Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?
I came up with the name for this project by combining the word primate and the suffix –tron, because I wanted it to reflect the increasing interconnection and dependence between us and the machines we rely on to live and do basically everything. This is a project that had been waiting to happen for some time, since I first came up with a few songs trying to mix the heaviness of industrial metal and the roughness of other heavy music genres.
It has been so far a solo project, but other musicians may eventually get involved. In Primatron’s latest release, a single called “Desensitized”, Renato Maffei – a great bass player from the state of São Paulo in Brazil – took part. My next single has already been recorded, but for the one following that, another bass player by the name of Eduardo Forville (from the bands Urvolk and Shadow Maze from Curitiba, Brazil), is likely to join in.
I’ve always loved heavy music and have postponed this project for years, but now that it’s finally gained traction and has gotten some attention, I believe it will be going on for a long time.
Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?
(I believe this question has lost its meaning after learning this is a solo project )
Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?
I have always liked many artists in many genres in metal, but I’d have to say that Rammstein, Megadeth, Paradise Lost and Anathema have probably influenced me the most.
Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?
I work as a public servant for my state and have been doing do for 13 years now. I work in forensics, specifically with forensic vehicle identification. I used to be an English teacher before that, which I was for around six years. But I’ve always loved music and had always dreamt of being a musician. I’m extremely happy to finally have ventured into this field.
What songs or albums are on your current playlist?
Well, as I’ve just released my first EP, I have to confess I’m still a bit enamoured with it and still listen to it sort of often. But I’ve also been listening a lot to Leprous’s ”Coal”, Rammstein’s “Zeit”, Diablo Swing Orchestra’s “Pandora’s Piñata” and Hangman’s Chair’s “Banlieue Triste”.
Do you sing in the shower?
Haha I do. It’s a great place to come up with melodies for the songs I’ve been writing.
Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?
Yes, certainly. I intend to release a few more singles this year and possibly put together a longer album by 2023. But I have to say I’m still figuring out what works best, if releasing song by song or actually putting out an entire album at once. It seems to me that people don’t listen to whole albums so often these days, so I might keep on just making singles for a while.
Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?
I’ve just released a song called “Desensitized”, as I mentioned earlier. Its lyrics deal with how we seem to have become impervious to excitement from being so constantly overwhelmed by new stimuli, to the point we need to see more and more new things on social media all the time – otherwise we just get bored with everything.
If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?
I think Wacken, for the history it has.
Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?
Probably Megadeth’s Rust in Peace. I think it is the best metal record ever. So intricate and yet, captivating.
Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?
Hahaha. I don’t feel guilty about liking anything, I think we need input from all possible sorts of music in order to make something new and interesting. Or maybe I’m just hiding behind that excuse so that I keep those guilty pleasures a secret.
If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?
Megadeth, Judas Priest, Rammstein, Leprous, Anathema, Paradise Lost, Type O Negative (can I mention bands that don’t exist anymore?), Diablo Swing Orchestra, Septicflesh… Those are the ones that come to my mind right now.
Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?
I can’t remember exactly what it was, but the first that I remember is Anathema’s Serenades. Yes I do still have it and I still love it.
As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?
Lots of people talk a lot of shit about rock and metal being dead, or about how there aren’t good bands anymore. That’s bullshit. Even though metal doesn’t get that much media attention anymore, that doesn’t mean there aren’t great bands popping up everywhere in the world – it just means we have to go beyond what media serves us to find great music being made right now in all corners of the world.
Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!
As of now, I haven’t had that much time to set up much of an online presence beyond Instagram. That will be fixed in the next few weeks. But, for the time being, you can find Primatron at Instagram.com/primatron.band (yeah, I originally thought of making it a band rather than a solo project).
We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?
Thank you so much for the opportunity to give this interview and congratulations for your work. For keep heavy music alive and kicking!
This interview is purely the property of The Metal Asylum
Metal Planet Media 