TROPA DE SHOCK
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By Reginaldo Rod REGINALDO ROD: Who is Tropa de Shock? DON: Tropa de Shock is a Brazilian classical heavy metal band. We have released a CD called "Angels Of Eternity." Mita, a major Brazilian musician, founded the band in 1989. The first CD was called "Fragmentos" and we used to sing in Portuguese. Nowadays, Tropa de Shock is becoming one of the most important Brazilian bands because of the quality of our performances and songs. We bring back the great concerts of the '80s. In our shows you can see fire, pyros, snow and all sorts of effects. Also, you will see the "Bad Woman," a terrible doll that's two meters tall. She represents both good and evil. REGINALDO: How would you describe the music of Tropa de Shock and what about your plans for releasing outside of Brazil? DON: Our music is strong, heavy, classical metal. It has feeling, power, it's heavy...we have many influences from the '80s like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, Ozzy, but we have created our own sound. We intend to release our new album worldwide. In 1997, Tropa de Shock's manager and I went to Europe for a promo tour. It was very interesting because the people really liked our work. (Thanks, thanks, thanks). You can see the results in the Greek Metal Hammer, Mindview Magazine, Seventh Sign, etc. REGINALDO: Who writes the songs and where do you get your ideas? DON: The lyrics speak of the duality of the human being. The good and the evil. They're about feelings, thoughts, wars and cities. The single "The Blade Of The Wind" speaks of gods, witches, legends and mythology. The entire CD centers on those things worldwide, especially in Europe and Africa. This is a gift to them. I wrote the songs. REGINALDO: What does 'Tropa de Shock' mean? DON: In Portuguese it's "tropa de choque" and in English it's "troop of shock." We took the two languages and decided to mix them. Why not? REGINALDO: Tell us about "Blade Of The Wind." DON: Do you remember the legend of Avalon? "The Blade Of The Wind" is about the legend of King Arthur and the witch Morgana. "Shadows Of Lion" is about the goddess Maet from Egypt, "Odin" is about the supreme god and creator in Norse mythology and the last song, "Tropa de Shock" is an instrumental. We had to do a lot of research to write these lyrics. History books, books on mythology---and we added our own feelings. All these songs are new and we think you'll like them a lot. "The Blade Of The Wind" is a song that inspired the name of this single. The blade of the wind is Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur, a special sword that has won him a lot of victories. If it was special to him, why not to us as well? REGINALDO: Are you in touch with record labels in Europe and Japan? DON: Our manager, Katia Ferraz, has made a deal with a Japanese distributor and some in European countries. She will negotiate with some companies in the USA, too. REGINALDO: Can you tell us more about your CD, "Angels Of Eternity?" DON: "Angels Of Eternity" was intended to touch human beings. It deals with the concept of good and evil. REGINALDO: What about the song, "Hard Storm?" DON: It is a ballad. We are talking about feelings. Human feelings. REGINALDO: Tell us about the "Angels Of Eternity" European promo tour? DON: It was great. We got an excellent response from Europeans, magazines, radio and TV. We worked a lot, but it was worth it! REGINALDO: Anything else to say to the BallBuster readers? DON: Listen to Tropa de Shock. We would like to thank the fans, 'zines, and radio stations because they play heavy metal. It's in their veins! Up the TROPAS! E-mail: klima@mandic.com.br Copyright 1999, BallBuster, The Official Int'l Underground Hard Music Report |
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