Interview: Stinkbrute

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

What got me into music were mainly video games, as a kid I loved to play any game that had a banging soundtrack, games with metal soundtracks in specific really called out to me. When I got Guitar Hero Metallica, around when Death Magnetic came out, I was sure I wanted to compose and create music of my own!

If I didn’t play music at all I would be working in games still, I graduated from University in Video games, so I learned how to make them, be it programming, 3D or Game Design. I now do music and sound for games, if I didn’t, I would work in some other part of that industry.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

When I’m not playing games or music I watch a lot of anime and read manga, mostly gore stuff like Chainsaw Man and Berserk, those are a few of my favorites. I get really into those kinds of worlds and that sparks up my creativity to create stories of my own.

Other than that I am very interested in animal rights and I watch a lot of documentaries about that. I feel like in Stinkbrute a lot of my inspiration comes from that, some of the atrocities that are done to animals can’t be unspoken and in a genre such as Grindcore I have the freedom of really pushing those issues to the maximum without feeling out of place or forced. Some of the aggression on my songs and mainly my vocal performance come from the emotions I feel having to live in a world of such injustice towards animals, humans or not because after all we’re still animals.

How long has your band been around?

Stinkbrute started at the end of 2020, so 1 year and a half of crazy music.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

I’m based out of Trafaria, Almada, Portugal. I will say that my Death Metal and Grindcore influences are due to the amount of Slam, Grind and Death Metal festivals we have here in Portugal. Having started to go to those when I was a teen pushed me to start doing music in this genre. Bands like Analepsy, Serrabulho, Grog, Brutal Brain Damage and Enblood are some of the bands that still to this day influence my sound.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

At the time my idea was to write the most gruesome Death Metal/Grindcore I could with the most ridiculous name I came up with in the moment and it was Stinkbrute, The Gruesome Exchange of Bodily Fluids That Turned Into a Bile Duct Titan, later I decided to stick with just Stinkbrute and the rest for the name of the first album.

There was another big reason I wanted this name and it has to do with how little we think of animals, in specific farmed animals. When I think of Stink-Brute all I can imagine is a pig or a cow in horrible condition, dirty all around, with anger towards humans, and after we put them in those conditions we have the audacity to call them dirty, disgusting or stinky.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

I haven’t played shows with Stinkbrute as I am still finding the members to do that with.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

I haven’t played shows with Stinkbrute as I am still finding the members to do that with.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Definitely Wormrot, Napalm Death, Analepsy, Insect Warfare, Serrabulho, Full Of Hell and Converge. I feel that lineup would be amazing since those are some of my main influences in metal, Converge is surely an outlier but I wouldn’t be able to speak of a dream lineup without them.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Be patient and do what you like the way you are most pleased with it. Release as much music as you can and be open to constructive criticism.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

I feel like I’m not qualified to give myself advice, firstly because I feel like I still have a lot to achieve, secondly I still have no idea of what I’m doing and every day I learn a bit more about myself and about what I do and ought to do.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Of the songs that are released, the most important song for me is Cow Molesters, the video exposes a lot of industry standards in the dairy industry, stylistically, it perfectly settles the tone for the first Stinkbrute album.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

I haven’t played Stinkbrute concerts yet.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

As mentioned before, my influences derive from Anime, Manga and Animal Rights issues.

In terms of process, usually I just grab an instrument, be it guitar, bass or drums and jam until something cool comes out, I usually write songs on 1 instrument then the rest complements it. Which is apparent sometimes because bass may play a lead role in some songs and in others it may be the guitar. Vocal ideas usually come in the shower, I know it sounds cliche, but the better vocal ideas usually come while I’m screaming in the shower. Other than that, I may have some themes I’d like to talk about and record vocals with some lyrics then write the rest of the instruments.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

It is clear that I am very interested in animal rights, so I mostly want people to stop exploiting them for personal gain and pleasure. I usually stay away from human issues, as most bands already do that, but it may be that sometimes that’s what is relevant.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Since Stinkbrute is just composed by myself, Bernardo Rebelo, I do have disagreements with myself from time to time, but I usually get past them by taking a break from the project.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

Coming up on the 14th of May is Stinkbrute's debut album, other than that there are a lot of things in the works, including splits, that I’m excited to release.