Brazilian Metal band Dynahead are certainly worth checking out if you like powerful, well executed metal. Caio Duarte, vocalist and co-founder of the band, took the time to answer some questions recently from Sea of Tranquility Staff Writer Scott Jessup. The topics covered included their imposing full length debut Antigen, Dynahead's history, and the overall metal scene in Brazil.

SoT: Antigen certainly is a potent album, the band must be very happy with what they have created.

Caio: We're indeed very proud of it. It's really good when you work so hard on something, overcoming all sorts of challenges in order to make the best album you can, and in the end you get to hear a kind comment like yours. Thank you very much!

SoT: Can you tell us something about the songs on Antigen?

Caio: "Antigen" is an album comprised of songs from different stages of our lives. Some stuff there dates back to 1996, so it's truly a compilation of ideas we already had before putting the band together, mixed with the bulk we created as Dynahead. I feel it's quite unique in that sense.

SoT: Who writes the material?

Caio: Pretty much everyone in the band. Our former guitarist, Victor, had a great songwriting credit in three songs and lyrics. The other songs were written by me, Diogo and Pablo, but at some point everyone contributes with something.

SoT: How much exposure has the album been getting outside of Brazil?

Caio: Not much, honestly. Since it's our first album and we're a relatively unknown Brazilian band, it's very hard to get the attention, especially with the big crisis going on the music industry. We already have some distribution in the US and Europe, and we're working hard to get a proper release and promotion in those territories. Thankfully some media outlets and fans are really supportive, working hard trying to spread the word, and that's the most important and beautiful thing.

SoT: How did you come up Dynahead for the band's name?

Caio: The name origin is secret, but we liked it because it can be interpreted in many ways. We like to let it open to the personal point of view, and what it stands for depends only on you.

SoT: Can you fill us in on the history of Dynahead?

Caio: The band was created in 2004 by me and the bassist Diego, after we met Victor. We started rehearsing cover songs just for fun, but inevitably our own music started to bloom. We had a couple of drummers in the early days, who are still great friends of ours. In 2006 Victor left the band and took some songs with him, what delayed the recording of our new album a bit. When Pablo joined, we finished writing the album, released it and here we are!

SoT: I assume the band's members have been performing for many years, especially given how good they sound on Antigen!

Caio: Yes, everyone is quite experienced, we have all been playing for 10 years or more. Pablo and Diogo are professional and respected guitar teachers, and I've been producing bands since 2005… It's a hard life being a musician, but we love it!

SoT: What are the touring plans for Dynahead?

Caio: We're scheduling dates in Brazil, which is an immense country, and later on the rest of Latin America. We'd love to play in Europe and the US, but without the album released there it's really difficult. That's why we're working hard to license it in those continents, to pave the way for touring in the near future.

SoT: What songs on Antigen are the bands' favorites to play live?

Caio: The easy ones! Hahaha… I like to play them all to be honest, since each have its own vibe. It's cool because when we're playing to a more "extreme" crowd we can go really heavy, or when we're playing to a different audience we can play more experimental stuff. In some gigs people go insane with "Join and Surrender", while in others people prefer "Tactile Haven", or "Bloodish Eyes"… I can't speak for everyone in the band, but I love them all.

SoT: Brazil is one place where metal seems to have a considerable following, are there many new bands?

Caio: Yes, there is. There are so many talented bands in Brazil that it just needs a little research to discover a lot of gems. The scene here is quite slow because the fans tend to be very trendy and scatter all around, but if people started to really enjoy and invest in Brazilian bands, it could be the biggest scene in the world, for real.

SoT: Who are some of your influences and favorite bands?

Caio: I use to say that it's everything good in music made across the last 40 years. In the band we have fans ranging from Morbid Angel to James Brown, Meshuggah to Tears for Fears… And that's the best thing that can happen to a band creatively, in my opinion.

SoT: Thanks for taking the time to answers these questions, all the best with Antigen it's a great album.

Caio: Thanks a lot for your kind words and interest in independent music! People around the world who'd like to support starving musicians by acquiring our new album for a ridiculously low price, it can be found in our shop at www.dynahed.com.br/shop, or digitally in iTunes, Amazon, etc. Best wishes for everyone, and rock on!

Scott Jessup