Hanna Tsepesh: Hello Miguel, how are you? Welcome to THE GATES OF METAL and thanks for having accepted the invitation for this interview! Miguel: Everything is fine in here, thanks. I appreciate the opportunity that THE GATES OF METAL give us to talk about Requiem Laus!
Hanna Tsepesh: Thank you! You are very welcome! The band began in 1992 right? Can you tell us a little bit how the band started and also introduce us the current lineup?
Miguel: Yes it is true; we are a band with some years. I started with my first band in 1989 (Morbidatory) in 1992 I co-found Requiem, later in 1994 it became Requiem Laus. During these years, we had some members who were important in the sound of the band I quote: Marcelo Freitas (drums) Bruno Sousa (guitar) Tony Figueira (bass). We edited some demos, but we stopped for a few years for personal reasons. Currently RL are: Ricardo Fernandes (bass) Daniel Pereira (guitars) and Gabriele Freitas (drums) and I Miguel Freitas (guitars and voice), I have to say that the band is the same since 1997, except for Gabriele. Ricardo was absent only between the years 2001 to 2003.
Hanna Tsepesh: The lyrics from your album were written by Jorge Ribeiro de Castro, who I must say that has a very interesting work, worthy to read and enjoy! Can you tell us a little about the lyrics and if in a next album the lyrics will be written by one of the band members?
Miguel: Jorge is our friend and big fan of the band, for some years he had always dreamed to be a writer and his work is finally paying off, I am very happy for him. He writes the lyrics since the demo in 1996. We like a lot Jorge’s work as a writer, so we take that great talent he has to write the lyrics for us. The lyrics are a mirror of our world, of good and evil, hate, love, personal issues, social and environmental, all that surrounds us and can be interpreted in several ways from those who read. In the next album, seems to be back Jorge Castro’s lyrics.
Hanna Tsepesh: Miguel could you tell us your favorite bands and also tell what are your big inspirations to create the riffs for RL?
Miguel: I started listening to Metal since the age of 12, now have 36. I hear several metal bands like: Death, Obituary, Boltthrower, etc. I would not say my inspiration because each song has a bit of our soul. There are days with more inspiration than others, and we will not get it anywhere, it just comes.
Hanna Tsepesh: How did the name Requiem Laus came from? Before, the band had name of Morbidatory. What was the reason and why the band changes the name?
Miguel: Morbidatory was my first band, and experience in the metal world which lasted 2 and half years. All the band members left the band, and I wanted to move forward with something more serious, from that appeared Requiem in 1994, and then Requiem Laus. The name came about through the great work of the classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his great masterpiece "Requiem" which I love. The reason to add Laus was because there was a band with the same name. I took and was a way to honor the composer Mozart. Requiem Laus is a Latin name and meaning “Praised Rest”. I take this opportunity to leave you here a link of Morbidatory live in 1991:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x6Mxxd9r94
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rACsveMzESM
Hanna Tsepesh: Thank you Miguel I think the readers will love it! In 2007 the band released the debut album "The Eternal Plague", I have to tell you Miguel that I was very amazed and surprised by your great talent and great work on your voice, my congratulations to you and the entire band for the great work! The riffs are powerful and I love each subject from the "Am I Not Mercyful?" With a brutal entry to the last music "Peccata Mundi" with a very calm sound and interesting ending, which I will not reveal to create a little curiosity to our readers! But for those who have not had the opportunity to hear this album, you can open a little bit the "veil" and talking about "The Eternal Plague"?
Miguel: It's a melodic death metal album, and has a Digipack format with 12 musics. Among them we have: “Am I Not Mercyful "; “Perception"; "Black Decay" with power and very Feeling. “Silently ... Death Leads” is the calmest music in the album. In our opinion is the best work of RL so far. I take the opportunity to cheer the excellent work of our bassist Ricardo, he is responsible for the album artwork and the website.
Hanna Tsepesh: I visited your page to see the rest of the work and certainly he deserves the congratulations for the artwork! How was the studio recording?
Miguel: It went well without any problems. We had everything ready.
Hanna Tsepesh: you guys played the Metal GDL in Grandola, how was this day for Requiem Laus? The public received you well?
Miguel: Yes, we were very well received, the organization and the public were excellent, we liked it a lot, it’s a festival that you have to stop to see. We played the new stuff and who was in there liked for sure.
Hanna Tsepesh: Requiem Laus had the pleasure of playing in the same stage with bands like: Akercocke, Keep of Kalessin and with Corpus Christii. If you had to choose one of those bands that you liked the most to share the stage, what would it be? You get to know some members of these bands?
Miguel: It's always a pleasure sharing the stage with other bands, we have no preferences. We spoke with staff of Akercocke, Lay Down Rotten, Hatesphere, The Firstborn, Seven Stitches, WEB among others, very cool people.
Hanna Tsepesh: What is a dream concert for all elements of Requiem Laus?
Miguel: For us it would be with "Death" which unfortunately is not possible. But there are many bands such as: Obituary, Slayer, Hypocrisy, Iron Maiden, Nevermore, Morbid Angel.
Hanna Tsepesh: In a word how you define RL? Miguel: Eternal
Hanna Tsepesh: A Curiosity: it is easy for a metal band have support in Madeira? Can you tell us a little about this, because many people thought that there were no Metal bands in Madeira?
Miguel: Actually people do not realize the effort that we and other bands do for keeping a band alive, here on the island. We have no support; unfortunately the bands are for themselves. A very difficult fight, on our own, but here we are. Like "Alberto" says we do not want “pés descalços cá” ("bare feet here").
Hanna Tsepesh: You want to say something to your fans out there? Miguel: Just want to thank all who had support and believed in us throughout these years. This album is for them...
Hanna Tsepesh: Thank you so much for your answers! THE GATES OF METAL wishes to you and the entire band a big success for this album "The Eternal Plague"! May your journey into the world of metal be as eternal as your album…
Miguel: thank you so much! Much success to THE GATES OF METAL, continue with your excellent work.
Hanna Tsepesh: Thank you so much for your words! All the best…
By: Hanna Tsepesh
To listen to some REQUIEM LAUS music’s and for future information’s go at:
www.myspace.com/requiemlaus
www.requiem-laus.com/
