À conversa com Sandra Oliveira dos Blame Zeus

À conversa com Sandra Oliveira dos Blame Zeus

by lookmagpt Dezembro 5, 2025 215 Views

Quinze anos de história e uma energia que continua a incendiar os palcos: é este o universo dos Blame Zeus, e quem nos guia por ele é a própria Sandra Oliveira, a voz que dá corpo e alma à banda. Nesta entrevista, Sandra abre as portas dos bastidores e leva-nos numa viagem pela trajetória do grupo, desde os primeiros acordes até aos concertos que celebram este marco tão especial.

Falámos sobre cada disco, sobre o processo criativo, as histórias por trás das músicas e os desafios que transformaram os Blame Zeus numa referência do rock português. E, claro, não podíamos deixar de abordar os concertos de celebração dos 15 anos, que prometem momentos únicos, cheios de emoção e energia contagiante para os fãs que acompanharam cada capítulo desta aventura. Uma conversa imperdível para todos os que querem conhecer de perto a essência de uma banda que continua a inspirar.

Mais conversas para ver aqui.

Tags : À conversa com, BLAME ZEUS

Roger Andersson (Suicide Records) about “In In the Loving Memory of You”: “The most important message is this: you are not alone!”

In In the Loving Memory of You, Roger Andersson personal grief into music and concrete action. Driven by devastating losses — of friends, family members, and loved ones — he created a project that goes beyond a traditional album: it is a tribute, a call to open conversations about mental health, and a practical initiative to support suicide prevention in Sweden, with 100% of profits going to the organization Suicide Zero. By Sandra Pinto In this interview, Andersson, Suicide Records founder, discusses how grief became a creative force, the importance of bringing together artists from different countries around such a sensitive topic, and the role of music not just as art, but as real emotional support that can save lives. He shares his own experiences with mental health and substance abuse, the care taken in curating the album, and the dedication to every detail of the project, highlighting the solidarity and empathy alive in today’s music scene. The title In the Loving Memory of You is deeply emotional. At what point did you realize this project needed to exist — and that it needed to carry exactly this tone? Mental illness has been a constant presence throughout my life — in myself, within my family, and among close friends. Over the years, several people I’ve loved have died from suicide or overdoses. In December 2022, I learned that the son of a close friend had taken his own life. Three months later, my brother-in-law died the same way. Nine months after that, my daughter’s uncle passed away from an overdose. After that last loss, something shifted in me. I felt a strong need to do something tangible — not just to process my own grief, but to help create more open conversations around mental illness and to raise money for a Swedish organization dedicated to suicide prevention. What form that effort would take became clear almost immediately. Music has always been a vital part of my life, especially during difficult times, and since I run a record label, it felt natural that the project should live through music. It was also essential to me that it carried real emotional weight — the kind of intensity, grief, and love that surfaces when someone close to you is suddenly gone. That’s when I knew not only that the project needed to exist, but that it had to carry exactly this tone. You mention that after three devastating losses, “there was no other path.” How did transforming such profound grief into concrete action affect your own healing process? From the very beginning, turning my grief into action gave me energy and direction at a time when everything else felt overwhelming. It became a way to process and organize my thoughts and emotions around the loss of these three people. I lived and breathed the project—there wasn’t a single day when I wasn’t talking or emailing someone about it—and through that constant engagement, I was also able to openly discuss mental health, grief, and suicide. That ongoing dialogue didn’t just move the project forward; it became an essential part of my own healing. Sweden is often seen as a country with high social well-being, yet suicide rates tell a different story. Why do you think it’s still so difficult to speak openly about this issue? Even in a country like Sweden, where social well-being is generally high, many people don’t know who to turn to or how to begin conversations about their inner struggles. Often, you can’t fully explain why you feel bad—you just do—and that makes it even harder to speak up. There’s also a strong tendency not to burden others with your issues and carry things alone. Over time, that silence allows the weight to grow heavier, until it becomes too much to bear. Why was it important for you that 100% of the profits go to Suicide Zero, and how do you see the organization’s role in preventing suicides? From the start, it was obvious that as much money as possible—and ultimately 100% of the profits—should go to Suicide Zero, because this project was never meant to be a conventional record release. It had a clear purpose beyond the music itself. Suicide Zero plays a crucial role in suicide prevention in Sweden by working on multiple levels: raising awareness, identifying gaps in society, and spreading practical knowledge that can save lives. Their work ranges from influencing policymakers and other key social actors to offering concrete suicide-prevention training for both professionals and the general public. By equipping people with the tools to recognize risk and act in time, they help turn concern into action. Every suicide is one too many, and supporting Suicide Zero felt like a meaningful way to contribute to real, long-term change. The album brings together 16 bands from different countries and styles. How did you curate the lineup and communicate with the artists around such a sensitive theme? Early on, I had a clear vision of creating a double vinyl that brought together many bands, divided into two complementary sides: one heavier and noisier, and the other calmer and more restrained. Even with that contrast, the theme remained dark and heavy throughout, which helped create a strong common thread across the entire project. The lineup came together organically. Some of the bands are friends or acquaintances whom I approached directly, explaining the purpose of the project and asking if they wanted to be part of something meaningful. Others were artists I deeply admire, and I simply reached out to them with the same honesty. Because the cause was clear and handled with respect, the conversations around the sensitive theme felt natural and open, and the artists connected to it in their own ways. Skitsystem’s participation, releasing their first new song in 18 years, was a milestone. What does this symbolize to you within the context of the project? Skitsystem’s participation carries deep personal and symbolic meaning for me. Fredrik is a close friend, and were present when our mutual friend’s …
REDIVIDER: “The musical ideas and technique follow a strict framework to project dark and aggressive themes in music”

Emerging from Louisville’s vibrant metal scene, REDIVIDER has quickly made a name for themselves with a sound that’s both brutal and meticulously crafted. Founded in 2021 by lead guitarist Paul Nunavath and vocalist Jacob Spencer, the band blends relentless aggression with intricate songwriting, drawing inspiration from death metal pioneers like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and Death—yet forging a distinct identity all their own. Their debut full-length, Sounds of Malice, delves into themes of death, decay, mythology, and high fantasy, delivering a cohesive narrative across tracks that range from crushingly heavy to introspectively melodic. With an approach that combines technical precision, storytelling, and live-performance energy, REDIVIDER has already begun turning heads in the underground scene. By Sandra Pinto In this exclusive interview, Paul Nunavath shares insights into the creation of Sounds of Malice, the band’s songwriting process, the influences that shape their sound, and what lies ahead for REDIVIDER as they continue to push the boundaries of death metal. Sounds of Malice is your debut full-length. How does it feel to release such an intense and mature album at this stage in your career? I am very excited about the release and absolutely thrilled to share it with everyone. This marks a very important milestone for REDIVIDER and I. Although the album doesn’t follow a strict concept, there’s a clear narrative about death, mythology, and decay. How did you ensure cohesion across the tracks? The musical ideas and technique follow a strict framework to project dark and aggressive themes in music. Intricacy melded with simplicity was the recipe. Songs like Quartered and Devoured and Fratricide draw inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons and Elder Scrolls. How important is fantasy to your songwriting and imagery? The lyrical concept inspired off of high fantasy isn’t explicitly conveyed in most of the lyrics. It’s all open to interpretation and that is one of the things I absolutely love about Jacob’s work. The ideas do help during the initial creative process of visualization. Shackled to Existence is your longest, most introspective track. How did you balance slower, melodic passages with extreme intensity? I believe that naturally came from years of playing songs by ‘Death’ and my true admiration for Chuck Schuldiner. The instrumental Bask in the Rot is slow and crushing, reflecting its grotesque theme. How did writing a track around Jacob Spencer’s vocal rhythm shape the composition? It was a lot of fun and also challenging to create an interesting thick layer of sound around the vocal pattern without mimicking. Jacob’s ideas helped shape the grimy and rawness my riffs project in this song and also helped with the overall structure. How did REDIVIDER come together in 2021, and what was your initial vision for the band’s sound? Jacob, Travis (ex-bassist) and I were in another project and we jammed a few times but that ended up dying. Late winter of 2020, I reached out to Jacob and he quickly resonated with the idea of writing Death Metal music with me. The vision we had was to create music that is driving and aggressive; paired with subtle intricacy. Naturally we had Travis on Bass and then early 2021 we recruited guitarist Jake Atha and Tyler Lewis (ex-Drummer). You cite influences like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Death, and Gorguts. How did you build your own identity without simply copying these legends? Those influences are embedded into my playing style and it was quite the task to create our own identity. But the mindset of viewing that as a strength and self-awareness were important for the writing process. What does your songwriting process look like, do riffs, lyrical ideas, or live jam sessions come first? Death metal has a lot of rhythmic value and I imagine drums and time signatures when writing riffs. Lyrical ideas help me visualize the atmosphere I intend to create. The album was recorded at two studios and mixed by Paul Nunavath. How was the experience of producing your own sound? We overcame a few obstacles that hindered the production at first and it taught us a lesson or two. In my books there is no room for cutting corners and we cannot compromise with the weight and character we wanted to bring to the table. So I took over the mixing duties. Producing on our own gave us freedom to make some well informed decisions. Also we are extremely happy with the transparent mastering of the album, by the legend Mr. Dan Swano, who took it to the next level. Many songs explore death, decay, addiction, and ritual. How autobiographical are the lyrics, and how much is purely fantastical? None of the lyrics are autobiographical or shared experiences of any of the band members. Lyrically all songs are inspired from high fantasy. Jacob Spencer aspires to be an excellent story teller like Ronnie James Dio. Sounds of Malice is both brutal and structured. How do you balance sonic aggression with lyrical storytelling? That’s deep and a huge challenge and I’m still learning how to effectively strike that balance. However, for this album, we’ve been successful in focusing on tension when building the atmosphere. Is there a track that most directly reflects your state of mind while writing the album? Hard to pick one. But if I must, it will be the title track ‘Sounds of Malice’. You wrote the album with live performance in mind. What kind of reaction do you hope to see from audiences on stage? We hope to exchange the intensity and energy of our music with our audience. Rage with us and show us how it makes you feel. We have a killer scene for Metal in Louisville and our shows here get pretty rowdy to say the least. How does the band prepare to translate the album’s intensity to a live setting? Do any parts of the record change or adapt when performed live? We rehearse all parts exactly as they’re written and recorded. Our live performances of these songs do not deviate from that. The only changes …
Octavian Winters: “We’re all listening and reacting to each other and as the song starts to evolve, the result is something special”

Formed in San Francisco in late 2022, Octavian Winters fuses ethereal post-punk textures with the energy of classic death rock. What began as casual jam sessions quickly grew into a collaborative force, with Randy Gzebb, Stephan Salit, Ria Aursjoen, and Jay Denton crafting a cinematic, urban sound. By Sandra Pinto Their debut album, Saints of Absolution, produced by William Faith, captures intensity, beauty, and unpredictability, while their live shows and visual collaborations bring the music to life in striking, immersive ways. When, where and how was Octavian Winters formed? Give us a short biography of the band. RANDY GZEBB: OW was formed late 2022 in San Francisco in the middle of the Pandemic. During the first months of Covid, I started working up some drum grooves for a future project and I ran into my former bandmate, Stephan. I asked him over to jam for fun and we had such a good time we kept meeting every week or so. After a couple of sessions we started coming up with some cool ideas that we recorded, and I sent those to Ria to see what she thought. I only knew her as a keyboard player, I had no idea at that point that she was a singer too. She liked what she heard and came over to jam with us – this was January or February of 2022. After a month of working together I invited Jay, whom I worked with in a past project. Momentum happened fairly quickly – everyone started adding their parts to the new ideas and songs began to take shape. There was a real natural progression with the tracks falling together without a lot of back and forth. Why did you decide to name the band “Octavian Winters”? STEPHAN SALIT: It was in the midst of lockdown, and it was uncharacteristically quiet as one might guess. I live very close to a micro park that’s called Patricia’s Green at Octavia Blvd. I was playing with the idea of using Octavian and the Fall season for many reasons but then Winter rolled around. The idea of Octavian Winters fits with a time of the dying of the year, and the returning of the sun. You play in a post-punk style, where ethereal textures combine with classic death rock energy. Would you agree with this description? What’s the key to blending so many influences without losing your identity? STEPHAN SALIT: Those elements all float around in our collective pasts, with all of us having played in various bands for several decades… but I am not one to want to follow a formula when it comes to writing. What starts as strands of melody or breath of texture just flows into a place of gathering and something new is born. We each bring our own voices to this place, like different colors on canvas, and created a vision for others to interpret. Since we aren’t setting out to “be” something specific or to meet the idea of a particular image or genre, I think our identity will always remain distinct and authentic. How is a typical Octavian Winters song composed? RIA AURSJOEN: It really varies! There is no template. Usually one of us brings up an idea in rehearsal, a riff or a groove, and we feel it out by jamming on it together. It’s usually clear with this first jam whether or not a song has potential – you can feel it, there is something there, and we don’t want to stop playing it. We’ll record those jams, and from there I’ll usually take them home and see what vocal lines they suggest to me. This will give us an idea of how we might section the song, and structure it, and once we have it in a rough format with a good groove and tempo we can start to explore all the harmonic possibilities. There have been a couple of songs I’ve brought in whole cloth, but even with those the rest of the band are creating their own parts around the structure and melody, so it’s always a collaborative effort ultimately. Some songs fall together effortlessly and some take months to hammer into shape, it’s hard to predict. The debut album was produced by William Faith. What was the most valuable insight he brought to the sessions? RANDY GZEBB: William brought a calm and deliberate presence to the creative process, providing a sense of stability and efficient progress without the stress of urgency. Such a change from other producers we’ve each worked with in the past. These were some of the best productive sessions I’ve personally ever worked on and I think the rest of the band feels the same. How would you describe the emotional landscape of the full album arriving in early 2026? RIA AURSJOEN: It feels… beautiful, intense, exciting, and maybe a little scary, especially because the whole world feels so shifted off kilter right now. But if I had to describe the feeling, it would be this: it is when ocean waves swell and build as they come towards the beach, rising until they are crested and almost breaking. I feel like we are in that ocean swell right now, and the album release will be the crest – and after that the momentum of that wave breaking will be powerful and move us into our next era. Your sound feels both cinematic and deeply urban. How does San Francisco shape your creative identity? JAY DENTON: First off I love San Francisco, it’s where I’ve experienced Art and Music since I was young and draws all kinds of creative people to it. San Francisco is very cinematic — film noir and Hitchcock , the Maltese Falcon and Vertigo — dark stories set against timeless backdrops. Black & white film, silent movie nights at the Castro theater or something avant-garde at the Roxie. It’s magical. There’s also the diversity in people, culture and ideas from around the world converging here, not to mention …
Anti-Sapien: “Most of the music just kind of flows out without alot of effort initially, then we refine it bit by bit”

At the Mercy of the Merciless, the latest EP from ANTI-SAPIEN, was forged on the road, blending raw aggression with sharp political commentary and deeply personal reflection. Written and road-tested live over months, the record captures the intensity of the band’s live performances while confronting addiction, societal collapse, and systemic injustice head-on. With influences ranging from crust punk and D-beat to death metal and slam, ANTI-SAPIEN balances blistering riffs, visceral vocals, and dark humor to deliver music that is as thought-provoking as it is cathartic. By Sandra Pinto In this interview, the band opens up about the creative process, the role of humor and grotesque imagery in addressing serious themes, and the ideological backbone that drives both their music and their community on stage. At the Mercy of the Merciless was written on the road and deals with themes of personal damage and systemic rot. How did writing while touring influence the intensity and focus of the songs? Alot of the songs were written and played live in the set for months if not a year or two before recording. This gave us the time to let the songs breathe and kind of become a more finished product on their own. Rehearsing and recording are very different from pulling it off live, especially for us cause we like to run around on stage and have a good time. Having the songs dialed in a live setting gave them their own intensity, and kind of defined each song a bit more to have their own identity. Writing on the road just forces the entire band to bring their best to the table. The title track shifts from personal vices to societal collapse, tackling algorithmic isolation and inequality. How do you balance political critique with the energy and immediacy of your music? Most of us have a bit of a punk rock background so political critique is in our musical DNA. From Mozart to hippies to hip hop, music has always been a critique of established and systemic injustices. It just comes naturally for us, and its like shooting fish in a barrel when both sides of our government are abusive war mongering bastards. Fast, angry straight forward music is a great medium for screaming about how much you hate something; and we HATE hate. Which is what we are fed daily by the 1%. Tracks like “Old Drugs” and “Eater of Ghosts” explore addiction and personal loss of control. How do you approach writing lyrics that are both empathetic and brutal? I think this also kind of ties into our musical backgrounds a bit. I had hippy parents that taught us some pretty logical values. Humans deserve empathy; you dont know someone’s story or reasons for their actions, understanding is key; avoiding problems only makes them worse. We’ve all experienced so much loss specifically from addiction. Speaking from those experiences can be very visceral and brutal, so we dont sugar coat it. Life is brutal, but losing your empathy is worse than death. Youre a monster at that point “George Washington’s Teeth” uses historical events to comment on myth-making and social injustice. How do you choose historical or political topics for your songs? There’s so much to pick from when you start digging into the past. And sadly, many of those past atrocities are either still present if not amplified over time. Society seems to be on a loop, making the same mistakes on a cycle that winds closer each time we repeat the mistakes. 100 year cycle to 20 year cycle. Take a look around with an open heart and mind and you’ll find plenty to scream about. Across the EP, there’s a recurring tension between cathartic riffs and confrontational messages. Is that duality intentional from the start, or does it emerge naturally during songwriting? Most of the music just kind of flows out without alot of effort initially, then we refine it bit by bit. Once the music is there, ill go back listening to a practice tape and putting words together pretty quickly. The ideas stem from the riffs as far as what direction the lyrics will go. Typically angry stuff; screaming about how fucked we think the world is blah blah blah, but the aggressive nature of the riffs lend themselves to that angry voice perfectly. We never really thought about any duality between cathartic riffage and confrontational messages, but if the riffs pulls you in then you’re more likely to pay attention to any underlying message. The EP blends death metal, crust punk, D-beat, and slam influences. How do you maintain cohesion while pulling from so many extreme subgenres? I guess having decades of playing in other bands under our belts we just kind of throw everything into a blender unintentionally. Its a bit subconsciously like, “what would i want to hear a band do” and a little splash of “whats fun to play” with no regard for the listener. I suppose it’s just the combination of influences over a life of loving heavy music. Minimal studio trickery and live-style recording give the EP a raw, human feel. How important is capturing that live energy in your studio recordings? Its pretty big for us to want any fan or even casual listener to FEEL something. Dont care if its abject hatred for us lol, we just want the energy of the recording to illicit some form of emotional response in people. For us as people and as musicians, the reality of a live show is the most important part of being in a band; and we want that sense of urgency, community/belonging, and raw energy to pour out of the speakers. And hey, its honest playing and musicianship; nothing polished or stressed over to be more perfect than we are capable of as human beings. “Grinding the System” includes melodic dual guitar solos over a D-beat foundation. How do you decide when to add melody versus sticking to pure aggression? Gut feeling. And dual leads …
PAUS anunciam primeiras datas da última tour com o disco “Enterro”

Depois do lançamento do primeiro single a 28 de novembro de 2025, os PAUS revelam agora as primeiras datas da Tour Enterro, a digressão que marcará o fim de uma das bandas mais originais da cena portuguesa. O último álbum, Enterro, terá edição prevista para o primeiro trimestre de 2026 e será o ponto de partida de uma tour que percorrerá várias salas e festivais nacionais e internacionais. Formados por Hélio Morais, Makoto Yagyu, Fábio Jevelim e Quim Albergaria, os PAUS construíram uma carreira marcada pela experimentação sonora e pela capacidade de transitar entre rock, eletrónica e ritmos profundamente ligados à identidade portuguesa. Com apenas baixo, teclados e uma bateria siamesa, o quarteto lançou seis álbuns, quatro EPs e soma centenas de concertos na Europa e nas Américas. No currículo, destacam-se atuações em grandes festivais nacionais como NOS Alive, Vodafone Paredes de Coura, Super Bock Super Rock, NOS Primavera Sound e internacionais como Primavera Sound Barcelona, Le Guess Who?, SXSW ou Low Festival, entre outros. O percurso da banda começou a 29 de novembro de 2008, no número 211 da Avenida da Liberdade, e terminará oficialmente a 5 de dezembro de 2026. Entre estas duas datas, os PAUS preparam um último disco, uma última tour e um último espetáculo, oferecendo aos fãs a única oportunidade de os verem ao vivo antes do fim da banda. Makoto Yagyu, Hélio Morais, Fábio Jevelim e Quim Albergaria convidam todos a assistir a esta marcha fúnebre musical, que celebra 18 anos de carreira intensa e única. “Tragam flores”, avisam. Ainda não se sabe se será apenas uma despedida ou o encerramento de uma obra sem paralelos, mas está certo: os PAUS escreverão o seu fim com a mesma ousadia que sempre definiu a sua música.

À conversa com Sandra Oliveira dos Blame Zeus

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