In the last 10 years, I have produced or mastered quite some albums, not mentioning demos… Here they are:
In 2000, we had to take over the production of our first album. Even though I nowadays consider the results kind of a desaster, we were satisfied back then and it seems people are too. This album sold 3.000 + copies…
In 2001, Whipstriker from Diabolic Force invited me to help producing their demo. It was scheduled for recording at Astral Music Record, where we would end up recording the following albums. The results here are still raw, but now it sounds better. At least we had control over the whole process. The nice vocals sound you hear was obtained by patching a guitar compressor pedal through the (analog!) mixing desk! It ended up so well that the demo became an EP released on our former label.
That paved the way for the recording of the new Apokalyptic Raids album… And so we did in 2002. The Return of The Satanic Rites explodes right in your face! Not a 100% perfect record, but 100% honest.
As I continued to make contacts through the underground, people asked me to master some stuff. These releases include the above split CD with The Light Of Dark (Mexico) and Throneum (Poland) and then the Throneum demos.
It wasn’t long until I started mastering for our former label. It was of great pleasure to get the best sound out of brazilian pioneers Azul Limão’s recordings from the early 80’s…
In 2004, we had to put out another album, and we went on to produce The Third Storm. This album was Hellpreacher’s debut. It is my favourite one, until now. The best sounding one, some remarkable tunes.
After doing the job with Diabolic Force, and having Skullkrusher playing in Apokalyptic Raids, it was a natural thing for me to produce his band with Whipstriker, Farscape. The first one for Dark Sun label 2003, the second one for Unsilent 2006, in which session the Atomic Roar debut was also recorded, as well as a couple of EPs from 2005 and 2007 that ended up on the “For Those…” album. Each one of these releases sold at least 2000+ copies, and show their evolving playing skills and also my evolving producing skills!
Working with Unsilent, I was going to São Paulo a lot, and soon I started producing some stuff for them. The Em Ruínas album was to be their first release, but only now it is being finished.
I also mastered this fine album of Power Thrashing Death Metal from BreakDown, another promising band from São Paulo.
And this album by Heavy Metal band Clenched Fist, although uncredited. (Notice the bells on track 7: they are the same effects I used in the First Farscape album!)
Another album full of great tunes I produced at Astral Music Record in 2005. Hellpreacher played the bass in the band at some point. Today, Slaughterer plays session drums for them.
This was a bonus recording from the Killers on The Loose sessions. With a lot of things going on with everyone, this album would only see the light of day in 2009… This band features Hellpreacher on vocals.
In 2008, Metalmorphose reformed and, between 2008-2010, 3 albums were released/rereleased. But I had mastered this stuff years before, for my personal collection and for a rerelease that never happened until last year.
While working on these loved albums, I could never imagine what was yet to come!
Due to my working on Ultimatum, Carlos Lopes (formerly on Dorsal Atlântica) invited me to do mastering of his third rock’n roll band Mustang album, Tá Tudo Mudando Mas Nem Sempre Pra Melhor (Everything Changes, But Not Always For The Better).
And then I mastered the remaining Dorsal Atlântica rereleases in 2007-2009. It was a great opportunity to take a second look at history here!
It was a natural thing then to master the following Mustang album Santa Fé. That album presents a softer rock’n roll, with some folk and brazilian music/brazilian rock influences, and it was kinda out of the usual stuff I produce/master.
The following one, Mustang V, was a DOUBLE album mixed by me from scratch. It goes even further on the rock/folk/funk/acoustic/electronic music/brazilian music/samba/portuguese music direction (in fact, it goes in all directions!) and it surely was a big challenge to me as a producer!
Heavy was a record store/label that released bands such as Dorsal Atlêntica, Azul Limão, Extermínio, Calibre 38, Metralion, X-Rated, Eros, and Tubarões Voadores. All of them are present on this nice compilation in the 25th anniversary of the label’s inception, and it was my job to make them sound good together! It was like mastering 10 albums in one…
In 2009, Metalmorphose did their live album, and in 2010 I went to mix it. It was surely a challenge to mix a live album, with all the noises and leaking from many microfones, with such delicate passages and also with 3 guitars ins half of the album! I liked the results very much.
And now, the new Apokalyptic Raids album!!! Recorded last year with the new lineup, it features a more direct approach to our sound, with less “risks” compared to The Third Storm. It is a heavier album, maybe more focused. Out in 1 month from now!!!
And that’s it for now. Sorry for the long post, but hey, it was 10 years of my life!