M. Punk, André Gubber

SIEGRID INGRID

After more than 20 years of absence, SIEGRID INGRID, a quintet that mixes hardcore, Thrash Metal, Punk Rock, Death Metal and Grindcore, is back for one more round. As a living legend of the Metal scene of São Paulo, “Back From Hell”, their third and latest full-length shows the same furious and caustic form of music that earned the quintet its fame. And we had the opportunity to talk with them.

By "Metal Mark" Garcia

• May 9, 2024

From Hell and back to deafening ears

interview at

First of all, I’d like to thank you for interview. The first one is simple: why the band stopped after the release of “The Corpse Falls”? What happened for such long hiatus? Or such ‘disappearing’ is just an idea, because the band was active an no one knew?

M. Punk: Basically, we couldn’t live together anymore, we couldn’t organize ourselves, we couldn’t rehearse and do a plan, things that a band should certainly do.

I didn’t show up for rehearsals anymore, I couldn’t perform at gigs like I used to, and it was all due to my addiction to heavy drugs. It gradually alienated me from people and there came a time when my bandmates couldn’t live with it either. Our relationship fell apart over the years and unfortunately we had to stop. The band was no longer active. Some ex-members went on to careers in other bands, others quit, and I continued a long struggle to get rid of the drug addiction.

In this comeback, the band has on drums Herbert Loureiro. How he came to the band? And can we assume that his playing influence on the material heard on “Back From Hell”? And by the way, his artwork is truly great, fitting on the band’s music and lyrics.

André Gubber: After our former drummer Evandro Junior retired and left the band in 2020, we started looking for someone who could join us, and that’s when Herbert got in touch with us and everything happened very quickly and productively. He had a big influence on the final result, bringing energy and new musical influences to the band. As for the album cover, it’s just a portrait of the sonic chaos that is part of this work.

It’s a bit strange to some older fans, because the name of SIEGRID INGRID was usual to see it on magazines and zines during the 90s. To be honest, back then, you could be considered a bet for the next greater name of Brazilian scene on those days. Is this a reality, or are there things that we don’t know from those days?

Punk: Yes, you’re right! We were a very active band in the 90s. We had a very full schedule, and we were really an underground band with lots of shows and appearances on radios, festivals and even TV programs like MTV Brasil, for example. We didn’t think much about being a big Metal band, it was all very intense and we did things on impulse and according to the opportunities that arose. It’s hard to say how far we could have gone, but certainly, if we had stayed active, producing and performing with the same intensity, we would certainly have achieved much greater visibility.

Now, let’s focus our attentions on “Back From Hell”: do you see a continuity of what was shown on “Pissed Off” and “The Corpse Falls”, or do you learned some new tricks? In other words, were there points where you think the band evolved?

Gubber: I think we’ve matured, we’re more experienced and we’re at a different point in our lives. The world has also changed, and every time it becomes a more dangerous and worse place for all of humanity, which has certainly inspired us. As far as the music is concerned, we just thought we’d make enough disturbing and violent music to maintain our tradition and to show people that we still have a strong link with the underground, with our roots.

“Back From Hell”, was produced, mixed and mastered by Michel Oliveira at Sputnik Studio. What are the reasons for choosing him for the production and the studio for the recordings? Or was it just a coincidence? And by the way, the result is amazing: it’s the old and good ‘ghetto stench’ of Hardcore and Thrash Metal aligned that boosted the natural aggressiveness of your music.

Gubber: I already knew Michel Oliveira’s work with other bands and also with his musical projects (he’s also a great guitarist). The first time we worked together was recording the single “Damned Conviction” in 2020 so we thought it would be nice to work with him again because he understands our proposal and knows the sound we want to have as a final result. It’s worth mentioning that he also produced the music video for the song “Nojo”.

Another feature of “Back From Hell” that calls the attention is some lyrics on Portuguese. The main reason is why using such feature? Don’t you think that some foreign fans can have difficulties to deal with them?

Punk: In fact, we’ve always had songs in Portuguese on our albums. In 1989 the band released the EP “The Choice” which contained the song “Enéas”, a satire on the political campaign of the candidate Enéas Carneiro. On “The Corpse Falls”, we have the song “Demência”, with lyrics about someone in a daze, desperate for a cure without knowing if it will actually happen. On “Back from Hell”, however, we intended to go deeper into the lyrics, both in English and in Portuguese, but the songs we chose to keep in Portuguese have a more direct message that we would like to be absorbed mainly by Portuguese speakers. “Nojo” (“Disgust”), “Templo dos Vermes” (“Temple of Worms”) and “Drásticas Consequências” (“Drastic Consequences”) are caustic messages, without subjectivity and which portray our vision of themes such as human relationships and religious alienation.

There are some very special guests appearing on “Back From Hell”: Rohh Krammer Schroder on “Never Again”, Henrique Fogaça on “Fuck! I Hate You”, and Mayara Puertas on “Dead Inside”. How the idea of having them on the album came to you?

Punk: I was in the Dual Noise studio recording some vocal lines and Rohh (NEPHALL) was there, and as soon as I saw him I invited him and he agreed on the spot!!! He has a very powerful voice and his participation was very important for the song “Never Again”. For the song “Dead Inside” we thought we’d have a woman sharing the vocals because the lyrics are about domestic violence against women, something that is unfortunately very common in our country. We invited Mayara Puertas (TORTURE SQUAD) and she was very helpful and her interpretation made this song one of the best on our album. Fogaça (OITÃO) has been a partner and friend for a long time. The song “Fuck I Hate You” has a more direct feel, with hints of Hardcore and his participation was very cohesive with this proposal. We just have to thank each and every one of them, who in their own way contributed to a great end result.

There are two videos for promoting the album: the lyric video for “Never Again”, and the official one for “Nojo”. How the songs were chosen to become videos? And the choice for a black and white approach on “Nojo” seems to boost the aggressive and nasty appeal of the song.

Gubber: We chose a song in English and another in Portuguese because we thought it would be a good way to introduce the band after so long. “Never Again” was the natural choice for our lyric video because it reflects our musical identity and is very aggressive and fast. We chose “Nojo” for the music video and thought of a more raw and simple aesthetic, but with images that were in sync with the intensity of the music and lyrics.

However, we’re still going to release new videos to promote other songs.

“Back From Hell” was officially released on past November, so how are things working with it? How is the feedback from fans (old and new ones) from Brazil and outside of the country? And was it released on physical media? If yes, how can the fans buy one copy?

Gubber: Yes, the feedback we’re getting is very positive and we’re very excited about the comments people are making about this album, so we’ve concluded that all the effort is paying off. We know that we still have a lot of work ahead of us in terms of promoting this album, but we believe that our return (especially to the stage) will make a difference in this process. “Back from Hell” was also released in physical format (CD), as a collaborative result of eleven labels that joined us. People can buy it online and with the band at gigs and on our social networks, it is well spread among smaller labels and also on larger, traditional ones like Cogumelo Records, for example.

By the way, it seems that “Pissed Off” and “The Corpse Falls” were re-released. What are the differences from the new releases from the previous ones? Bonus tracks or anything in this way?

Punk: You right, our first album “Pissed Off” (1995) was recently re-released by Tumba Records with a Digipack version containing a Demo and other live tracks recorded in 1996, in total 10 bonus tracks, plus a DVD with two performances in São Paulo that took place in 1995 and 1996.

The re-release of the album “The Corpse Falls” (1999) is being negotiated with the label that released it at the time (Cogumelo Records) and we hope to have good news later this year.

This past March, you were on radio program “Pegadas de Andreas Kisser” at 89 FM radio. How was the reception from people to SIEGRID INGRID on it? And things grew since them to the band?

Punk: Absolutely! It’s always a great opportunity to be able to share our music on an important radio station, especially when it’s presented by a world Heavy Metal idol. As a result, we’ve always had a great reception and new people getting to know SIEGRID INGRID.

And how about live shows? Back in the 90s, you were a name that continuously was making shows. And how are things working now? Do you have plans to play outside of São Paulo, and even from Brazil? And be sure: Punk is a tanned leather man, nothing can kill this guy (laughs).

Gubber: Yes, Punk is a tough nut to crack (laughs), and he’s been preparing for this comeback for a long time. We’re ready, and we’re going to return to the stage with the same intensity as before. It’s going to be destructive and explosive!

Well, we’re about to end. Once more I thank you for the interview, and please leave your message to the readers of Metal Temple and your fans.

Gubber: We would like to thank Metal Temple for the opportunity to tell a little about our history and, of course, invite the readers to listen to our albums and follow us on social media. Thank you very much!

Instagram: https://instagram.com/siegridingrid.official
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SiegridIngridofficial
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siegridingridofficial497
E-mail: siegridingrid@yahoo.com