Brazilian heavy metal is gaining international recognition by incorporating elements of nature, the ancient Tupi language and the cangaço into its music.
Two Brazilian albums rank among the year's top 20 on Rate Your Music: No Ritmo da Terra, by Rio de Janeiro artist Lua Viana and her project Antropoceno, and Caminhos de Água, by Brasília musician Caio Lemos of Kaatayra. Meanwhile, the Paraíba-based band Papangu, praised by Britain's The Guardian, is scheduled to perform 16 concerts in ten European countries this August.These artists blend heavy rock and various heavy metal styles with references to waterfalls, birds, the cangaço, Afro-Brazilian rhythms and religions, as well as Indigenous philosophy and languages. Influenced by Indigenous thinker Ailton Krenak, Lua Viana combined Candomblé, electric guitars and field recordings of birdsong on her album, released by the U.S. label Longinus Recordings.
Caio Lemos of Kaatayra plays black metal infused with acoustic guitars and Afro-Brazilian rhythms. "We're Brazilian—there's no escaping that," he said. "At parties and gatherings there's always samba and axé. It's part of who we are. Mixing that with black metal, which is European, comes naturally."
