EMQ’s With MORTOM
EMQ’s With MORTOM
Hello everyone. Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Brazilian Thrash/Crossover band, Mortom. Huge thanks to their bassist/vocalist, Flávio Amaral, for taking part.
What’s your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little about the band’s history?
My name is Flávio Amaral, I’m the bassist and vocalist. The band was formed in 2006 and its main influences are Thrash Metal bands from the Eighties, however, it is possible to identify in some songs passages that refer to Hardcore / Crossover, making their sound authentic and visceral.
How did your band name come about?
We wanted a strong name that referred to something dark. The Guitarist turned around and said “death, dead, MORTOM” (LOL) and that was it.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We are from the city of Betim, which is approximately 34 km from the capital of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte in Brazil. The authorial scene was very strong in the 80’s / 90’s, after all we are in the cradle of Brazilian Metal, close to where great bands like Mutilator, Saercófago, Overdose, Sepultura were born and where Cogumelo Records is located, which at the time released all these bands from Brazil to the world. Nowadays the scene is very quiet compared to the 80’s / 90’s, but we have many new bands releasing fantastic material and the return of several bands that were stopped like Mutilator for example and this has been heating up the scene again. We are looking forward to 2022 onwards the scene will gain full strength and many events and bands stand out locally and worldwide.
What is your latest release?
In 2021 we released an EP with 5 tracks on digital platforms and an official clip of the song ‘Face Of Death’ that can be checked out on our YouTube channel.
Who were your biggest influences?
Although we have several influences without a doubt the biggest are Sepultura, Ratos de Basement and Metallica.
What first led you to music?
Learning to play guitar and make a sound with friends. From then on it evolved until I dedicated myself more to bass and vocals.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
It would be doubtless with Max Cavalera who is the biggest vocal influence I have.
If you could play any festival in the world, which one would you choose and why?
We have a lot of awesome festivals around the world, but it would be great to go up on the Wacken stage and on Rock’n’Rio Day at our Rock N Rio it would give us a great national and world projection.
What’s the weirdest gift you’ve ever received from a fan?
Strange I never received nothing (LOL), I’ve already received CD’s from some independent bands and shirts, but in general nothing much.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Fight for your dreams and live every day as if it were the last of your life!
If you could bring a rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Cliff Burton, who died in 1986.
What do you like most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
What I like most is being on stage feeling the energy of the crowd. What I hate most is when we are “sabotaged” by the band members themselves.
If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
It would increase the percentage that streamers pay us and, in Brazil, it would open up more space for Metal in the media, since there are almost no channels on the national network dedicated to Metal and Rock in general.
Name one of your favorite albums of all time?
“Anarkophobia” by Brazilian band Ratos de Porão
What’s better? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?
Hard to say which is better, everyone had their time right? So I really like vinyl, it’s a unique piece that has personality, you know? And the Cassettes had their “glamour” when we spent hours on the radio waiting for that song to play to record, it was a nostalgic time. The downloads facilitated the worldwide dissemination, but they kind of trivialized the musician’s work, I miss being able to buy a vinyl and open it, read the lyrics and see its inserts… it was very cool, it was an achievement.
What’s the best show you’ve played so far?
We’ve only played in Brazil so far. We had great cool Festivals in Juiz de Fora, GritoROck in Cabo Frio, but no repercussion events outside Brazil.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I actually have my job as a tattoo artist, I think it would be in it.
Which five people would you invite to dinner?
Max Cavalera, Igor Cavalera, Jão from Ratos de Porão, Ozzy (it must be crazy to have dinner with Ozzy) and Fernanda Lira.
What’s next for the band?
We are already in the production of 5 more singles and we will enter the studio again in March of this year and we intend to release a CD with 10 tracks by the middle of this year and another clip by the end of 2022.
What social media/website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://www.youtube.com/c/MortoMMetal/videos
https://www.instagram.com/mortommetal/
https://linktr.ee/mortom
Thanks for your time. Is there anything else you would like to add?
I thank you on behalf of MORTOM for the opportunity to talk a little about our work and follow us on our social media, there’s a lot of good things coming around. Many thanks to all the fans and friends who accompany us and give us strength to continue.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
