Interview with EXXXPURGO LETAL
!!!SPEED METAL MANIACS FROM BRAZIL!!!
We had a conversation with "Iron Beast" (Vocals). Enjoy!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about EXXXPURGO LETAL (Members, Starting Year etc).
Firstly, we are very grateful for the invitation from Filthy Dogs of Metal for this interview, on behalf of Exxxpurgo Letal I can say that we are very happy with it! So, Exxxpurgo Letal was formed in mid-2017, by myself Kleberson "Iron Beast", lead singer of the band and Alessandra "Slaughter" our bassist, here in Manaus, capital of the Amazon, which the local scene affectionately nicknamed Green Hell . The beginning of the band was totally impacted by the Metal Punk scene, that was a time when we heard a lot about this scene, so bands like Whipstriker, Inepsy, Raw Poison, Toxic Holocaust, among many others were the starting point for Exxxpurgo Letal was born. But we wanted to somehow maintain the essence of Brazilian metal bands from the 80s, so our lyrics are in our native language, Portuguese. In a way, Exxxpurgo Letal arose from the desire to continue the legacy of old school Brazilian metal bands along with all the metal punk influences that we always heard.
You have recently released your EP ''O Retorno do Algoz''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
The EP "O Retorno do Algoz" marks the return of Exxxpurgo Letal after a long period of inactivity, we hadn't played live or released anything new for 5 years, so the audience that accompanies the band, even if small, welcomed it. new songs welcome. Even though the EP was officially released at the beginning of 2025, we had already included the new songs in the band's set list in our live shows, in a way we managed to give them what we really wanted, furious and exciting songs! The coolest thing about this is that our audience sings all the new songs from start to finish, this is very rewarding for a totally underground and unknown band.
Label or DIY and why?
Totally DIY! We are working completely independently at the moment, although the band was formed in 2017, we were inactive for years and are now back, so we want to create our own identity in the scene with our hands and sweat. Everything we do is thought about and executed by the band members themselves, from the artwork on the flyers to the shows we play, some of which we like to organize ourselves so that they happen the way we want.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
Our gigs are usually pretty up close with the fans, face to face. Mad Adrian swears he only believes this happened because Slaughter and myself saw it too, but there was one time a girl just pulled him into a make out session in the middle of the solo to Álcool, metal e sangue. After the gig? She vanished.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Vinyl. Turns listening into a whole experience on it's own, looking at the cover with the big art, reading the lyrics...
Your music style is Speed Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Exxxpurgo Letal is curiously formed by members who have their own very distinct musical particularities, I, vocalist, Iron Beast, am particularly fascinated by NWOBHM and AOR, our bassist Alessandra Slaughter comes from the old school of Black Metal, our guitarist Mad Adrian is a maniac by Thrash Metal, our drummer SpeedHammer is the most versatile in the band, we see influences in him from classic Heavy Metal to Hardcore and Grindcore, this is his strong point del.. Well, of course there is no way to put all these influences directly into our sound, but there are bands that are unanimous for us, those bands that all members agree are perfect bands! They are our main influences, the classics like Venom, Accept, Judas Priest and Iron Angel... As well as Brazilian bands like Flageladör, Selvageria, Comando Nuclear, Azul Limão...
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
We are from Manaus, literally at the end of the world, having a band for us is already a sacrifice (Laughs). As much as it may seem like a joke, actually having a Speed Metal band in such a distant place is in a way a sacrifice, so we don't think about success, of course we want our music to reach distant places, people from other regions of the world, that would be “success” for us. We just want to keep the flame of true metal alive, and we will continue making our sound, regardless of whether we are known or not, it has always been the fact of wanting to make music that has kept Exxxpurgo Letal on its feet and it will be that way as long as we can stand it, with or without success.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
We believe that a band should deliver not only good live music but also a good performance, the audience is there to headbang, scream and drink, so we will give them what they want! Idealizing a show like this may seem like something far away, but nothing that a good stage dive, a violent mosh and the audience shouting your lyrics loudly can't solve, this is an ideal show for us!
What attributes do you think that a new Speed Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
Speed Metal has become a style within metal that has opened doors for countless bands to show their potential in a very strong way, something we hear and from the first riffs we already know that it is Speed Metal. So I think that maintaining the fast essence, the classic formula and the old soul of this genre is something that any band that sets out to play Speed Metal should do. Innovating in an exaggerated way I believe is "risky" within this style, something like creating a kind of deformed Frankstein (laughs). I just think that following the formulas and molds already forged by old bands is the right way, but of course, always bringing your own ideas and thoughts to your lyrics and compositions.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Speed Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
That's the whole reason we managed to gain new fans in spite of the five year hiatus. It's the only reason we're known outside of Manaus at all. Nowadays with social media and digital, you can spread your music anywhere to your public.How to interact with that public? Heavy social media presence. Anything goes, interviews, gigs, rehearsal recordings, flyers, articles on websites, pictures of the band just hanging out...
Do you see any differences between the Brazilian Metal Market & the EU Metal Market (Labels, Bands, Fans etc)?
The metal scene here is built on DYI and fueled by alcohol. This may be anecdotal, but it seems to me that you have a more rigorous definition of “stage” than we do. Our shows take place anywhere, all you need is equipment and drinks. This is the path here in Brazil for a large part of the underground scene. We do shows in garages, backyards, balconies...The underground Brazilian metal scene for lesser known bands is something you need to experience to fully understand, it encompasses bands and fans.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Brazil (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
The Brazilian scene has always been very active in the underground, today we have many bands that are known not only here in the country but also known in various corners of the world. However, I believe that the North/Northeast axis of Brazil is even more obscure, which Exxxpurgo Letal is part of Geographically speaking, we are further away from the world, so shows that take place in the south of the country such as São Paulo, Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro are more frequent, in these places the "metallic exchange" is much stronger in person. The underground here in the north of Brazil, in turn, becomes, in a way, even more abysmal, the bands sound angrier, with more fury and resentment, perhaps because we want our scream to be able to echo louder, we have to be more willing to do so.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
I'm fascinated by a specific album from the 80s by the band Spitfire, Fisrt Attack, this is the type of music that makes me shiver and headbang! Ale Slaughter is a black metal maniac. Loves Rotting Christ (arriving in Manaus in February) and Varathron. Mad Adrian is crazy about Firewind, specifically the Apollo era (Allegiance, The Premonition, Days of Defiance...).
What are your future plans?
One song a time, we're building our legend. We wanna keep playing and making the songs we wanna hear. Who knows? Maybe destiny and steel will bring us to the shores of Greece one day.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
We at Exxxpurgo Letal want to say a huge thank you for the space provided by Filthy Dogs of Metal, this is very gratifying for us, really, thank you very much! We will continue to produce increasingly cutting and strong songs, we will continue to raise the flag of true steel until the end! Fuck the posers! Fuck the false metal!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
EXXXPURGO LETAL CONTACT:
https://www.instagram.com/exxpurgoletal/
https://exxxpurgoletal1.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2oNyxG2wf7stYtqJidQeDG
https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/13832341
https://soundcloud.com/exxxpurgoletal
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/exxxpurgo-letal/1327801534