of the band didn't fit; the sound was a complete disaster; I was going nuts over the situation but had to be professional enough not to let that be apparent to the audience; and get out of there and perform anyway (of course this pseudo-manager got the deserved kick in the ass and was booted out of Embrioma).

This happened two years ago before Scream was part of Embrioma. The best moment so far was, without a doubt, a festival called Maquinaria Rock Festival and playing in front of six thousand people next to bands like Biohazard, Sepultura, Suicidal Tendencies, among others... Talk about goosebumps, man! But when we started our show, we were doing one of the wildest presentations of Embrioma until then.’
Bob: ‘There was a time in 2007 when we opened for Caliban, and there I was at the hall around the dressing rooms doing summersaults for about 20 minutes before we had to go on stage. (We were the attraction right before Caliban went on.) Then our photographer asked me to do another one for him to capture and on that one, I fell the wrong way and really hurt my left shoulder. I'm not even gonna describe the bands' faces when they noticed the stupidity I had done...However, I still went there and did the concert and I was never so happy and thankful for all my years of drum study to have been able to play what I play for Embrioma, even with a fucked up shoulder.’
Denis: ‘Well, the best one for me was playing Maquinaria Rock Fest too, being the attraction between The Misfits and Sepultura.’

Nayla: ‘I've been with them at situations where I wanted to beat everyone up (they even have a name for my violent drunken personality!) because of the way they were treated or the conditions at the venues. As the manager, if I'm in Brazil I’m very detailed about how everything is sounding, looking, etc. I get a bit OCD about all of it and I will agree the concert where they fired their old manager was the worst one I've been to. (I was actually working for him then and I went from handling international interests to helping Embrioma with some of the things their national manager used to do.) The music sounded terrible! It sounded nothing like them at all! It was so frustrating to see how the conditions of a venue can make an awesome band sound terrible. Unfortunately, I was no longer in Brazil at the Maquinaria Rock Fest but I will say a couple of my favorite concerts of theirs were their album release show, where they were treated like stars, and the one they played with Caliban because I befriended the drummer and got some of my guys to come with me and hang with the band at their hotel, exchange some band insights (and they are a very successful band), and that, to me, was precious along with the drinking, laughing, criticizing of things…Hahahaha!’

Didn't you open for the Argentinian band Jesus Martyr on their Brazil tour? You guys friends or just acquaintances? You see, I interviewed them a few months following the release of their new album. Any memories of the show you played with them?
Denis: ‘We’re just acquaintances. The label that released their records here in Brazil is the same that released our EP. About the concert we did together, it was cool. We played before them and it was the day of the release of our video!!’
Dektri: ‘We know each other because of our ex-label (Midiacaos Records). I've played with them when I was still with my ex-band in 2003 on another Brazilian tour they had. This last tour, I remember sitting at a bar in the city of São Caetano, drinking a bunch of beers with the guys and talking a lot of shit in "Portu~nol" (a mix of Potuguese with Spanish). I hope to see them again in the road soon; they are awesome guys to be with.’
Manager (Nayla): ‘I met them around the same time I met Denis and Dektri, in their old band, during their first Brazilian tour. The guys are great and very talented. I keep in touch with one of them, here and there. Like I said, it's always good to befriend other bands and exchange info.’

Do you already have a number 1 fan (aside from your parents and closest friends) who digs everything Embrioma?
Scream: ‘We can say so. I consider every Embrioma fan number one!’
Denis: ‘I don't know about the number 1 fan but, we do have a lot of people we know from concerts that end up becoming our friends cause they're always in our shows.’
Dektri: ‘It would be unfair to name only one number one fan, especially because our fans are usually way too crazy—Hahahaha! Ah, I think my parents are not very big fans of the music I make but they always supported me and my craziness. Here I am, talking to you guys, hahahaha…’
Nayla: ‘Like I met Denis and Dektri at a concert with their ex-band and I was a fan of Embrioma before being a part of it.’

Your dynamic manager tells me you actually teach as well? How long have you been doing this? Are your students awesome?
Scream: ‘Unfortunately, nobody here in Brazil wants to learn how to scream, hahahaha! It's not needed for Samba.’
Leandro: ‘Yes, I’ve taught guitar since I was 16 years old and about the students…hahahaha…yes, there are some who kick ass but in the end, all of them leave happily and play how it's supposed to be done!’
Bob: ‘It's been five years since I started teaching drum classes. Some of my students already play in really good bands actually, with recorded CDs and all. But a large number of my students are kids. I'm trying to open their minds so they are the best they can be on the instrument.’
Dektri: ‘I'm selfish (or dumb, really) and don't teach so I do other things in life! But I am an advice-giver to many crazies lost souls around Brazil and abroad who come through the internet to ask me how I do certain things in Embrioma or how they can attain a certain retarded sound idea they had.’

If Embrioma isn't earning you a living where else does your cash flow come from?
Denis: ‘We are still not financially supported by Embrioma so we have jobs and responsibilities just like any other person.’
Scream: ‘I'm a designer and writer for a games magazine and I just can't wait to let it all go and live off this band.’
Dektri: ‘I am an infrastructure analyst handling net security in a huge multinational firm. I have the power to make the millions of people in this firm work with only two commands I execute. I can also make our clients lose millions. But I am a nice guy and contribute to the wild capitalism that provides my "give us this day our daily bread" while financing part of Embrioma's interests.’

What are the latest additions to your CD/DVD collection? Do you still have a lot of time just being a metal fan instead of a musician?
Scream: ‘The new Mudvayne album, “The New Game”—this was the last CD I added to my ipod—and also a Korn blue-ray of a 2004 concert. I certainly have time to check out the releases of the bands I like. So yes, I go after it.’
Dektri: ‘I haven't been looking around as much as I used to but I get a lot of recommendations from Embrioma's fans and our bassist Denis. The last bands I've listened to are the new Paradise Lost and Bring Me The Horizon; an EP recorded by a band called The Interbeing; the last Aborted; some music from a Brazilian producer called Retrigger and some Madonna too.’
Denis: ‘I've been listening to Sonic Sindicate’s “Love and Others Disasters” a lot lately. Also included in my playlist are Trivium’s “Shogun”, Metallica “Death Magnetic”, and Mudvayne’s “The New Game”. I also bought movie DVDs like Minority Report, Transformers, 300 and Sin City.’

It's time to say goodbye Embrioma. How soon will the band be touring outside SudAmerica?
Denis: ‘Thank you for the exposure, for the questions, and you, who are reading this interview and liking our noise. Recommend it to somebody you know who also likes the same kind of music! Thank you so much!’
Scream: ‘Right after our CD comes out we'll think about promoting it and obviously Europe and the USA are going to be in our agenda. I hope to see you all face to face soon. The worst is yet to come. Thank you very much!’

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