Dipnoi comes from Brazil. When somebody says Brazil in the world of metal music, inmediately everybody thinks of Sepultura. But Dipnoi is completely different. They make a completely diverse music. They have blended metal, thrash and hardcore into a great mix that can be seen in their latest effort "FKDDD". Mario Izzo, guitarist from the band gently answered our questions.

How was the recording and composition of "FKDDD"? What does the title
mean?
"FKDDD was recorded between december 1996 and june 1998, and it's a 6 song
EP, and it also brings, as a bonus, the four songs of our first demo tape,
"A good moonza/A better moonza". We were involved with every step of the
project, the band itself recorded and produced the album. At last, FKDDD is
the title of one of the songs of the EP, and it means "Fucking Kill Die Die
Die".

What can you tell me about the songs in "FKDDD"? How where they created?
Those songs were created between 1995 and 1996 and they reflect our first
couple of years. Because of this they may sound more like
traditional heavy/thrash metal than our newest songs, in which we tried
to combine other styles and experiments. We write all our songs in
rehearsal, as a group. Nobody ever brings a ready song to the band, we
always work with dozens of different riffs and ideas from all members to
complete a song.

Why did Gustavo departed from the band in 1999 and why did he return?
Apparently he wasn't into the idea of comitting himself to the band as
much as it was necessary, and felt he shouldn't do it anymore. A year
later, when our new drummer had to leave for practical reasons (he was
moving to another city), we decided to invite him back, as his style
always fit the band perfectly.

How would you compare "FKDDD" with " A good moonza..."?
The songs on the demo were the first we ever wrote, and were simpler and
more straightforward, and also more spontaneously written. On the other
hand, when we wrote the stuff on FKDDD we were starting to work harder on
the structuring of the songs, consciously trying to make them less "square".
On a couple of songs we were also trying our hand at some existing genres
(FKDDD and Iron).
You could also say that the earlier material was more of a hardcore
nature, while the stuff on FKDDD is more in a heavy / thrash tradition.
On the newer stuff (the new demo) I think we are combining the two
approaches, only with more mature songwriting.

Which are the roles of the guitars in Dipnoi music ( textures, leads,
atmospheres,etc.)?
Our songs are based mainly around guitar riffs, so the guitars play a
primordial role in our music. They are used to add the weight, as well
as to determine the dynamics in our music. We also use a lot of leads.
The textural side hasn't been much explored yet (an exception being Lack of
Me), but the new stuff will have more of that than in the past.

How has the band changed from 1994 to this days?
Since the line up remained pretty much the same, what happened was that we
continued to work with the same elements, but in more complex and varied
ways. Since it's always been the same people working together, we retained
our sound while being able to bring a lot of other stuff to the mix.

How does everyday living in Brazil affect the way in which you
compose and your lyrics?
Well, we always avoided the old lyrical cliches of metal music.
It would be an easy task for us to write about the brutal reality of our
country, Brazil, which has always faced lots of problems.
But, of course, the mentioned problems affect us everyday, and our music as
a consequence, and this fact we just can't help.

Can we consider Dipnoi a thrash metal band? Or are there any other
characteristics in the band that makes a difference from this style?
Maybe thrash metal is our biggest influence, but I don't think our style
can labeled. We naturally avoid going for a pre-existent style, as we
wouldn't feel motivated to simply repeat what has been done.

Any final words?
Thanks a lot for the interview, we certainly hope to be able to play in
your country very soon.

Interviewed by Federico Marongiu

A good moonza / a better moonza - CD (1995)

FKDDD - CD (1999)

Mario Izzo - guitars

Ricardo Matsumoto - vocals

Gustavo Silva - drums

Marcos Mello - guitars

Bernardo Andrea - bass