And a good event only with Brazilian bands occurred on the city of Rio de Janeiro, again at Lapa (ok, I know that you're tired to read this name, but be sure to come to this part of town when coming to Brazil), this time at Rio Rock & Blues Bar, and with three legends of Brazilian scene.
 

X-RATED was the first band to enter the stage. With a classic Hard Rock from the 70's, and dirty and aggressiveness of the 80's, the quartet was formed back on 1989 when AZUL LIMÃO, METALMANIA and STRESS (three classic Metal bands from here, the first and second from Rio de Janeiro) entered hiatuses and Marcos Dantas (guitarist from AZUL LIMÃO), Luciano "Lucky Lizard" (vocalist from METALMANIA) and André Chamon (drummer from STRESS), along with the bassist Bruno Schubnel gathered forces and started X-RATED.

And now, after many years, they got back, and the show was like they never stopped. Luciano's still an excellent vocalist, sing and with good attitude on stage (but strangely, he spoke with public few times), as Marcos plays his guitar with feeling and weight. And Bruno and André showed a strong link, for they played in technical way, with a lot of groove, but with no lack of a heavy weight. The band played only music from their first album, "Shaking Like a Bad Machine", released on vinyl on 1990 (an re-released now via Urubuz Records in CD format, with bonus and an artwork done specially for this version), and how was good to hear again songs like "Striptease Boogie", "Evil Generation" and "I Wanna Beer".
 

Hope they'll keep it together; make more shows and a new album.

Setlist:
1. Realize It
2. Stripteasee Boogie
3. Blue Heart
4. Evil Generation
5. Down in my Shelter
6. I Wanna Beer
7. King of the Hill
8. Have You Heard the News
9. Face the Dog
10. Cocktail Whale Crime
11. In a Bad Mood
 

Just a little after X-RATED left the stage, the Fathers of Brazilian Heavy Metal got on the stage: STRESS, a power trio coming from Belém, on Pará. Yes, they're the frost Brazilian band to record a Heavy Metal album, back on 1982, having the name from the band and made only with 8-tracks, and after some years seeming to be dead, now they're back to charge at full force. And on the stage, they're wonderful!

Roosevelt "Bala" Cavalcante is a great frontman, even having to play his bass guitar and sing at the same time, but always smiling, sings and having great empathy with the public. Paulo Gui on guitars shows to have a very simple, but heavy and inspired, and André Chamon (yes, he got on the stage two times!) showed a very technical and heavy playing on drums.
 

The audience sang along, done a lot of slamdancing, and as well they got insane on songs like "Sodoma e Gomorra", "Heavy Metal", and "Heavy Metal é a Lei". And one of the greatest moments was when the veteran guitarist (and long time friend of the band) Marcelo Dicastro (from SANGUE DA CIDADE, another ancient band from Rio de Janeiro, focused more on a Rock and classic Hard Rock fusion) joined them to play "Coração de Metal", and the public got insane.

Closing their show, they played "A Tua Mãe é Moça?" and "Mate o Réu" (their greatest hit here in Brazil). Come again to Rio de Janeiro soon guys!

Setlist:
1. Sodoma E Gomorra
2. Heavy Metal
3. Inferno Nuclear
4. Stressencefalograma
5. Flor Atômica
6. Não Desista
7. O Lixo
8. Heavy Metal é a Lei
9. Coração de Metal
10. Brasil Heavy Metal
11. A Tua Mãe é Moça?
12. Mate o Réu
 

Finally, closing the event, was time for METALMORPHOSE come to stage. And was a pity for those who left the venue. Seeming to be a little tired (they played on the past night with PICTURE and GRIM REAPER at Teatro Odisséia), they played with full force and done a very good show. Once again, I could see how Tavinho Godoy (vocals), the guitarists PP Cavalcanti and Marcos Dantas (Yes, he played twice, as André Chamon), André Bighinzoli (bass guitar) and André Delacroix (drums) are good musicians and the band do a fine job.

They played extreme very good songs on this night, as "Cavaleiro Negro", "Jamais Desista", the excellent "Máquina dos Sentidos" and "Máscara", songs that all Metal fans must know, but as the event was more in a familiar mood, we had some presents from them: they played a new song, "Me Leve Embora" (heavier than the other ones, but without their melodic touch), a version for "Metalmania" of METALMANIA (that seemed to have Luciano from X-RATED on vocals, but he had already gone for his home at this time), and the presence of two former and founding members on the stage, the guitarists Celso Suckow and Marcelo "Brian Johnson" Ferreira, who played "Esperança Nunca Morre", and on "Minha Droga é o Metal", Marcos and PP got again on the stage, with André (the bassist) sharing the vocals with Tavinho, and PP got the bass guitar, with the public singing along the chorus. It was an amazing show.
 

Setlist:
1. Jamais Desista
2. Cavaleiro Negro
3. Máscara
4. Maldição
5. No Topo do Mundo
6. Me Leve Embora
7. Máquina dos Sentidos
8. Pelas Sombras
9. Desejo Imortal
10. Metalmania
11. Esperança Nunca Morre
12. Minha Droga é o Metal

A night for those who never forget the trials and difficulties from the 80's here in Brazil, and instead of complaining, prefer to put efforts on playing and loving to make Metal.

*Photography by Pedro Arantes