Ratos de Porão

Ratos de Porão(Portuguese for "Basement Rats") is a Brazilian d-beat/crossover thrash band from São Paulo . They have been around since the early 80's and have toured South America, North America, and Europe. They still continue to play today.

Lead singer João Benedan (better known as João Gordo) has been one of the most well-known VJs on MTV Brasil.

Early Days

Ratos de Porão, or simply RxDxPx was formed in the beginning of the 80's, around the Brazilian (São Paulo city) gang punk scene (side to side of bands such as Cólera, Inocentes, Garotos Podres, Lobotomia, Olho Seco etc). Directly influenced by the UK 82 hardcore bands such as Discharge, G.B.H., Varukers and the Scandinavian scene of bands as Anti-Cimex, Kaaos among others, they started to "play" their "hate" about the society and their sound was one of the most rough of the scene (because other bands such as Cólera and Garotos Podres were more 'punk' sound then 'hardcore').

Their first album was released in 1983 and was named "Crucificados pelo sistema" Lp. Released on Ataque Frontal label, a really fast hardcore album, that became a classic in every punk collection in the world. The line up was João Gordo (vocals), Mingau (guitar - later in many punk and pop bands in Brazil), Jabá (bass) and Jão (drums). But soon after that, with the fall of the São Paulo punk scene (because of the violent gangs of punks), the band split up and was accused of "selling out", because they were listening to metal bands like Venom (in the pic of the album, João Gordo appears with a Venom shirt).

Crossover and Thrash

In 1985, RxDxPx came back, but with a different line up and view. They brought thrash metal to their music, based on bands such as Slayer, Exodus, Kreator and hardcore bands around the world that were becoming more thrash metal too, like D.R.I., English Dogs, G.B.H., Agnostic Front among others (including Brazilian bands like Lobotomia and Armagedom). Jão was introduced in the guitar works and Spaghetti (an old punk, now a thrasher friend) was on the drums and they released on Baratos Afins label the "Descanse Em Paz" Lp.

So, they became friends with metal acts, such as long time RxDxPx fans Sepultura and other bands of the Brazilian 80's metal scene, like Korzus, Anthares, etc. After that, they consolidated the thrash metal on their songs with their third studio Lp called "Cada Dia Mais Sujo e Agressivo" in 1987 (Baratos Afins Records), which had an English version called "Dirty and Aggressive" (that they say that their English was so horrible that all native English speakers would laugh at their translated lyrics). But they still had the D-beat drum tempos.

In 1989, they got a contract with Roadrunner Records (thanks to Igor Cavalera of Sepultura who showed a tape to the executives of the label) and they went to Germany to record what become one of the best crossover albums of that time (alongside with 1987 D.R.I.'s Crossover), the album "Brasil". With the great production of Harris Johns (of Voivod and Tankard fame), the album put the band to another level, thrashy and technical riffs, fast drums with the aggressive vocals of João Gordo. Again with Harris Johns, in 1990 they come back to Germany to record the last album with the classic line up (João Gordo, Jão, Jabá and Spaghetti), and called the album Anarkophobia, that received some negative (for been too much thrash metal) and positive (for been too thrash metal). The fact is, that the songs were more technical and complex with long lengh, in 4:00 minutes. But this album gave them much exposure on the metal and hardcore scene around the world.

But in the mid of 1991 year, they had their first change in the line-up for years, the drummer Spaghetti left the band for having "been tired of the musical life". They tested a lot of drummers (Beto Silesci from the thrash metal band Korzus, but they said that he left the RxDxPx sound "too much 'metal'") and in his place entered a drummer called Boka, who used to play in a crossover band based in the city of Santos beach, called Psychic Possessor. In 1992, the band followed with their first official live album, called just "Ao Vivo", with video clip for the song "Aids, Pop, Repressão" receiving heavy air play on "Furia Metal" of M.T.V. (the Brazilian version of Headbanger's Ball).

Between the decline of the thrash scene, they entered under tension and particular problems (Jabá left the band and they had a heavy drug problem) in studio in 1994 to record their only 'all lyrics in English' album, called Just Another Crime In Massacreland. The album suffered a thin production and a low promotion by the label, and it was a hard time in RxDxPx life.

Return to the punk rock and hardcore

After the depart of Jabá, the band had a lot of bass players and the band entered in studio to record an album only with punk and hardcore covers called Feijoada Acidente?, a joke with the Guns N' Roses album "The Spaghetti Incident?" ("Feijoada" is a traditional food from Brazil, based on beans and pork). This album has two versions; one covering only Brazilian bands such as Olho Seco, Lobotomia, Garotos Podres, among others; and one covering only non-Brazilian bands such as G.B.H., Black Flag, Anti-Cimex, Minor threat, among others. Between those times, played bass Walter Bart (who used to play in a punk band called "Não Religião") and "Pica Pau", who stayed in the band until 1999.

As an album of "come back" times to hardcore and Portuguese lyrics, they released in 1997, the album Carniceria Tropical, and the band came back to the "success" that they had. In same year, João Gordo started to work as VJ of MTV Brasil.

In 1999 joined the band, the bassist Cristian "Fralda", who used to play in the punk rock band "Blind Pigs", and they entered in studio to re-record their first album, and called this album Sistemados Pelo Crucifa (an joke-anacronism with the original name "Crucificados Pelo Sistema"). The front cover was designed by the Korzus bass player Dick.

The come back to Crossover

In 2002, they released the Onisciente Coletivo album, and came back to be more friendly with thrash metal, mixing the 80's with 90's faces. The bassist Cristian "Fralda" left to join the old hardcore/crossover/thrash band Lobotomia. In his place entered an old underground musician, the bass player Paulo Júnior, who still plays with his hardcore band called "Discarga".

Recently, they released the album called "Homem Inimigo Do Homem" and are promoting it.

Line-up

• João Gordo (João Francisco Benedan) — Lead Vocals (1983—)
• Jão (João Carlos Molina Esteves) — Guitar (1981—)
• Boka (Maurício Alves Fernandez) — Drums (1991—)
• Juninho (Paulo Sergio Sangiorgio Júnior) — Bass (2004—)

Former members (incomplete)

• Betinho (Roberto Massetti) — Drums (1981–1991);
• Mingau (Rinaldo Amaral) — Guitar (1982), now playing bass in the rock/pop band called Ultraje a Rigor;
• Jabá (Jarbas Alves) — Bass (1981–1993);
• Walter Bart — Bass (1993–1994);
• Pica-Pau (Rafael) — Bass (1995–1999);
• Phú — Bass (1999);
• Fralda (Christian Wilson) — Bass (2000–2004), now in Lobotomia;
• Betão (Roberto Sileci) - Drums (1991), drummer of Korzus in the 80's;

Discography

Compilations

• O começo do fim do mundo (1982) (live album, compilation)
• Sub (1982) (compilation)
• Ataque sonoro (1985) (compilation)
• Periferia — 1982 (1999) (compilation)
• Só crassicos (2000) (compilation)
• South America In Decline (2000) (compilation)

Official Albums

• Crucificados pelo sistema (1984)
• Descanse em paz (1986)
• Cada dia mais sujo e agressivo / Dirty and aggressive (1987)
• Brasil (1989) (English/Portuguese)
• Anarkophobia (1991) (English/Portuguese)
• Just another crime in massacreland (1994)
• Feijoada acidente? - Covering Brazilian bands(1995)
• Feijoada acidente? - Covering non-Brazilian bands(1995)
• Carniceria tropical (1997)
• Sistemados pelo crucifa - Re-recording of the songs of the first album (2000)
• "Guerra Civil Canibal" (2001)
• Onisciente coletivo (2002)
• Homem inimigo do homem (2006)

Live Albums

• Ratos de Porão/Cólera ao vivo (1985) (live)
• RDP ao vivo (1992) (live)
• Ao vivo no CBGB (2003) (live)

External links

• Ratos de Porão's Homepage