Korzus

Korzus is a Brazilian thrash metal band, formed in 1983 in São Paulo. They are one of the oldest and most important bands of the Brazilian thrash metal scene, along with bands like Sarcófago and Sepultura. Their first release was issued in the seminal metal compilation called SP Metal on Baratos Afins label back in 1985.

They changed the lineup a lot of times since the birth of the band, but three members, Marcello Pompeu (on vocals), Silvio Golfetti (on guitars) and Dick (on bass guitar) remained. The classic lineup of the band (1988–1992) was Marcello Pompeu (vocals), Silvio Golfetti (guitars), Marcelo Nicastro (guitars), Dick (bass) and Roberto Betão Sileci (drums, replacing Zema who committed suicide in 1988).

Early days

The odd thing about their career is that their debut album was a live album (instead of a studio release) from 1986 but soon in 1987 they released their first studio album called Sonho Maníaco with a distinctively rough metal sound, very much like Dark Angel's Darkness Descends and Slayer's Reign In Blood.

Around that time, Silvio Golfetti played guitars for the L.A. speed metal band Agent Steel for a short time in 1987, because he was a friend of John Cyriis, vocalist of Agent Steel and born in Brazil. He temporarily played guitars for Sepultura at the time when Andreas Kisser was unable to play due to an arm injury.

In 1989, they changed their sound a little, going more in a direction of Bay Area thrash, and released the EP Pay For Your Lies, which become a classic in South American metal, featuring a cover of Black Sabbath's "Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes". During that period Korzus became a major metal band in the Brazilian scenario; they even struck a friendship with their idol, Formula One racer Ayrton Senna.

Two years later they came up with what most people call the best Korzus album to date, Mass Illusion. With the expert production of Roger Moreira (vocalist/founder of one of the most known rock bands in Brazil called Ultraje A Rigor) the band gained more attention outside Brazil. A videoclip for the song "Agony" was made, and it received heavy air play on Furia Metal (a Brazilian version of MTV's Headbangers Ball).

Things were going well but the drummer Beto Silesci and the guitarist Marcelo Nicastro left the band, as each one pursued their own projects (Beto Silesci formed a band with his wife and tried the drums in the hardcore band Ratos de Porão; Nicastro became a well-known player of cavaquinho - a short four-string guitar used to play samba, the most popular style of music in Brazil).

90's

After the departure of Beto Sileci and Marcelo Nicastro, the band started to try an audience out of Brazil, due to the success of Sepultura.

They recruited a guitarist called Soldado and a drummer called Fernando Schaefer and recorded in 1994 the album KZS. The band was musically fitting with the 90's NYHC sound of bands such as Madball and Sick Of It All. On tour they played in the States with Biohazard and S.O.D.

After two years, Soldado and Fernando Schaefer left the band (Fernando Schaefer became a drummer for several Brazilian bands like Treta, Pavilhão9, Rodox, Kiko Loureiro, and recently Endrah), and to replace them, they hired Heros Trench for the guitar post and Rodrigo Oliveira as the drummer.

This lineup is still playing together and since they recorded in 1998 a live CD at the Brazilian edition of the Monsters of Rock festival and after some years without recording any album, they released the album Ties Of Blood in 2004.

Present

Korzus has a new formation, which includes Antônio Araújo as the new guitar player (replacing Silvio Golfetti). Critics state that Antônio is one of the best Brazilian musicians of the last few years. His abilities are compared to Andreas Kisser, but with less experience.

The band has just released the new album, entitled Discipline Of Hate by German label AFM Records.

Discography

• Korzus Live (1985)
• Sonho Maníaco (1987)
• Pay For Your Lies (1989)
• Mass Illusion (1991)
• KZS (1994)
• Live At Monsters Of Rock (1998)
• Ties Of Blood (2004)
• Discipline of Hate (2010)
• Legion (2014)