Holocausto Canibal


Holocausto Canibal is a goregrind band based in Rio Tinto, Portugal. Formed in 1997, the band has released one demo, four studio albums, two EPs, three splits and a compilation album and is considered one of the most well known Portuguese extreme metal acts in the scene today.
The band's sound is heavily influenced by such acts as Carcass, Impetigo, Dead Infection, and Blood and Deranged. They fuse goregrind with some death metal elements, while the lyrics are mainly focused on gore, sexual perversion and paraphilias, all written and sang in Portuguese.

History

1997–2002: Early days, first reactions and ''Gonorreia Visceral''

Holocausto Canibal was established in the Fall of 1997 by bassist Z. Pedro, who recruited vocalist Ricardo S., guitar player Nuno P. and drummer J. Lamelas, forming the first official line-up.
Taking its name from Ruggero Deodato's cult horror movie Cannibal Holocaust, the band's logo was created by artist Christophe Szpajdel, who had previously designed the logos for Emperor and Arcturus, among other acts. By choosing this name the band intended to pay homage to the movie and its director, which were the main inspiration for their sound, aesthetics and live performances.
The first songs were created fast and Holocausto Canibal made their first live appearance on March 22, 1998 at the Discoteca Cairo in Oporto.
After a short run of shows throughout the country, the band gathered to record their first and only demo, named "oPus I", which consisted in a rehearsal recording of the band's current set. Released in 1998, "oPus I" received good reviews from the local and national zines and rapidly marked Holocausto Canibal's place in the Portuguese scene.
Still in 1998, Z. Pedro and Nuno P. visited the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Oporto for a photo session to be published in Loud! Magazine first number when they met Prof. José Eduardo Pinto da Costa, a moment that crucially influenced the band's lyrical approach to gore and horror themes. The Professor gave them an atlas of medicine that has been the main inspiration to their lyrics ever since. These have become known in Portugal for the use of technical terms and subjects and for their complexity.
One year later, vocalist Ricardo S. left and Carlos stepped in to handle all vocal duties, while the band entered the Rec'n'Gore Studios to record their first album. Entitled Gonorreia Visceral, it was released in February 2000 via So Die Music and definitely consolidated the band's position in the scene, in a time when the black metal boom was taking place in Portugal and most Portuguese death metal and grindcore bands were put asleep, allowing them to play the biggest extreme music gatherings in Portugal.
Gonorreia Visceral was the first Portuguese album to feature a gory artwork designed with true photos and not drawings. This would become a trademark of the band from that moment on since every subsequent artwork was conceived in a similar way.
Due to the violence of its artworks, lyrics and live performances, Holocausto Canibal quickly started to grab the attention of the Portuguese media.
In February and April 2000, respectively, drummer J. Lamelas and vocalist Carlos abandoned and Ricardo S. was brought back to fill in the vocalist spot and found a new drummer, Ivan S.
Completed by bassist Z. Pedro and guitarist Nuno P., the band would cross their native country spreading their sound in infamous live performances.

2002–06: ''Sublime Massacre Corpóreo'' and international exposure

However, international recognition only came with their second full-length, Sublime Massacre Corpóreo, released in 2002 once again through So Die Music.
In 2001 the band entered Grave Studios in Braga to record the album whose songs as "Violada Pela Motosserra", "Porno Hardgore" and "Cadavérica Ejaculação Espasmódica" quickly became classics of the genre in the Portuguese scene and featured current Anathema keyboardist, Daniel Cardoso, on keyboards.
Sublime Massacre Corpóreo defined their sound and was their first record to cross the Portuguese border thanks to the wide distribution through Europe and North and South America. It was also this album that permitted Holocausto Canibal to go abroad, this time with C. Guerra as session vocalist, who entered the band following the departure of Ricardo S. in November 2003 who decided to dedicate his time to his newborn daughter.
April 2003 saw the arrival of guitarist Nuno T., who filled the spot of a second guitar and Holocausto Canibal became a five piece for the first time but not for long, since he left the band in July 2004.
With this line-up the band played their first shows in Czech Republic and Germany in various venues and became the first Portuguese outfit to ever play in festivals such as Fuck The Commerce VII in Germany and Obscene Extreme Fest in Czech Republic.
One year later, Holocausto Canibal inked a deal with German Cudgel Agency to record and release their third album, Opusgenitalia.
In December 2005, preparing this release and anticipating a long touring cycle, they added a new guitar player, Eduardo F., forming a quintet for the second time in the band's history. Once again this formation wouldn't last due to Nuno P.'s departure in the end of 2006.

2006–11: ''Opusgenitalia''

Opusgenitalia was recorded by a line-up consisting of bassist Z. Pedro, guitarist Nuno P. and drummer Ivan S., but this time they called in Max T. to track vocals, an invitation that would be renewed in both Gorefilia and Larvas.
Although choosing once again the Grave Studios to record and mix this new opus, mastering duties were handled in Germany at the MegaWimp Studios.
After several delays due to the graphic nature of the artwork, Opusgenitalia was finally released in 2006 and featured a more brutal, fast and intense songwriting, pushing the band's sound into a brand new level of aggressiveness and obscenity. Songs like "Fetofilia - Incestuosa Sodomia Fetal", "Vulva Rasgada", "Amizade Fálica" and "Empalada Via Espinal Dorsal - Empalamento II" would grow into marks of the genre in Portugal, just as had happened before with some of Sublime Massacre Corpóreos tunes.
This album was massively distributed worldwide and presented the band to brand new audiences, allowing them to tour new countries as Slovakia, Hungary, Finland, Italy, Austria and in various festivals such as Antitrend Bizarre Leprous Fest 2, Fekal Party 9, Fuck The Commerce XI, Deathfeast Open Air 2008, Tattoo Deathfest 2010, among others.
From April to June 2006 drummer Ivan S. was forced to take some time off the band to recover from a leg injury. Diogo P. was called to assure the drumkit in the shows that were confirmed in that period.
The first overseas appearance was about to happen in 2008, since the band was confirmed to play the Central Illinois Metalfest held in Illinois, USA on July 19, but due to a regression of Ivan S.' leg injury this incursion didn't take place.
Ivan S. left the band in September 2009 and Diogo P. stepped in as the official drummer. At this time the official line-up consisted in Z. Pedro, C. Guerra, Eduardo F. and Diogo P., and the band started to prepare their next full-length release.
In April 2011 guitarist António C. was added as a session member to assist in their live shows.
Shortly after, the band was invited by Portuguese director Tiago Pereira to be a part of the "A Música Portuguesa A Gostar Dela Própria" project, which consists in an online music video archive created by Tiago Pereira and Joana Barra Vaz to demonstrate the diversification of Portuguese music. The videos were shot outdoor in strange places, completely disconnected from the artists' sound. Holocausto Canibal was the first metal band to be featured in this project, participating with the song "Gorgasmos - Orgásmicos Espasmos Gore" from their first album.

2011–14: ''Gorefilia''

2011 was also the year that saw the band's return to the studio to record their new opus. Choosing 213 Studios and producer Bruno Silva to record and Hertz Studios in Poland with producers Slawek and Wojtek Wieslawski to handle mixing and mastering duties, Gorefilia was released in 2012 through Xtreem Music and Raising Legends/Raging Planet Records.
Gorefilia is known for being the band's most mature, complete and darker work, being described by them as a concept album involving sexual arousal and gratification towards sexual behavior that is atypical and extreme. It features participations from notable musicians of the Portuguese scene, such as prominent rapper Fuse, Portuguese gothic master Charles Sangnoir, Miguel Newton, and morbid novelist David Soares, among others.
The band's return to full-lengths six years after Opusgenitalia, Gorefilia was critically acclaimed, being highly recommended by Terrorizer and gave them the opportunity to shoot their first ever music videos for the songs "Objectofilia Platónica" and "Lactofilia Destalhada".
The video for the first single, "Objectofilia Platónica", was premiered at the national TV show Curto Circuito on November 22, 2012.
A new touring cycle began right after Gorefilias release in April 2012 at the Steel Warrior's Rebellion - Barroselas Metalfest XV, and a few weeks after vocalist C. Guerra left the band. Following this event, longtime vocalist Ricardo S. stepped in once more, this time as a session vocalist.
Having spent the whole year of 2012 touring Portugal, 2013 marked the return to the foreign stages, touring Spain, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, playing festivals as the Obscene Extreme 2013, Extremefest 2013, Carnage Feast 2013 and Vulgar Fest VIII.
Due to the exposure given to Gorefilia by media and fans, the band was invited by Portuguese sculptor João Onofre and contemporary art museum Fundação de Serralves' curator Isabel Braga to be a part of the "Box Sized DIE" exhibition that took place on November 30, 2013 and February 23, 2014 at the premises of the Palácio de Cristal, in Oporto.
"Box Sized Die" is a 183 cm black metal cube padded with acoustic foam. Referencing a minimalist sculpture by Tony Smith, Onofre invited Holocausto Canibal to perform inside it, joining the ranks of Konkhra, Gorod, among other bands that were also part of this performance. The work has no fixed duration, instead the idea is that the band performs until they feel that the oxygen is running out. The performance ends when the band opens the box's door due to fear of asphyxiation.
The first performance was interrupted by the artist at the 27-minute mark fearing the band members were fainting, but set a new record since no other band had played for so long before. However, in the second performance Holocausto Canibal broke their own record and played non-stop for 35 minutes.

2014–present

"Gorefilia"'s promotion cycle ended in October 2013 and the band quickly focused on recording four new songs, once again dividing their time between 213 Studios with Bruno Silva for recording and Hertz Studios with Slawek and Wojtek Wieslawsky taking care of mix and mastering process.
With a contract signed with cult Czech label Bizarre Leprous Production, the band released the "Larvas " in May 2014 and started to prepare another extensive touring cycle in promoting to this new opus. In that same month they toured the United Kingdom for the first time and after a few months they played South America for the first time in an extensive tour through Brazil.
Live activities did not cease and yet in 2014 they made their debut in the Netherlands, co-headlining the Grindfeast XL in Arnhem, a country they will return in April 2015, to play the Neurotic Deathfest in Tilburg, the greatest indoor death metal and grindcore oriented festival in Europe, becoming the first Portuguese band to ever play it.
The band's current schedule includes Germany's Party.San Festival 2015, Austria's Rape The Escape Festival 2015 and the Frankfurt Death Fest in 2016.
In an article featured on Portuguese Loud! magazine on the tenth anniversary of Sublime Massacre Corpóreo, Holocausto Canibal revealed their plans to re-record oPus I and Gonorreia Visceral as part of the 15th year celebration of the release of their first album. A few months later, in an interview on "Larvas", they confirmed this intention and pointed out 2015 as the release date of this record, also revealing that they are already working on a new full-length.
A 7" split with Welsh death metal band Desecration was announced in early 2015, while in March of the same year it was known that they were working with legendary Swedish producer and musician Dan Swanö for their new releases.

Media exposure

Due to the brutality of their sound, lyrics and aesthetics, Holocausto Canibal has grabbed the attention of the Portuguese media since their early days, being featured in eight TV reports about extreme music, broadcast in prime time by ten different TV stations, which is a unique case concerning extreme bands in Portugal.
The first TV appearance occurred in 1999 in a report about extreme music called "Sons Do Extremo", conducted by Portuguese journalist Margarida Marante in the "Esta Semana" TV show, broadcast in the SIC TV channel. The report featured an interview to Z. Pedro, J. Lamelas and Carlos and excerpts from a show on October 5, 1999 in Oporto.
In the first edition of the Portuguese Big Brother reality show, aired in 2000, contestants were granted online access to purchase Christmas presents for their family and friends. One of the chosen gifts was a copy of Holocausto Canibal's first album Gonorreia Visceral and the act was immediately followed by a long conversation about the band and extreme music.
Later, around 2002, Z. Pedro was interviewed by Portuguese journalist Carlos Pinto Coelho for the Acontece TV show.
Some known Portuguese celebrities were also found talking or promoting the band in known TV shows, such as Portuguese writer José Luís Peixoto, who was interviewed in the "Câmara Clara" TV show and recited a poem from Fernando Pessoa wearing a Holocausto Canibal T-shirt.
Holocausto Canibal was also the first metal band featured in the Aquário TV show, in January 2009. The band was invited by host Sérgio Mourão to perform live a full set, which included the songs "Cadavérica Ejaculação Espasmódica", "Empalamento", "Punição Anal", "Fetofilia - Incestuosa Sodomia Fetal" and "Vulva Rasgada", among others.
The band was also mentioned and the inspiration for the sketch "Bichas Modernas - Manifestação Contra Concerto De Sizzla", featured on the Estado de Graça TV show and interpreted by Portuguese comedians Joaquim Monchique, Manuel Marques and Eduardo Madeira, which was later included in the DVD "Estado De Graça - Best Of, Vol. 1".
In 2011 the band was invited by Portuguese director Tiago Pereira to be a part of the "A Música Portuguesa A Gostar Dela Própria" project, which consists in an online music video archive created by Tiago Pereira and Joana Barra Vaz to demonstrate the diversification of Portuguese music. The videos were shot outdoor in strange places, completely disconnected from the artists' sound. Holocausto Canibal was the first metal band to be featured in this project, participating with the song "Gorgasmos - Orgásmicos Espasmos Gore" from their first album and in February 2012 this song was shown in a report about this project in the "Telejornal" TV show.
The video for the first single, "Objectofilia Platónica", was premiered at the national TV show Curto Circuito on November 22, 2012.

Current lineup

Holocausto Canibal released four full-lengths, two EPs, three splits, one compilation, one demo and participated in numerous tribute albums released all over the world. Their releases were widely distributed through more than 14 different labels from countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Portugal, United States, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Mexico, Austria, among others.
The full-lengths are "Gonorreia Visceral", "Sublime Massacre Corpóreo", "Opusgenitalia" and "Gorefilia", while "Visceral Massacre Memorabilia" was a compilation of the first two albums with previous unreleased material.
They released the "Compêndio de Aversões" tape EP consisting of previously unreleased covers, and "Larvas ", an EP containing four new songs, six live tracks recorded at the Obscene Extreme Fest 2013 and three remixes of songs from "Gorefilia".
The band also released three splits, being the first one with Italian grinders Grimness 69 in 2003, and the second with Mixomatosis. The third split was released exclusively at the Extremefest in 2013 and rapidly sold out.
Being very active in compilation appearances, Holocausto Canibal participated in numerous tributes to bands such as Dead Infection, Cock and Ball Torture or the Portuguese punk rock stars Mata-Ratos.

Studio albums