{"id":37214,"date":"2024-12-13T10:00:22","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T13:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/?p=37214"},"modified":"2024-12-11T23:20:49","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T02:20:49","slug":"37214","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/37214\/","title":{"rendered":"Breakdown: “Rock and metal are about freedom”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Brazilian bands always have a special place on this site, as we are a Brazilian press media. I was very happy to discover Breakdown, a Brazilian band based in Germany that plays a modern and nostalgic sound that goes back to the roots of thrash metal without losing its freshness. We spoke to Leo, the band’s guitarist and vocalist.<\/p>\n

This is the first time I\u2019m interviewing a Brazilian band that doesn\u2019t live in Brazil, and I find that incredible. So, to kick things off, how about telling us a bit about yourselves and how Breakdown came to be?<\/strong>
\nLeo<\/strong>: Man, it all started back in \u201898, after we finally got the hang of playing our instruments. We did some covers for a while and then decided to take the leap into writing our own songs.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve noticed a recent wave of bands trying to bring back that 80s thrash metal vibe, kind of like Anthrax or Exodus. But listening to your music, I hear a lot of that old-school sound, yet it feels more modern (which, honestly, I really appreciate). How would you define the band\u2019s sound, and how did you develop it?<\/strong>
\nLeo<\/strong>: Thank you! That\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re going for. Honestly, I\u2019m not sure how we did it… I think all our influences just blended naturally. We don\u2019t follow one style religiously. We play metal, and our influences range from NWOBHM and German metal to thrash, death, and punk. We just see what we can do with our instruments and go from there.<\/p>\n

This year, you participated in Roadie Crew\u2019s online festival, organized by Eliton from Som do Darma. What was it like to take part in that event, and how was the response?<\/strong>
\nLeo<\/strong>: I think it\u2019s a great platform with solid reach. The goal is to get our music to more people, and it works!<\/p>\n

You started the band in Brazil but later moved to Europe. How was the process of moving and adapting to a new country?<\/strong>
\nLeo<\/strong>: We moved because we wanted to explore new horizons and see the world. But yeah, adapting was a huge process. It was a great experience for us… your world changes a lot. It\u2019s fascinating to see how people can be so similar yet so different in other countries. Metal scenes, though, tend to be pretty consistent everywhere!<\/p>\n

Speaking of moving abroad, how has that process been for you? I ask because my brother lives in Germany now, and he\u2019s told me that while everything is great, there\u2019s still some prejudice against non-Europeans.<\/strong>
\nLeo<\/strong>: I\u2019ve had a few small issues\u2014structural prejudice, little difficulties here and there\u2014but nothing too different from what I faced back in Brazil for having long hair or coming from a humble background. That said, in many countries, there\u2019s been a resurgence of far-right movements, and we\u2019re definitely keeping an eye on that.<\/p>\n

I just listened to your new album, Divide and Konquer<\/em>, and the production is excellent. Can you tell us about the production process?<\/strong>
\nLeo<\/strong>: The production started in Ireland with demos and ideas, but we moved before it was finished. Once the songs were ready, I prepped everything in a local studio here. Then Edu recorded the drums in Brazil, and we spent a week at Stage One Studio with Andy Classen. The production process was great\u2014very hands-on and honest, capturing a natural vibe without over-editing. We mixed the album together in the studio, fine-tuning every detail. We\u2019re really happy with the result and can\u2019t wait to do it again!<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about the lyrics and dive into a controversial topic. It\u2019s clear your band has political stances. Many thrash bands, like Nervosa and Crypta, are leaning into political themes, which contrasts with some metal fans who oppose politics in music. What drives you to include politics in your songs?<\/strong>
\nLeo<\/strong>: Honestly, it doesn\u2019t need to be controversial. I respect all styles and listen to all kinds of bands covering various topics\u2014there\u2019s room for everyone, and rock and metal are about freedom. For BKN, though, it happens naturally. Our background and worldview influence our writing. We think war, extremism, social inequality, racism, and oppression are terrible, so we don\u2019t sugarcoat or pretend they don\u2019t exist. In an ideal world, people wouldn\u2019t die for these reasons every day. For us, it\u2019s impossible to ignore, so yes, those themes are part of our metal.<\/p>\n

When interviewing international bands on Groundcast, I usually ask about Brazilian bands. But for you, I\u2019ll change it up: what bands are you currently listening to and would recommend? They can be from anywhere.<\/strong>
\nLeo<\/strong>: Man, there\u2019s so much out there. Lately, I\u2019ve been listening to Evil Invaders from Belgium, Flagelador, Violator, Kryptos from India, Ambush… plus the classics and influences we\u2019ve always loved.<\/p>\n

Finally, here\u2019s your chance to leave a message for our readers in Brazil (and maybe beyond). Go for it!
\nLeo<\/strong>: Platforms like this, alongside bands, keep the underground alive. It\u2019s a huge effort, and I commend you for it. Thank you so much.
\nTo everyone: Everything about BKN is at www.breakdown-bkn.com<\/a>.
\nSee you out there! The underground lives!<\/p>\n

Related Links<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/breakdown_bkn\/<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.breakdown-bkn.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BreaKdowNBKN\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brazilian bands always have a special place on this site, as we are a Brazilian press media. I was very happy to discover Breakdown, a Brazilian band based in Germany that plays a modern and nostalgic sound that goes back to the roots of thrash metal without losing its freshness. We spoke to Leo, the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":37212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[774,860],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","category-interviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/groundcast.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/band.jpg?fit=800%2C604&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groundcast.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}