Lusitanian Metal - A List of Premiere Portuguese Metal Bands!

Some of the best metal bands Portugal has to offer!

We all know Portugal brought TEA (Transporte de Ervas Aromáticas (Transportation of aromatic herbs)) to Europe, namely to the British People.

The Founding Fathers drank (among other things) Madeira wine, after signing the Declaration of Independence. That’s right Portugal is known as an excellent wine-producing country. And we have the oldest wine country region in the world (Alto Douro).

Over half of the world's cork production comes from this country. The material is used to isolate space shuttles, and also to manufacture important things like wallets of umbrellas.

Even though there is not a single word spoken in the entire show, Shogun is based on the story of Portuguese missionary priests.

When Pedro I was crowned King of Portugal in 1357, he proclaimed his mistress Ines de Castro as Queen, even though she died in 1355 (Just a minor detail).

The Porto International Airport originally known as Pedras Rubras (red stones) was later rechristened as Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport. This charismatic Portuguese politician died in a plane crash. How’s that for irony?

We have the oldest library in the world located in Lisbon, the Bertrand Library, one the oldest universities in Europe (Coimbra University). At one point we had the oldest journalist in activity, the late great Fernando Pessa.

In regards to music:

Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme is Portuguese, and Steve Perry (Esteves Pereira) the former Journey singer (one of the best singers ever!!) is also of Portuguese ascendancy.

We also have a tendency to love bands no one else in the world cares for, or even remembers such as Durutti Column (I get the cult appeal) and Guano Apes (What’s up with that??).

In 2014 Carlos do Carmo, the prominent Fado singer became the first Portuguese artist to win a Latin Grammy Award.

Portugal was at least until the advent of Streaming services a peripheral country in terms of commercial viability, with what major labels were concerned.

The neighboring Spanish market was far wider and more appealing, so industry stalwarts like Polygram, BMG, and EMI had local branches there.

Portugal was, and up to a point still is, dominated by “Pimba” a style that is similar in popularity to that of country music in America, but thematically is more akin to the Shlager music movement of Central Europe.

We didn’t have a San Francisco Bay Area, a Liverpool, or a Birmingham so for years many metal and hard rock acts were facing an uphill battle, against public indifference and a general lack of proper label support.

Undeterred by those challenging conditions, many bands tried to break barriers and become popular.

The following is a list of bands I consider important, although there are many more, that either never got out of the demo stage or were only able to release one or two records, before going the way of the Dodo. That’s right! The Portuguese sailors are responsible for the extinction of this flightless bird.

Tarantula

Power metal legends featuring the virtuoso playing of brothers Luis (Drums) and Paulo Barros (Guitar) along with the impeccable bass shops of José Aguiar and the expressive and technically flawless singing of Jorge Marques.

Although they were formed in 1981, two years prior to Helloween, which band have you heard of before?

Unlike Helloween who veer its sound towards the sword and sorcery of bands like Rainbow, Tarantula takes a more grounded approach with a sound more steeped in reality and the influences of Deep Purple.

They have nine albums released (always a very worthy achievement in this country of mine) and continue to tour to this day.

Iberia

Hard and Heavy band formed in 1984 and even though the cover of the album can make you think they are a glam band, thing again.

They play hard rock, bordering on Heavy Power Metal, similar to the sound of Riot, for example.

Even if the sound is severely hampered by low production values, as many Portuguese records suffered from that, the intensity of the music still comes through.

Great bass lines, impeccable guitar work, solid drumming, and a serviceable singer.

After years of inactivity, they’ve returned and released two interesting albums in recent years.

Bizarra Locomotiva

Industrial Metal mavens led by the live antics of front-man Rui Sidónio, and featuring massively distorted guitars, and drums.

The Ministry comparisons are obvious, but to call this a shameful copy would be remiss.

They sing in Portuguese and imprint their music with more bit and poetic flair, than a bland copycat.

Heavenwood

They were the first band from my country to have an exclusive Japanese edition of their first record.

They were also the first Portuguese band to play the mythical Wacken Open Air Festival in 1998.

A phenomenal Gothic Metal band, especially of the first two releases, Diva from 1996 and Swallow from 1998.

The fact that my cousin happened to play keyboards on those two releases has nothing to do with this. He wasn’t my cousin at the time!

Apart from the obvious Tiamat and Paradise Lost comparisons, and the obvious studio recording trappings (We didn’t have Miami-level studios, and it shows) an excellent band that is still active to this day.

Desire

Of all the Portuguese metal bands around, past, present, and dare I say future these guys were the most promising.

A Melodic Death Doom Metal juggernaut, that had the perfect mixture of melody and aggressiveness.

Cinematic, dark, and brooding in equal measures, they had a very unique sound and vision.

They were ultimately held back by some poor business decisions, and some unwillingness to move things forward.

At least they left two fantastic albums, Infinity from 1996 and Locus Horrendus from 2002, and also two excellent EPs worth discovering.

Moonspell

The quintessential Portuguese metal act, and one of the few bands to become famous outside our borders. Having toured extensively throughout the world over the years.

They also benefited from being signed by premier European metal label Century Media at a very early stage, which also helped the band to unleash their brand of Melodic Gothic Death metal sound beyond our country, although they started as a Black Metal act.

If only other bands were so lucky.

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium

Roughly translated to “Children of the Infernal Night” these guys are a premiere Black Thrash metal band.

They sing in Portuguese and have a trait that I really appreciate. They don’t forget to have fun while playing. And are not ashamed to do it over and over again.

They are unholy and can be, but come out as being a joyous band, in a black metal perspective of things.

Decayed

Dubbed the “first Portuguese Black Metal band“, these guys have been active since 1990. These guys carved a brutal and unholy path and are still going strong to this day.

Their lack of popularity is in my honest opinion, affected by the Manowar kind of attitude (If you are not into Black Metal, you are not my friend).

They also come across as a little full-on themselves in interviews, over-selling the band a little bit. But If you don’t do it, who will?

R.A.M.P.

A premiere Groove Thrash Metal band featuring a stellar cast of musicians, and led by the immense vocal presence of front-man Rui Duarte.

Fans of Pantera, Machine Head, and the like will certainly drool over the rhythms these guys concoct and the intensity with which they deliver them.

Sacred Sin

Any metal band that starts an album with a sample from Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead has got my attention.

A death / thrash metal juggernaut with slightly progressive inklings, thrown in for good measure.

Speed, heaviness, spellbinding riffs, and solos, in sum, are highly recommended.

Genocide

A fantastic progressive death metal band that sadly only released two full-length albums.

Still, It’s better to have two stellar releases under their belt than to drag a career just to justify a paycheck.

Great production values help to elevate the ability and inherent virtuosity of the players to extreme heights.

Complex, heavy, melodic, and brutal in equal measures, these guys were on top of their game.

Gonçalo Pereira

No, Nuno Bettencourt is not the only Portuguese shredder worth praise, there are many others, like Paulo Barros (from Tarantula),

An extremely humble and friendly guy, yes I met him many years ago when he was carrying boxes of his own CDs to try and sell to record stores. No distribution, no support except for his own willpower.

Capable on impossibly fast runs, alternate picking, tapping, you name it.

At times reminds me of Jason Becker, and other times of a weird mixture between Marty Friedman (actually he praised Goncalo’s work) and Steve Vai.

But make no mistake, this player has a sound of his own.

Joker

We had to have a Hard Rock / Hair metal band on the list!

A great band that played a sound close to what Firehouse and Danger Danger were doing around the early nighties.

Actually, they did have something that was unique, or at least rare, they had keyboard solos, and solo duels between the guitar and keyboards. The other band I can remember that has the same kind of trait is Giuffria.

They only released two albums, the second one leaning more into the heavy, more experimental style. The shock wave caused by the advent of the grunge movement was felt even here, in sunny Portugal.

A band that is worth rediscovering.

Grog

No Portuguese metal list would be complete without a Grindcore band featured in it, right?

Heavily inspired by the medical imaginary of bands such as Carcass, especially from the first two releases.

A fantastically brutal band, with insanely deep guttural vocals interspersed with raspy quasi black metal vociferations, whirlwind drum rhythms, and precise guitar/bass work.

In sum, all the traits you’ve come to expect from an excellent brutal death/grindcore band.

Thormenthor

As I’ve mentioned previously, the Portuguese metal scene was mainly (and still is in many ways) an underground affair. With many bands being deprived of widespread promotion.

This led to some bands only releasing an album, an EP or not leaving the demo stage.

Thormentor only released an Album, 1994’s Abstract Divinity, but what a release it is.

An insane mixture of progressive death metal with fearless experimentation, gave us a ferociously personalized record, that if it had been released in the US, it would now be regarded as a classic of the genre.

Gangrena

An immensely talented band within the death/trash metal band, that only released an album, 1994’s Infected Ideologies.

Bogged down by a muffled production (No disrespect for my dear friend Luis Barros from Tarantula), you work with what you have, and you make the best of it.

Sounding a bit like a byproduct of Necroticism phase Carcass, and I mean this in the most respectful way possible. The band still imprints the compositions with enough bile and guts to warrant repeated listening.

The album features spectacular artwork from another dear friend, Mr. Jorge Marques (Lead singer from Tarantula).

W.C. Noise

Our very own Anthrax / Suicidal Tendencies clone, that only released two albums, the somewhat juvenile Loud & Proud in 1992 and the far more mature and compelling Reality Asylum in 1994.

Honestly, I didn’t remember the second release being this good, until I started researching for this essay.

With this evolution between releases, I can’t help but wonder what would come next. Sadly that didn’t happen.

Disaffected

Technical progressive death metal powerhouse active since 1991, and still active to this day.

Intense, experimental, brooding death metal with a technical flair punctuated by eerie keyboard arrangements.

They have three albums and all are interesting and show the extraordinary compositional depth and proficiency of the players.

Conclusion:

There are several bands worth discovering in the Portuguese metal scene, that I didn’t mention on the list, such as Alkateya, Xeque-Mate, Jarojupe, Braindead, Web, and countless others.

I hope this small essay helps shed light on a scene that has many releases worth hearing, and many artists that are as good as many more celebrated bands from other countries.

I believe that if many Portuguese bands had better distribution, they would be as celebrated as international acts. Because yes, they were and in some cases still are, as good as anything done abroad.

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Shameless Plug Alert!

This section is dedicated to bands that feature people I hold in great esteem. Friends of mine that I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with over the years.

Pitch Black

War-themed thrash metal mavens, featuring fast and heavy drums, angular riffs, and intense vocal delivery.

Coupled with a jovial attitude and tongue-in-cheek bravado these guys rock, or better yet, the THRASH!

The Fire

A premiere hard rock act that was capable of combining their influences, from Van Halen, Motley Crue, and AC/DC, and creating something that sounded honest and immediate.

They were able to sound familiar, but never derivative, or a carbon copy of their influences.

A bare bones, no frills approach, that sadly is lacking from many acts nowadays, be it Portuguese or from other countries.