In a land widely known for axé, one of Brazil's most popular musical genres, Human is emerging as a powerful force. Founded by Rafael Sampaio (bass) and Níass (guitar), the band challenges the common perception that rock has no place in a country traditionally associated with more party-oriented musical genres. Rafael and Níass point out that the state of Bahia, since the days of singer Raul Seixas, has always had a vibrant rock scene, although it currently faces significant challenges, especially after the pandemic that has reduced audiences, concert venues, and festivals. However, Human sees a slow and gradual renewal, trying to unite young and old in events that revitalize the local underground scene. With a sound that transcends easy categories, incorporating elements of metal, hard rock, prog, and even acoustic guitar, Human refuses to be confined to a single style. The band's latest album, "A New Perception", emerges as a spontaneous reflection of their experiences and observations about today's society. Themes of false idolatry, misinformation, and the search for authenticity permeate their lyrics, especially on tracks like 'Clay Idols' and 'Infodemic.' Inspired by figures like Christopher McCandless, the band also explores reconnecting with nature and rejecting material values ​​in search of a simpler, more meaningful life. With upcoming tours and new projects in the works, Human continues to expand its influence and challenge expectations of what Brazilian rock can be.

Marcelo Vieira

Human comes from Feira de Santana, Bahia, right? Let's start the conversation by demystifying things for those who are not from there and tend to think that there is no rock in the land of axé. How would you describe the local underground scene? Is there really a scene? Tell us a little about bands, venues, opportunities, difficulties, etc.

Rafael Sampaio: Bahia is not only the land of axé, but since Raul Seixas, it has always been an exponent of rock. There are many bands from the most diverse styles.

As for the scene, it does exist, but, as a whole, it used to be more intense. After the pandemic, there was a reduction in the audience, venues, and festivals. It has been harder to get people out of their homes, given the many entertainment options that the internet/streaming offers. Still, we see a slow and small renewal. The challenge now is to bring together a good part of the youngsters and the old guard at the same events.

It's hard to categorize Human's sound because it has metal, hard, prog. It even has an acoustic guitar. By the way, 'Sea Of ​​Sensations' is beautiful. What is the right definition, if there is one, and what names/albums inspired and inspire the recipe for your sound?

Níass: I loved your description of our sound because we really draw a little from all these musical styles. We also have some songs with a lot of blues influence, such as 'Seekin' the Light', featured on our first EP "Leaving The Shadows".

As for a possible definition, we'll leave it to the listeners (laughs).

Let's talk now about "A New Perception". Just one read of the lyrics is enough to suspect that it's a concept album. What would you say is the thematic backdrop that ties together, if not all, then most of the songs?

Rafael: The album ended up sounding quite conceptual quite spontaneously, but it wasn't something we thought about beforehand. It was simply that when we selected the songs that would make up the album, we realized that they spoke to each other. I believe that the backdrop is the way that today's society affects us and how we can deal with it, escape imposed standards, and have an authentic existence.

'Clay Idols' criticizes false idolatry and the search for messiahs or magical solutions in a chaotic world full of hate. When you sing "There is no myth, wake up!!", it is very clear to me that you are addressing the Bolsonaro supporters and talking about the Bolsonaro (mis)government. Am I right? I would like you to comment on this, on how Brazilian politics ended up influencing, above all, this song.

Rafael: Good point, Marcelo. 'Clay Idols' was finished during the 2018 election campaigns, so it was kind of inevitable that we wouldn't touch on the subject given the discomfort that Bolsonaro and everything he represents brought us. We felt the need to express ourselves at that turbulent time for the Brazilian police.

'Infodemic' has, for me, the best lyrics on the album. The core is disinformation, but you also take a jab at the "God above all" crowd. How much did the pandemic and everything that came with it (fake news, denialism; all of this mentioned in the lyrics) affect you personally and professionally?

Rafael: Thank you, Marcelo. Just like 'Clay Idols', the lyrics for this song are a collaboration between me and Níass. 'Infodemic' was the last song to be included on the album. Months before we started working on it, I had read an article about the concept of "infodemic" and found it interesting enough to approach in a possible song. Níass had some ideas that converged, so it ended up flowing.

Once again, our discomfort and nonconformity regarding the spread of fake news, one of the main weapons of Bolsonaro's (mis)government, and denialism, motivated us to address this topic.

'A Call Of The Wild' is a tribute to Christopher McCandless. What makes him such an inspiring character for you? In your opinion, would it be possible to live in this isolation in the middle of nature, in search of peace of mind, etc., without having the same end as Christopher? What would be the first step to be taken towards this idyllic life?

Níass: So, Marcelo. I first had access to the film "Into The Wild" and then I read the book "The Call Of The Wild" by Jack London. The main message we wanted to convey was about the need for human beings to reconnect with nature, but as Christopher himself wrote "Happiness is only real when shared". In any case, it is a beautiful example of a simpler life, detached from material goods, consumerism, and status, in short, from this "dictatorship of capital".

The title track contains the album's mantra: "No patterns, no models. No rules for us, sick society!". What is the message behind these verses, which are even printed on the cover?

Níass: I think that because of characteristics like this, many people think that the album is conceptual since this part of the song 'A New Perception' is completely connected to the lyrics of 'A Call Of The Wild'. Our society is increasingly sick. Most people only value what brings financial return and status. We try in every way to go against this model. We are not minimalists, but it is an ideology that we identify with a lot. About The 'N', thanks for letting us know. We hadn't even noticed, lol. When the rush of the tour here subsides, we will analyze it calmly.

Since I mentioned the cover, let's talk about it. There are several elements: an endless road in the middle of a desert landscape, where a castle evaporates as if Thanos had snapped his fingers. Dry branches, an owl, a bull's skull. You could write a thesis of possible meanings, but what is the "official" one?

Níass: Let's start with the road representing the unknown and the eternal search for new experiences. The evaporating castle is a reference to the book "The Twilight of the Idols" by Friederich Nietzsche and the owl as a representation of the appreciation for wisdom. In short, I think that's it.

The album came out on digital platforms in 2022, but I confess that I only found out about the release after receiving the CD a couple of months ago. Was releasing the album at that time, in a way, a mistake? Like, were you able to promote it properly or do you feel that now is the time to work on the material properly?

Rafael: Actually, A New Perception was going to be an EP, but since the pandemic delayed the recording/finalization process and new ideas emerged, we decided to release a full album.

The strategy was to release the songs as singles/clips throughout 2020, but the pandemic changed our plans.

Initially, the album was going to be released only via streaming, but since part of our audience was interested in the physical material, we decided to press it.

What's on Human's radar in terms of spreading the message? Are there any upcoming shows or anything else you're working on at the moment?

Níass: We're currently doing our second tour in 2024. The first one in January was in the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo, and now we'll be touring the Northeast, where we'll be visiting 8 states in the region.

In the second half of the year, the focus will be on songwriting, and the priority will be the release of the new album, which we hope to release in early 2025.

Here is what Kriss said about their newest EP: "I think 'bout this album as a "path of descent". Dima brilliantly pick every of these songs we've covered, and we put'em in a certain order so it can tell some sort of a story. You can even say it's a concept album. Every track takes you deeper into madness and despair. We wanted it to be a reflection of a present times seen thru our own eyes but woven into those almost 100 years old songs. I guess we've succeeded." After reading such statement and Weird Tales being new to me I wanted to find out more. Dima and Kriss were up for the task so here we go....

Tomek

Thanks for taking time to do the interview. How's it going?

Kriss: Hello There. It's Kriss here, bass and vocals in Weird Tales. Thank you for interviewing us :D We're pretty good as for ongoing circumstances. Dust just started settlin' after release, but it is still too early to revise...

Dima: Hi, Dima is here – guitar and vocal. Thanks for having us.

Weird Tales as a name of the band is a little bit different, how did you come up with it?

Kriss: We wrote a couple of fitting names on the pieces of paper and then drew one which became our band name, and it stood the test of time.

Dima: Yes, I like that version.

So, no long and elaborate backstory (LOL) just trying things out?

Kriss: Who the hell knows? (laughs) Maybe American fantasy magazine, maybe the name of a song by Electric Wizard (which also is named after that magazine), or maybe the author was too much out of his mind. I even think that the band's name inspires us to tell weird stories....

Dima: Actually, yes, I wanted to tell weird stories. I had a lot of crazy shit going on. Who isn't on acid? Transferring this state of the world into the band alongside morbid riffs was the thing for us.

Let's talk about your newest EP, how long did you work on it and how was the whole process?

Dima: I came up with the first song long ago, in the summer of 2019. It had been waiting on the shelf for a while, since we were busy with other things at the time. We were rehearsing with the new drummer, preparing a full newly rearranged concert set, booking a tour and working on new songs for the 2nd LP. A crazy blues cover was interesting but there was no purpose to record it. Until COVID. All plans were ruined, I started listening to blues even more. Then I came up with heavy as reality riffs for the 'Hard Times Killing Floor Blues' song. Looked around and realized - now is the perfect time to create an album with deranged 100-year-old blues classics for this sick world.

How was the recording itself, how satisfied are you with the outcome?

Dima: We recorded it pretty fast. 3 days in the studio. It's a 20-minute EP. We tried to record live and without a metronome for the first time. I had this idea for a while, all our favourite bands from the 70's did it and I actually don't like clicking on computers, technologies and all that modern stuff, especially with rock n roll music that is supposed to be primal. And it was the best decision ever. Really enjoyed the process itself and the results. Now it's the only way to go for me.

How would you introduce new material?

Kriss: Some nastyfied versions of some almost 100-year-old songs... what more could you possibly want?

The title of your EP is well… quite peculiar, care to shed some light on the meaning?

Kriss: It means what it says.... Literally. We want to remind you guys that whatever you hear now is a straight-out descendant of dark gloomy blues that used to haunt the nights. And don't you forget about this....

Blues is a huge part of what Weird Tales brings and understandably main inspiration but what was your frame of mind when composing? What else contributed? Was there anything that surprised even yourself?

Dima: Obviously blues straight from cotton fields what leads us to disappointment, desperation, powerlessness and pain as main inspiration.

Kriss: With our songs there are always surprises and hidden references (it's up to you guys to look for it and I swear there's plenty) and with this album especially we wanted to stay true to the "mood" of the original songs while mangling them almost into state of unrecognizability so it would fit to the "Weird Tales" mold. It's all experimentation.

What do you think about all this categorizing and putting tags on music?

Kriss: I don't mind it if it works for somebody sure... I'm too far gone into "listening to whatever the f**k I want to" to care about tags and stuff.

You ended up with 'doom/stoner' but what would you call it yourself?

Kriss: You mean what tag I would put on our music? I guess ACID-DOOM-METAL fits just fine for what we do...But as I said, I'm not really into tags...

What does acid-doom-metal mean to you?

Kriss: It means that we can do almost anything we want, to put our music in whatever direction we want. If we feel that some unfamiliar with doom genre piece would fit a particular song and make it even weirder and more interesting why not...?

Why did you decide to write music, do you create it for yourself or for others?

Kriss: I guess every human being at some point has an urge to create something which he can call "self-made". If it's just scrambled eggs or a portrait of George W. Bush... What we do comes directly from that urge. And if people like or appreciate it, that makes it even COOLER!

Dima: I always created for myself and for those 2 junkies behind the scene.

What would you like to see or hear from people that listen to Weird Tales?

Kriss: I hope that when they listen to our music, they feel the same as I do when I listen to music. To take me to a band's universe, where they tell their stories.

Dima: I hope our listeners hear something different, something strange but familiar at the same time. And those poor ones who really dig our weird tales got minds penetrated.

When you play, do you play to build or to destroy?

Kriss: I play to keep myself from my destructive nature and creating alongside...

Dima: Play only to destroy, hail only to kill.

Which emotions play the main role when you write?

Dima: My feelings numb, and I feel apathy for everything not music related. And it's a fucking nightmare. Tripping dead.

Kriss: I have a lot of anger which I keep under a ton of indifference. That helps me function as a part of the society I live in. And because of this I lack appreciation and trust.

What would you do without music?

Dima: Last shot is only leaved

Kriss: Without any music? Is there any reason to live?

What about the future? How do you see it for yourself and for the band?

Kriss: I hope I will still be alive (laughs). And for the band? I hope we finally get back on stage and tour even further than we used to. And yes, we're trying to work normally under unfavorable circumstances of the last/present year. We hope to play concerts and actually work on new material for the next album.

Dima: Let us survive this pandemic and we'll see. The gigs returning is the most desired thing here. And we are working on new songs, experimenting with the new sound. We wanna strike even louder with the next LP.

Vinyl, CD and cassettes. What is your opinion about the physical media, which one do you prefer?

Kriss: I like collecting vinyl and CDs, but for example, beach party music from mp3 would do as well... That all depends on the circumstances...

Dima: I'm collecting vinyl because it sounds cool.

Thanks a lot for taking time to answer all the questions, last word is yours.

Kriss: Hang in there guys \m/

Dima: Hope to see you at a gig sometime!