Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Spain on the other. It is famous for its past conquests, food, ceramics, the Algarve, food and wine and of course Fado, a very melancholic and gloomy style of music. Amália Rodrigues was and is still is the most recognizable Portuguese name in music but, in the past years, Portugal has produced and exported some important names such as Xutos e Pontapés (Rock) Moonspell (Gothic Metal), Madredeus (Fado/Folk), Buraka Som Sistema (Electro/Kuduro) and Mariza (Fado).
They combine such influences as Mastodon, High on Fire, Doomriders, Isis, Neurosis, Black Sabbath, etc. They have three successful full-length albums (Hellstone, Vendaval and Gold) which have allowed them to tour Europe and play alongside bands such as Metallica and Mastodon in some Portuguese festivals.
They have also started influencing other underground bands from the north of the country such as Burning Man and Wild Tiger Affair, two young, energetic and hungry bands. "Ronin" (Burning Man) and "Lost Fathers" (Wild Tiger Affair) are two great examples.
In the Stoner territory, the most internationally recognized band in Portugal is Black Bombaim. The power trio hailing from Barcelos take stoner to an all new level. Their latest album, Titans, is a pure demonstration of instrumental pyschedelic stoner rock executed perfectly. Earth Drive and Aspen are two other promissing bands that also do justice to this genre and are growing imensely in the underground, featuring in some national festivals and in some gigs in smaller venues. In a more Rock oriented Stoner vibe, two main bands would have to be Miss Lava and Dapunksportif. Influenced by Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, they bring the desert feeling to Portugal. Miss Lava have a new record coming out soon mixed by Matt Hyde (Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu, Slayer, Deftones) and have also participated in the latest Rock In Rio festival in Lisbon. Dapunksportif have their third album, called "Fast Changing World" in the final stages of mixing and mastering and it will be released very soon.
Moving into the darker, slower and more Doom genre, Portugal proudly presents Process of Guilt, LÖBO, Before the Rain and Sinistro. Faemin, the latest release from Process of Guilt, has gotten great reviews on both national and international websites and have started projecting themselves into the international scene. They are definitely the next big thing in Portugal. Before the Rain had a very well acclaimed album released last year named "Frail". It was actually considered by the readers of Metal Storm as the third best doom album of 2011. LÖBO will release their follow-up to "Alma" later on this year. Sinistro are a misterious instrumental band to keep an eye on. They have recently released their surprisingly great self-titled debut that caught everyone off guard. Overall, the Portuguese scene looks pretty healthy. There are dozens of bands being born in the underground that have an honest and DIY approach to music. Shame is there is not so much support from the music industry and music labels here. Still, there are a few that support and promote their artists like Major Label Industries, Lovers and Lollypops, Raging Planet and Rastilho.
LINKS:
Man Eater | Facebook
Burning Man | Facebook
Wild Tiger | Facebook
Black Bombaim | Facebook
Earth Drive | Facebook
Lesaspen | Facebook
Miss Lava | Facebook
Dapunksportif | Facebook
Process of Guilt | Facebook
Lobo | Facebook
Before The Rain | Facebook
Sinistro | Facebook
Major Label Industries
Lovers and Lollypops
Raging Planet
Rastilho
Article By Mark Martins
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