Korzus is a Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian thrash metal

Thrash metal

Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...

 band, formed in 1983 in São Paulo

São Paulo

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...

. They are one of the oldest and most important bands of the Brazilian thrash metal

Brazilian thrash metal

Brazilian thrash metal is a regional scene of thrash metal music that originated during the 1980s in Brazil. Along with Bay Area thrash metal, and Teutonic thrash metal, it was one of the major scenes of thrash metal in the 1980s...

 scene, along with bands like Sarcófago

Sarcófago

Sarcófago was an influential Brazilian extreme metal band. They were fronted by Sepultura's original singer, Wagner Lamounier, and Geraldo Minelli. They have been described as Brazil's most controversial metal band....

 and Sepultura

Sepultura

Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...

. Their first release was issued in the seminal metal compilation called SP Metal on Baratos Afins

Baratos Afins

Baratos Afins is a long-established Brazilian record label and store, based in São Paulo city.Baratos Afins is an indie record label operating in São Paulo City, Brazil. It was founded by Luiz Calanca in 1978, first as a record shop and later as a label...

 label back in 1985.

They changed the lineup a lot of times since the birth of the band, but three members, Marcello Pompeu (on vocals), Silvio Golfetti (on guitars) and Dick (on bass guitar) remained.
The classic lineup of the band (1988–1992) was Marcello Pompeu (vocals), Silvio Golfetti (guitars), Marcelo Nicastro (guitars), Dick (bass) and Roberto Betão Sileci (drums, replacing Zema who committed suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

 in 1988).

Early days

The odd thing about their career is that their debut album was a live album (instead of a studio release) from 1986

1986 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...

 but soon in 1987

1987 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

 they released their first studio album called Sonho Maníaco with a distinctively rough metal sound, very much like Dark Angel

Dark Angel (band)

Dark Angel was an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Their over-the-top style earned them the nickname "the L.A...

's Darkness Descends

Darkness Descends

Darkness Descends is the second studio album by the American thrash metal band Dark Angel. The album is the first to feature drummer Gene Hoglan. Rob Yahn was replaced with Mike Gonzalez by the time this album was released, however, Gonzalez was given credit over Yahn on the album sleeve...

and Slayer

Slayer

Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...

's Reign In Blood

Reign in Blood

Reign in Blood is the third studio album and the major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve...

.

Around that time, Silvio Golfetti played guitars for the L.A. speed metal

Speed metal

Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....

 band Agent Steel

Agent Steel

Agent Steel is an American speed metal band from Los Angeles, California that was formed in 1984 by singer John Cyriis ,and drummer Chuck Profus. The band released two full length albums, and one EP before disbanding in 1988...

 for a short time in 1987

1987 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

, because he was a friend of John Cyriis, vocalist of Agent Steel

Agent Steel

Agent Steel is an American speed metal band from Los Angeles, California that was formed in 1984 by singer John Cyriis ,and drummer Chuck Profus. The band released two full length albums, and one EP before disbanding in 1988...

 and born in Brazil. He temporarily played guitars for Sepultura at the time when Andreas Kisser

Andreas Kisser

Andreas Rudolf Kisser is the lead guitarist for the metal band Sepultura as well as the rock supergroup HAIL!-Biography:...

 was unable to play due to an arm injury.

In 1989

1989 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989.-Events:*January 14 – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in the USSR...

, they changed their sound a little, going more in a direction of Bay Area thrash, and released the EP Pay For Your Lies, which become a classic in South American metal, featuring a cover of Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...

's "Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes". During that period Korzus became a major metal band in the Brazilian scenario; they even struck a friendship with their idol, the late legendary Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 racer Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...

.

Two years later they came up with what most people call the best Korzus album to date, Mass Illusion. With the expert production of Roger Moreira (vocalist/founder of one of the most known rock bands in Brazil called Ultraje A Rigor) the band gained more attention outside Brazil. A videoclip for the song "Agony" was made, and it received heavy air play on Furia Metal (a Brazilian version of MTV's Headbangers Ball

Headbangers Ball

Headbangers Ball is a music television program consisting of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV2, MTV Australia, MTV Two , MTV Adria , MTV Brand New, MTV Portugal, MTV Finland, MTV Arabia, MTV Norway, MTV Sweden, MTV Denmark, MTV Greece, MTV Türkiye, MTV...

).

Things were going well but the drummer Beto Silesci and the guitarist Marcelo Nicastro left the band, as each one pursued their own projects (Beto Silesci formed a band with his wife and tried the drums in the hardcore

Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 band Ratos de Porão

Ratos de Porão

Ratos de Porão is a Brazilian hardcore punk band from São Paulo. They were formed in 1980, toured South America, North America, and Europe and still continue to play today...

; Nicastro became a well-known player of cavaquinho - a short four-string guitar used to play samba

Samba

Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...

, the most popular style of music in Brazil).

90's

After the departure of Beto Sileci and Marcelo Nicastro, the band started to try an audience out of Brazil, due to the success of Sepultura.

They recruited a guitarist called Soldado and a drummer called Fernando Schaefer and recorded in 1994

1994 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....

 the album KZS. The band was musically fitting with the 90's NYHC

NYHC

NYHC commonly refers to:* New York hardcore, an underground music scene* N.Y.H.C. , a documentary on the New York hardcore scene...

 sound of bands such as Madball

Madball

Madball is a New York-based hardcore band that originated in the late 1980s, as a side-project of Agnostic Front .- History :Madball was founded in 1988 and featured most of Agnostic Front's members...

 and Sick Of It All

Sick of It All

Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...

. On tour they played in the States with Biohazard

Biohazard (band)

Biohazard is a band originally based in Brooklyn, New York. They are acknowledged as one of the earliest bands to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip hop. The original lineup consisted of Vocalist/Guitarist Billy Graziadei, bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist Bobby Hambel,...

 and S.O.D..

After two years, Soldado and Fernando Schaefer left the band (Fernando Schaefer became a drummer for several Brazilian bands like Treta, Pavilhão9, Rodox, Kiko Loureiro

Kiko Loureiro

Kiko Loureiro is a Brazilian Heavy metal guitarist who has worked with bands such as Angra, Silent Moon, and Blezqi Zatzas....

, and recently Endrah), and to replace them, they hired Heros Trench for the guitar post and Rodrigo Oliveira as the drummer.

This lineup is still playing together and since they recorded in 1998

1998 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...

 a live CD at the Brazilian edition of the Monsters of Rock

Monsters of Rock

Monsters of Rock was an annual music festival held in England, then moved in other locations like The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.The Last show was in 2008....

 festival and after some years without recording any album, they released the album Ties Of Blood in 2004

2004 in music

See also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....

.

Present

Korzus has a new formation, which includes Antônio Araújo as the new guitar player (replacing Silvio Golfetti). Critics state that Antônio is one of the best Brazilian musicians of the last few years. His abilities are compared to Andreas Kisser, but with less experience.

The band has just released the new album, entitled Discipline Of Hate by German label AFM Records.

Discography

• Korzus Live (1985)
• Sonho Maníaco (1987)
• Pay For Your Lies (1989)
• Mass Illusion (1991)
• KZS (1994)
• Live At Monsters Of Rock (1998)
• Ties Of Blood (2004)
• Discipline of Hate (2010)