Maria Granel Archives

by lookmagpt Abril 1, 2019

Mercearia sem plástico ganha o 1.º lugar do Prémio Terre de Femmes

Eunice Maia, Ana Filipa Sobral e Joana Benzinho são as vencedoras da décima edição do Prémio Terre de Femmes, iniciativa promovida pela Fundação Yves Rocher que todos os anos distingue mulheres com projetos a favor do ambiente. Eunice Maia, uma professora minhota emprestada a Lisboa que desenvolveu o projeto ‘Maria Granel’, levou para casa o primeiro lugar do prémio. Com o objetivo de combater o desperdício alimentar e a produção de resíduos ...

Mötley Crüe celebram 40 anos de Theatre of Pain com edição de luxo imperdível

A lendária banda Mötley Crüe assinala os 40 anos do seu icónico terceiro álbum, Theatre of Pain, com uma edição limitada de luxo que será lançada a 28 de novembro, através da BMG. Lançado originalmente em junho de 1985, Theatre of Pain marcou uma nova fase para a banda: ousada na estética, explosiva musicalmente e inconfundivelmente glam de rua. Com sucessos como a cover de “Smokin’ In The Boys Room” e o hino emotivo “Home Sweet Home”, o álbum não só conquistou o público como influenciou inúmeras bandas que se seguiram. Foi o primeiro LP do grupo a atingir o Top 10 nos EUA, chegando ao #6, e teve sucesso global: #7 na Austrália e Suécia, #5 na Finlândia e #11 no Canadá, atingindo também o seu primeiro Top 40 no Reino Unido, em #36. Hoje, é certificado 4X Platina nos EUA e 3X Platina no Canadá. O single principal, “Smokin’ In The Boys Room”, foi o primeiro hit Top 20 da banda nos EUA, alcançando o #16. Já o vídeo icónico de “Home Sweet Home” foi o mais pedido na MTV durante mais de 90 dias, dando origem à famosa “Crüe Rule”, que limitava a rotação dos vídeos a 30 dias. Recentemente, a música voltou a alcançar o #1 na rádio US Classic Rock, desta vez com uma nova versão que inclui a superestrela global Dolly Parton. A edição deluxe em caixa de 4LP é um verdadeiro tesouro para fãs e colecionadores, incluindo: 1 LP do álbum original remasterizado em vinil colorido 2 LPs com um concerto ao vivo de 1985 nunca antes lançado, originalmente gravado para a rádio Westwood One, em vinil colorido 1 LP com demos raras, em vinil colorido Livro de capa dura de 76 páginas com fotografias inéditas e memórias da era Theatre Of Pain Além da edição de luxo limitada, Theatre of Pain – 40th Anniversary estará disponível em áudio standard, Dolby Atmos, CD e LP em várias versões exclusivas (incluindo Walmart, Amazon, Urban Outfitters e retalho independente). Haverá ainda uma edição em cassete limitada, disponível exclusivamente no Crüeseum. Esta reedição é uma celebração definitiva de um álbum que capturou a energia crua e o espírito de uma banda no auge da sua criatividade — uma peça indispensável para qualquer fã dos Mötley Crüe.
Projeto Vega Vault e a Sacred Bones anunciam a reedição dos álbuns de estreia de Alan Vega

O Projeto Vega Vault e a Sacred Bones Records revelaram que vão reediar os dois álbuns a solo pioneiros de Alan Vega — o seu homónimo de estreia, Alan Vega (1980), e Collision Drive — juntamente com uma edição de acompanhamento, Alan Vega Deluxe Edition. Todos os álbuns foram remasterizados a partir das fitas originais e estarão disponíveis em plataformas digitais pela primeira vez. As reedições incluem demos inéditas, fotografias nunca antes vistas e nova arte de capa, preservando a intensidade crua das gravações originais de Vega e tornando-as acessíveis a ouvintes de todo o mundo. A edição deluxe estará disponível em formato LP duplo limitado, oferecendo uma experiência completa para colecionadores e fãs. A pré-venda e pre-save dos álbuns Alan Vega, Alan Vega Deluxe Edition e Collision Drive começam hoje, com lançamento marcado para 23 de janeiro de 2026. Além das reedições, foram revelados novos vídeos e áudio remasterizado do icónico single “Ice Drummer”, realizado por Douglas Hart (The Jesus & Mary Chain), e do tema “Outlaw”, disponíveis para ouvir e partilhar. O álbum Alan Vega surgiu em 1980, na mesma época em que os Suicide lançaram o seu segundo trabalho, Suicide: Alan Vega and Martin Rev. Motivado por explorar as raízes da sua própria identidade sonora — influenciada pelo rockabilly, pelo rock ‘n’ roll e pelo seu amor duradouro por Elvis Presley — Vega dedicou-se a produzir as suas próprias canções e a apresentar-se ao vivo em concertos a solo, desenvolvendo um som distintivo. Durante este período, conheceu Phil Hawk, um jovem artista texano, cuja presença e estilo de tocar guitarra se encaixaram perfeitamente na visão minimalista de Vega. O álbum destaca a abordagem única de Vega à música: a descontrução da bateria, a combinação de sons electrónicos e acústicos gravados ao vivo, e a produção cuidadosa de cada elemento musical. Entre os temas memoráveis de Alan Vega estão “Jukebox Babe”, com o seu ritmo contagiante e estilo minimalista; “Kung Foo Cowboy”, com uma vibração sulista e influências do blues; e “Ice Drummer”, que combina vocais melódicos e comoventes com bateria marcante e um solo de harmónica elegante. Estas reedições prometem não só celebrar a visão artística singular de Alan Vega como também abrir uma porta para uma nova geração de ouvintes descobrirem o legado de um dos nomes mais inovadores da música e arte visual do século XX. Foto: Alan Vega 1980, Courtesy of Saturn Strip, LTD By Curtis Knapp
Interview with Tomas Olsson from Bloodbound about “Field of Swords”

Twenty years after the release of their debut album, Swedish power metal warriors BLOODBOUND return stronger than ever with their new record, Field Of Swords, out November 21 via Napalm Records. Known for their epic storytelling and intense performances, the band takes listeners on a journey through the medieval era, filled with bloody battles and heroes forged in iron and carbon. Their eleventh album blends the band’s signature aggression with grandiose melodies, including some of the fastest material in their career, and features a special guest appearance by Brittney Slayes from UNLEASH THE ARCHERS. In this interview, Tomas Olsson discusses the creation of the album, its historical concept, and the evolution of the band’s sound over the past two decades. ___________________________________________ Vinte anos após o lançamento do seu álbum de estreia, os suecos BLOODBOUND regressam mais poderosos do que nunca com o seu novo trabalho, Field Of Swords, lançado a 21 de novembro pela Napalm Records. Conhecidos como verdadeiros guerreiros do power metal, a banda transporta os ouvintes para uma viagem épica pelo período medieval, entre batalhas sangrentas e heróis forjados pelo ferro e pelo carbono. O seu décimo primeiro álbum combina a agressividade característica do grupo com melodias grandiosas, incluindo algumas das composições mais rápidas da sua carreira, e conta com a participação especial de Brittney Slayes, da banda UNLEASH THE ARCHERS. Nesta entrevista, Tomas Olsson fala sobre a criação deste álbum, o novo conceito histórico e a evolução do som da banda ao longo das duas últimas décadas.
Slug Boys: “The crowd evolves and becomes the sixth member of our band”

After years of building a devoted following on stage, Slug Boys have finally unleashed their debut album, LISTEN TO SLUG BOYS. Known for their chaotic live performances and genre-defying sound, the band captures raw energy and tight songwriting in a record that is as unhinged as it is precise. By Sandra Pinto From blending Norwegian, British, and Swedish influences to mixing humor with political commentary, their music reflects a unique balance of introspection, absurdity, and punk-fueled intensity. In this interview, the band discusses the recording process, the challenges of capturing their manic live energy in the studio, and the vision behind their eclectic debut. LISTEN TO SLUG BOYS is your debut album. How does it feel to finally release it after building a reputation on stage? It feels more like a relationship than a reputation. We’ve met so many who repeatedly support us and spread the word. They sing our songs, ask questions about lyrics and even make setlist demands. It’s really personal and intimate, knowing that we have the privilege of their attention, love and support. They listen at home and listen again when they leave a show. We released the album knowing it was reaching those people so it felt very communal. The album is described as unhinged yet precise. How did you balance raw energy with tight songwriting in the recording process? Our Mixer and producer, Morten, was instrumental to this. He took the time to assess the vibe for every song and let each one be its own thing within the context of the genre, still retaining some kind of overarching concept. He also gave us the time and space for us to remember that raw energy. The studio is a cold and unforgiving place at times, so he created the right energy and spirit for us to thrive. What was the biggest challenge you faced while creating the album? There were times we had more opinions than people in the room. Something so final means high stakes, a million possibilities and conflicting ideas. Nothing too deadly, mind. We usually agreed when a song didn’t sound like the version the five of us had in our heads. Personally, I got sick twice at the beginning of the recording and progressively pulled every muscle in the left side of my torso. I was on painkillers while we recorded Painkiller! Are there any particular tracks that you feel capture the essence of Slug Boys most clearly? Not at all, and we’re so happy to say that. The fact that we haven’t constrained ourselves to a single angle is a point of pride. We have a lot of creative leeway for future songs because people expect the unexpected. How does the album reflect the mix of Norwegian, British, and Swedish influences in your sound? First, I have to say that we recently got described as “scandi-brexitcore” and I love that categorisation. From a geographical perspective, we had a bunch of musical blind-spots that we just took as an opportunity to share and discover. We built our musical relationship by watching each other discover these bands. As a Brit, I’m not going to know about Bob Hund or Kvelertak. In return, I got to share Idles and Famous. Your music combines post-punk aggression with melodic hooks. Which artists or movements have been the biggest inspirations for the band?Speaking on behalf of the band: Idles for honesty, earnestness and energy, Turnstile for the atmosphere that sets a crowd alight, Viagra Boys for being a weirdo and getting away with it en masse. As a teen, I used to play Regina Spektor and System of a Down back-to-back and the boys have similar opposing influences. Frank Turner also springs to mind, a hardcore punk with a solid message who can break your heart in a single line. How do you approach blending political themes with absurdity and humor in your lyrics? I’ve known protestors of genocide who crack jokes in despair, firefighters coping using gallows humour and I’ve been to funny funerals. It feels natural to break solemnity with something else, anything else. My favourite is in Glasnost, and the whole “being flirtatious with Putin” pre-chorus, for all the homophobia, death and hate he has spread, it’s nice to do something he would despise. We also have songs on the tortures of life that neighbour a love-declaration to the Saab 900, an Elvis pastiche preceding a song about depression etc. This isn’t to trivialise these topics but to light up the dark, make certain topics more digestible and hopefully provide some form of catharsis. People need escape. The album swings from punk-fueled blasts to emotional gut-punches. How do you decide when to dial up chaos versus reflection in a song? I wish I knew. Maybe we have a general sense of pace that we subconsciously keep in balance? Magnus likes his chaos in good measure, whereas I say I want chaos the whole time, only to pour my heart out in the spaces the boys create. We’ve happened upon the practise of wrapping mayhem in meaningful messaging. During shows, people fly across the room in our most vulnerable songs. We’re fortunate that they don’t see the two opposing forces as exclusive, they allow us to have our cake and eat it. Slug Boys are known for chaotic live shows. How did you capture that manic energy in the studio? Record in your underwear. Trying to bottle that up was such a challenge but the value of screaming in your pants cannot be underemphasised. Recording was a genuinely happy time for us as a band. With Morten and Bosse, we just had good vibes and felt comfortable. I hated my take on “Why” so much that I got Kasper, our bassist, in the room just to dance, pull faces and give some sense of life in an otherwise empty room. What took me half a day before turned into two useable full takes, cheers Kasper! Have any live show experiences directly influenced songs …
Engrupid Pipol: “Tears, passion, hard work, and brotherhood of 25 years are all embodied in this album”

With nearly 25 years of experience, Engrupid Pipol has been pushing the boundaries of progressive instrumental metal, blending technical mastery with imaginative storytelling. Their latest album, Quadragenta at Finem Mundi, marks the band’s first fully conceptual work, exploring the collapse and rebirth of civilization through intricate compositions and diverse sonic textures. By Sandra Pinto In this interview, the trio discusses how they crafted a narrative without lyrics, the challenges of maintaining a live-playable trio format, and the philosophical and societal themes that inspired the music. From the incorporation of unusual instruments like the bombo legüero to the influence of cosmic alignment and AI-driven critiques, Engrupid Pipol reveal how dedication, collaboration, and nearly three decades of experience shaped one of the most ambitious projects of their career. “Quadragenta at Finem Mundi” is your first conceptual album, narrating the collapse and rebirth of civilization. How did the idea for this story come about? We wanted to do something different; we had already made two albums with songs that were not conceptually related, with diverse themes. This time, the writing process naturally led to the idea of a conceptual album. On the other hand, the theme of the album came from the feedback between our current context as a society. That's how the collapse of our society and the end of the world, as a seriously critical and playfully prophetic vision, became the concept our album needed. We imagined an Engrupid-style apocalypse, with these modern plagues, a universal reset, and the rebirth of life. The album preserves the trio format without using overdubs that can’t be performed live. What were the biggest challenges and benefits of this approach during recording? Probably the biggest challenge in maintaining the trio concept for recording the album is achieving a big, powerful surround sound without abusing overdubs and external instruments. Each instrument has to be heard clearly and has its own spatial space. Typically, on most heavy bands during guitar solos, you can hear a rhythm guitar in the background helping fill up and making the song sound nice and heavy. In our case, a second guitar does not exist. We made sure that the bass, a sometimes overlooked instrument in heavy music, sounds as powerful as possible so you can hear every little detail John Dai is playing and won’t even miss the sound of a second guitar. As for whether there is any advantage, I think that our trio format helps us sound pretty good live. Since there are no vocals, it’s even simpler. As a band, it is important to us to sound as close to the album as possible when playing live. Today, many bands overuse programmed drums, autotune, and various other ways of embellishing a product. In our case, what you hear on the album is what you will hear live. Each track explores different societal and technological themes, from consumerism to AI and nuclear war. How did you decide on the narrative order and thematic focus of each act? It was a joint effort with the band. We had the idea for a concept album, and we already had demos for three songs, but they didn’t have titles yet. So, during a night of “theoretical rehearsal,” which is what we call a meeting that involves any kind of artistic creative process, we began to design the concept for the album. That’s where the idea of an apocalypse was born. We imagined each song could represent a different concept, a warning, a reflection of our global reality, and what the modern plagues might be. Once we had all the songs composed, it was time to decide on the song titles, which, in our case, being instrumental music, are the narrative of the song, which turned out to be quite simple and intuitive. It was as if the songs were born for the concepts we needed. For the order, we knew that the album had to start with Tripel Ultimatum, which is a powerful song to open with and one of the songs that is not a “modern plague,” since the story tells of the last days of civilization, where we are the last post-apocalyptic survivors before final extinction. We also knew that the album should close with Aztral Configureited, a song that talks about the final alignment of the stars for the universal reset, and Ameba Emenens, a song that, due to its acoustic format, reflects the new beginning, without technology or electricity, just a lone amoeba. So, guided by the music and without any chronological order, we arranged our four modern plagues: Voragine, in relation to consumerism, a world without pause, pollution, etc.; Animal Inteligenz, in relation to the use of artificial intelligence and decision-making by machines and the devolution of human intellect; Inspireichon Burn, in relation to the elites, who from the shadows and mad with power, press the nuclear button. And Vairal Madness, which speaks to us of the illusion of social media, the obsession of going viral and appearing successful and happy, as well as the methods of control and surveillance that operate covertly. The use of unusual instruments like the bombo legüero and acoustic synthesizers adds depth to the album. How do you choose which sonic elements to incorporate in each piece? The choice of sound elements is something that, in most cases, comes directly from our gut. They are simply arrangements that come to my brain when I listen to the songs; they resonate within me. The introduction of the leguero bass drum in Astral Configureited was born from the influence of the music of a Chilean progressive rock band called Los Jaivas, who fused instruments and musical ideas, many of them in ¾ time, typical of the indigenous cultures of South America, with rock. On the other hand, the idea of analog synthesizers was always present, since Engrupid Pipol is a band influenced by classic progressive rock rather than modern variants. To add synthesizers, we worked with a friend of the band, Antonio Godoy, with whom we …