Painside are an impressive new group from Brazil, a country that is certainly known for its great metal bands. Painside's debut release Dark World Burden has been very well received with its great mixture of metal music- this is one album heavy metal fans will really enjoy. Guitarist Carlos Saione gave some feedback recently to Sea Of Tranquility's staff writer Scott Jessup.

SoT: Hi Carlos, could you please describe Painside's music for our readers?

Carlos: That's a tough one! I would describe our sound as modern metal; a mix of classical Maiden/Priest riffing and guitar soloing with modern production and grooves along the way.

SoT: What has the feedback been like so far for Dark World Burden? The reviews I've seen have been very positive.

Carlos: It's definitely going great, and far better than I would've expected since we're a new band and it's hard for a new band to get attention these days. People seem to really be digging this record and that makes us very happy to see that the fans crave this kind of music that we love playing!

SoT: How did the recording go? Dark World Burden is one powerful sounding release.

Carlos: It was a good when we were not burning midnight oil in the studio, recording during the whole night and part of the day, but I guess it's what makes this records sound the way it is. A lot of blood, sweat and tears haha! We tried to go for a mix of modern and classical sounds on the album, trying to really limit the use of auto tunes and copying and pasting things all the time like a lot of bands do these days. In the end, I guess we were able to maintain the energy of the songs as we play them live.

SoT: Does each member have input when coming up with Painside's material?

Carlos: The material for this release was written by me and Guilherme, but the other members pitch in with arrangement ideas. For the next releases I think we'll probably have more contributions from everyone else.

SoT: What inspires Painside's music and lyrics?

Carlos: Anything, really. A couple of songs were written to let something out of my chest, past experiences and stuff like that, kind of metal therapy.

But there is also some literature like in "Where Darkness Rules" which is our take on classic "Call of Cthulu" story by H.P.Lovecraft. We really don't have rules for that; it just comes from the heart. You'll just won't see us writing about dragons and wizards! (laughs)

SoT: You have a few notable guests appear on the album- was it planned to have them on the album from the start when composing the songs?

Carlos: Not really, they just kind of happened along the way. Renato was our producer and Gus is a good friend of ours, so their participation was very natural. As for Chris, we were Grave Digger fans since kids, so it was somewhat a great honor to have him on our album on a song that fitted his distinct style.

SoT: Anyone else you would like to have appear on future albums?

Carlos: Sure, but I guess if we keep doing this it will take a bit of the surprise effect from now on. But only time can tell! (laughs)

SoT: Will Dark World Burden be readily available for those in other countries?

Carlos: It will be available in Europe and in the US at first. As for other countries, they'll just have to wait for a while, unfortunately.

SoT: Has recording the theme song "God Made Me Unbreakable" for UFC fighter Ronny Torres helped to increase the bands exposure?

Carlos: Yes, definitely. There were lots of UFC fans that liked heavy music that got in touch with us and discovered our music through this song and even non metal fans appreciated it, so I guess it was a grand slam!

SoT: How long has the band been together?

Carlos: It's kind of hard to pinpoint right now, but its somewhere around 2 years or so.

SoT: Can you tell us about the band member's musical backgrounds?

Carlos: Everyone in the band has some varied tastes regarding music from classical stuff and metal music to some weird things like dark electro and psytrance. But in the end, I think we all have a common vision regarding the heavier part.

SoT: What tour plans does Painside have, and will you be touring with any other Brazilian bands?

Carlos: We'll be working towards that this year. Doing some good promotion of the album, here in Brazil first is one of the first topics on our agenda and we'll probably hook up with other new and talented bands from Rio as well to do so heavy touring together.

SoT: What are some of your favorite metal releases?

Carlos: This is a difficult one, but I guess Metallica's Black Album, Iron Maiden's Somewhere in Time and Sepultura's Chaos AD really had an impact on me when I was growing up.

SoT: Thanks for the interview Carlos, all the best with Dark World Burden.

Scott Jessup