Vênus (band)
Encyclopedia
Vênus were a Brazil
ian heavy metal
group from Teresina
, active during the 1980s. They were the first band from the Brazilian Northeast
to record a heavy metal album and were very influential on the local music scene.
, Piauí, with Pincel on bass, Kinha on drums, Nenê on lead guitar, and Thyrso Marechal on vocals and rhythm guitar.
Initially they played only cover version
s of international bands. Soon, however, they began to write their own songs and started to perform them live, playing mainly their own songs from then on. In 1984, the band performed in the Festival Setembro Rock that took place in Teresina, in front of a crowd of 2,000 people (a very large number, considering the modest number of heavy metal fans at the time in Teresina). In that same year, guitarist Ico Almendra joined the band in place of Nenê, brother of drummer Kinha, who had to withdraw from the band for professional reasons. A year and a half later the first demo tape, with six tracks, was recorded. Once the band started to promote this demo tape, concurrently they started to search for a vocalist with a more aggressive vocal style. Soon they found Kleber, a former member of the band Wagark.
In 1986 they began to record their first (and eventually their only) self-titled album. At that time, shortly before the start of the recording, the new singer left the band and Thyrso Marechal took back the lead vocal duties and provided lead vocals on the album. In the cover art
created for the album, the front cover featured the sunset seen from the Parnaíba River
amidst the zodiacal table and the back cover showed a silhouette of the band members in gray, reflecting the concept underlying the lyrics
: ecology, mysticism
and anti-racism
.
After recording the album, João Filho took over the vocals and with this new line-up the group toured the North of Brazil, and then went to São Paulo
to promote the album. In São Paulo the band did two concerts officially captured on film, and the album received positive reviews from music critics, including a positive review published in a 1986 edition of the traditional Brazilian magazine Rock Brigade. The album features songs with blistering guitar duets and lyrics in Portuguese
, and despite the scarcity of technical resources used in the recording of the album, it is currently recognized as one of the forerunners of heavy metal in Brazilian Northeast
and one of the oldest heavy metal albums of that country sung in Portuguese, in addition to an amazing musical quality in the context of the style called by the fans, in that decade, of "metal nacional" (English: "national metal").
Also in 1986 the band played again in Festival Setembro Rock, alongside bands such as A Chave do Sol, Megahertz and others. After achieving some recognition singing lyrics in Portuguese, playing long duets of guitar and having influenced the Brazilian heavy metal scene, the band split up unexpectedly in the late 1980s.
Vênus reunited for several isolated performances in the years 1988 and 1989 with a final line-up that included the then unknown guitarist Erisvaldo Borges, who composed a few tracks for the band with influences of classical music, in the vein of the neoclassicism of Yngwie Malmsteen, but these tracks were never recorded. These reunions did not continue for long until the band broke up permanently at the end of 1989.
Both the group and the album are listed in one of the most prominent encyclopedic references of Brazilian rock: the "ABZ do Rock Brasileiro", by Marcelo Dolabela.
After the end of Vênus, guitarists Ico and Thyrso went on to form the seminal Brazilian band Avalon; Thyrso did not stay long and, after leaving Avalon, joined the first line-up (1991) of the band Scud, playing on the first recording of that group (called "Lampião") that is still active in the Brazilian rock scene. Currently, Thyrso is a member of the band "Radiofônicos", a rock'n'roll and blues-rock
band.
Guitarist Ico Almendra in his turn played on all Avalon albums and then moved to the United States, where he lives with his family to this day. After some time away from music, he went on to compose and record. His first solo album was released in the U.S. in 2005 under the name of Frank Krischman. The second one was recorded in 2007 and called "Full Bloom", and for the recording of this album Ico teamed up with the paulistana
singer Olivia. The distribution of this second album was good and it was critically acclaimed, earning a nomination for the Brazilian Dynamite magazine awards as Best Album of the Year. These two Krischman's albums are in the vein of acoustic folk rock. In Austin, Texas
he has also participated in several music projects, all somehow involving Brazilian music. He was a member of "The Flying Club", a band from Texas with one released album (Far and Away – 2006), which mixes American pop with MPB
. He is also a member of Ipanema, a jazz-bossa band, and of "The Batykum", a group of instrumental music that emphasizes Afro-Brazilian rhythms, led by percussionist Luiz Coutinho.
Erisvaldo Borges abandoned the use of electric guitars since the late 1990s and became a classical guitarist recognized in national and international scene, releasing eleven instrumental CDs and currently serves as the event manager for the Festival Nacional de Violão do Piauí – Fenavipi which takes place annually, with the performances of classical guitarists from various Brazilian states, as well as abroad.
So just Thyrso, Ico, and Erisvaldo Borges are still professional musicians. Part of the former band members still live in Teresina, where they have business enterprises. Kinha and Pincel become entrepreneurs in the field of haberdashery and building construction, working in the Mid North region of Brazil (Piauí
, Ceará and Maranhão
).
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 heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
group from Teresina
Teresina
Teresina is the capital and most populous municipality in the Brazilian state of Piauí. It is located in North-central Piauí 366 km from the coast.It is therefore, the only capital in the Northeast that is not located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. With 814 439 inhabitants, it is the 19th...
, active during the 1980s. They were the first band from the Brazilian Northeast
Northeast Region, Brazil
The Northeast Region of Brazil is composed of the following states: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia, and it represents 18.26% of the Brazilian territory....
to record a heavy metal album and were very influential on the local music scene.
History
Vênus were a heavy metal band which played in the Brazilian music scene in the 1980s. The group was formed in early 1982 in TeresinaTeresina
Teresina is the capital and most populous municipality in the Brazilian state of Piauí. It is located in North-central Piauí 366 km from the coast.It is therefore, the only capital in the Northeast that is not located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. With 814 439 inhabitants, it is the 19th...
, Piauí, with Pincel on bass, Kinha on drums, Nenê on lead guitar, and Thyrso Marechal on vocals and rhythm guitar.
Initially they played only cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of international bands. Soon, however, they began to write their own songs and started to perform them live, playing mainly their own songs from then on. In 1984, the band performed in the Festival Setembro Rock that took place in Teresina, in front of a crowd of 2,000 people (a very large number, considering the modest number of heavy metal fans at the time in Teresina). In that same year, guitarist Ico Almendra joined the band in place of Nenê, brother of drummer Kinha, who had to withdraw from the band for professional reasons. A year and a half later the first demo tape, with six tracks, was recorded. Once the band started to promote this demo tape, concurrently they started to search for a vocalist with a more aggressive vocal style. Soon they found Kleber, a former member of the band Wagark.
In 1986 they began to record their first (and eventually their only) self-titled album. At that time, shortly before the start of the recording, the new singer left the band and Thyrso Marechal took back the lead vocal duties and provided lead vocals on the album. In the cover art
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
created for the album, the front cover featured the sunset seen from the Parnaíba River
Parnaiba River
The Parnaíba River is a river in Brazil, which forms the border between the states of Maranhão and Piauí. The Parnaíba River rises in the Chapada das Mangabeiras range, and flows northeastward for 1,056 miles to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. The middle and upper regions of this river are...
amidst the zodiacal table and the back cover showed a silhouette of the band members in gray, reflecting the concept underlying the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
: ecology, mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and anti-racism
Anti-racism
Anti-racism includes beliefs, actions, movements, and policies adopted or developed to oppose racism. In general, anti-racism is intended to promote an egalitarian society in which people do not face discrimination on the basis of their race, however defined...
.
After recording the album, João Filho took over the vocals and with this new line-up the group toured the North of Brazil, and then went to 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...
to promote the album. In São Paulo the band did two concerts officially captured on film, and the album received positive reviews from music critics, including a positive review published in a 1986 edition of the traditional Brazilian magazine Rock Brigade. The album features songs with blistering guitar duets and lyrics in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, and despite the scarcity of technical resources used in the recording of the album, it is currently recognized as one of the forerunners of heavy metal in Brazilian Northeast
Northeast Region, Brazil
The Northeast Region of Brazil is composed of the following states: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia, and it represents 18.26% of the Brazilian territory....
and one of the oldest heavy metal albums of that country sung in Portuguese, in addition to an amazing musical quality in the context of the style called by the fans, in that decade, of "metal nacional" (English: "national metal").
Also in 1986 the band played again in Festival Setembro Rock, alongside bands such as A Chave do Sol, Megahertz and others. After achieving some recognition singing lyrics in Portuguese, playing long duets of guitar and having influenced the Brazilian heavy metal scene, the band split up unexpectedly in the late 1980s.
Vênus reunited for several isolated performances in the years 1988 and 1989 with a final line-up that included the then unknown guitarist Erisvaldo Borges, who composed a few tracks for the band with influences of classical music, in the vein of the neoclassicism of Yngwie Malmsteen, but these tracks were never recorded. These reunions did not continue for long until the band broke up permanently at the end of 1989.
Both the group and the album are listed in one of the most prominent encyclopedic references of Brazilian rock: the "ABZ do Rock Brasileiro", by Marcelo Dolabela.
After the end of Vênus, guitarists Ico and Thyrso went on to form the seminal Brazilian band Avalon; Thyrso did not stay long and, after leaving Avalon, joined the first line-up (1991) of the band Scud, playing on the first recording of that group (called "Lampião") that is still active in the Brazilian rock scene. Currently, Thyrso is a member of the band "Radiofônicos", a rock'n'roll and blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
band.
Guitarist Ico Almendra in his turn played on all Avalon albums and then moved to the United States, where he lives with his family to this day. After some time away from music, he went on to compose and record. His first solo album was released in the U.S. in 2005 under the name of Frank Krischman. The second one was recorded in 2007 and called "Full Bloom", and for the recording of this album Ico teamed up with the paulistana
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...
singer Olivia. The distribution of this second album was good and it was critically acclaimed, earning a nomination for the Brazilian Dynamite magazine awards as Best Album of the Year. These two Krischman's albums are in the vein of acoustic folk rock. In Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
he has also participated in several music projects, all somehow involving Brazilian music. He was a member of "The Flying Club", a band from Texas with one released album (Far and Away – 2006), which mixes American pop with MPB
Música Popular Brasileira
Música Popular Brasileira or MPB designates a trend in post-Bossa Nova urban popular music. It is not a discrete genre but rather a constellation that combines original songwriting and updated versions of traditional Brazilian urban music styles like samba and samba-canção with contemporary...
. He is also a member of Ipanema, a jazz-bossa band, and of "The Batykum", a group of instrumental music that emphasizes Afro-Brazilian rhythms, led by percussionist Luiz Coutinho.
Erisvaldo Borges abandoned the use of electric guitars since the late 1990s and became a classical guitarist recognized in national and international scene, releasing eleven instrumental CDs and currently serves as the event manager for the Festival Nacional de Violão do Piauí – Fenavipi which takes place annually, with the performances of classical guitarists from various Brazilian states, as well as abroad.
So just Thyrso, Ico, and Erisvaldo Borges are still professional musicians. Part of the former band members still live in Teresina, where they have business enterprises. Kinha and Pincel become entrepreneurs in the field of haberdashery and building construction, working in the Mid North region of Brazil (Piauí
Piauí
Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
, Ceará and Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
).
Line-up
| Band Duties | Mark I | Mark II | Mark III | Mark IV | Mark V | Mark VI |
| Vocals | Thyrso | Thyrso | Kleber | Thyrso | João Filho | João Filho |
| Lead Guitar | Nenê | Ico (Frank Krischman) | Ico | Ico | Ico | Erisvaldo Borges |
| Rhythm Guitar | Thyrso | Thyrso | Thyrso | Thyrso | Thyrso | ------ |
| Bass | Pincel | Pincel | Pincel | Pincel | Pincel | Pincel |
| Drums | Kinha | Kinha | Kinha | Kinha | Kinha | Kinha |