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Switchtense were formed in 2002. In that time, all of us, me, Karia,
Isaac and Carapeto, who were the other guys on the original line-up.
All of us had bands that were ending at that time, and we thought
"Letís form a band". So we started Switchtense.
It came up in 2002 with this will... We were friends and we started
to make music. This was the main reason to get together and start the band.
On the first years we recorded 2 demos-cds
and we played as much as we could.
We played in some bands contests, some small clubs in our area... thatís how we started.
After this, there was a time when Switchtense
was only me and Hugo... then Pardal joined us.
He was a friend of ours for a long time but he did not play
metal at that timeÖHe played rock and had some other projects
of other types of music... but we insisted with him to play
with us and then we started to write the EP, in 2005.
Karia and Hugo invited me to play guitar
and we really wanted to do something... some songs, an Ep, even
without a drummer at that time... But we decided
to program everything and go forward with the EP in 2005.
We recorded the Ep, with no drummer at that
time, using a programed drums in our computer. Meanwhile we had to find
a drummer... So we published an announcement on the internet and Antero joined
us in 2005. He was our 2nd drummer, and when
he arrived the EP was almost finished.
We recorded and released it everything (on our own)
and since then we played a lot of shows... around 30/40 maybe!
We wanted to be present and we
took these live shows seriously...
That was the place to show the band
and to meet more people.
In that time, we were 4 but
we felt the need to put something
more in our music and inevitably
that it must be another guitar.
To be honest, i did not know the band so i went to a show and I thought:
"I guess these guys play well! Itís my cup of teaÖHeavy, MetalÖ"
I saw the first show from outside the band and I got it after it...
And from that day forward I played a good number of shows until the end of that year.
In the mid-2007 we decided to do the album and push forward
our will to make music. At that time Antero, our drummer,
steps out from the band, but we kept on writing songs.
In the meantime we were looking for a drummer... and Xines appeared.
How shall I say, not to get in, just sent them,
to see what they thought about them...
We were watching the vÌdeos and we were thinking,
"This guy doesnít play like this... this is fake"
Xines joined on the ending of 2007 when the writing
process "Confrontation of Souls" was already done. For us
it made all the difference... Xines was the tool that
was missing to make the band work like we wanted to.
We started to rehearsal every week and I made up
my mind that I really wanted this. I wanted to join the band.
Xines joined us on the right time.
This was the perfect line-up to prepare our first album.
We started to do the songs on the old rehearsal room
that we had. We were there days and nights, always trying
to create some riffs, to have the biggest number of ideas
possible, trying to improve the songs, trying to make it serious.
The pre-production was made by ourselves here in our rehearsal room!
We always work that way. Preparing everything before
recording so we can have a better result afterwards.
We decided to record in Braga because
we always liked Danielís productions a lot
with other bands. The only problem was the fact that the studio was
located in Braga (some kms away from our town) and we had to
reconcile our lives, work, house, cash available, but we made up our minds,
all the conditions were met and in May 2008 we
spent 15 days recording our first album with Daniel.
It was a very important experience because we learned a lot of stuff about recordings,
instruments... everything related to music and that was really important for us.
We had never been so much time together recording. It was very positive because
we learned a lot with Daniel and Pedro Mendes, who also worked in UltraSound in Braga.
All the bad vices we had on that time, were corrected there and we
learned with them how could we do so everything could work better.
A guy has no idea, a face life a foolÖ a bass full of noise, no set ups, no nothing... when I started playing
they asked: "What the hell is that?"; "Well, thatís my bass"; "You cannot record like that".
It was not fear, but in the beginning we had to get
to know Daniel and Pedro. But we ended felling like if we
were home. We just forgot about the deadline we had to record and everything flew in a natural way.
The process was very positive and very natural... And after that we kept a good relation with Daniel
which allowed us to continue working with him and absorb the ideas he was giving.
To have Confrontation of Souls in our hands made us proud... no
doubt about it... Everything in ther was the result of lots of work
and sweat. It was an album that we really wanted to do...
this is a dream and we want to make and give the best of us!
Obviously, we were proud when we got to the point when everything was recorded and
we had more will to take the album to the stage, and to rehearse the songs very well.
After one week we played some new songs in Braga... it was the
first crowd reaction and it went well... we had a great feedback.
I remember when the first mixes arrived there was some kind of collective hysteria sending e-mails to each
other to listen to the songs... It was really great, because Daniel hit the point almost on the first try.
We sent the album to various labels we had to find a label
that could release the abum. Fortunately, Pedro of Rastilho,
believed in us and he liked what he listened. Until today thereís
a pleasure to work with himÖ he is super professional.
The money we had was spent all in the recordings... and to
release an album, you either you have some money or you will need
somebody to help you in this issue. We had a lot of luck,
because Pedro works hard and he really likes what he does.
I knew that a friend of Pedro was at the Festival and watched our show...
He did not know about us and never had seen the band... but he liked what he saw!
When he came back to Leiria, hometown of our label, he talked with Pedro and told him:
"I saw a band called Switchtense on Metal GDL and I really liked the show... maybe this is a good band for you to sign up"
It was funny because Pedro had received the album at that time so he listened to it.
Maybe those 2 things that happened on the same time helped us... We know that labels
are always receiving a lot of stuff and sometimes it is complicated to listen to
everything... and our label itís just one guy!
You enter a store and you think "Iíd like to have my album here", and I remember at
that time with Confrontation of Souls, I saw it there and was all proud... I even took pics.
After the album was out, the concerts have transformed... and the
band transformed. Peopleís reaction to the album, in my opinion, I was
not expecting, it was really positive. People were coming to us
and saying things that sometimes I did not know what do say...
We have always been a band who wanted to play a lot of shows and that was our
biggest ambition... To play, have fun because we really like what we do.
We donít want anyone who goes to our shows to leave with the feeling
that the band in album is not the same that the band, in a live-act.
We spread it to more and more people... We played
abroad for the first time, in Germany, for instance.
Itís always a pleasure to play with worldwide known bands... we had the chance to share the stage
with some of them: Soulfly, Caliban, Devidriver, Hatesphere... this is another way to grow up!
Itís always good to play before an international bands because we have more people watching than in concerts only with
Portuguese bands. Itís a good experience... we have the chance to meet other people
from those bands, each time is possible, trade experiences e understand how can they
live from music and how they work. If you stay closed inside your zone you will never
learn anything... This is the time, when you have the chance to share the same space
with somebody you only know from videos or magazines, to give one step ahead,
introduce yourself, your band and show your work.
Another valuable input to play with those big bands is to catch the crowd whoís there
to see them, which is always a lot... itís always a great opportunity to spread our name.
When Confrontation of Souls was released we gave a lot
of shows... during 2 years we tried to play as more as we
could in Portugal, and outside. Then after some time, the opportunity
came up, and together we decided to write new stuff.
We started to write the songs for the second album on Summer
2010, we never stopped playing live. It was not necessary
to stop doing live shows to write new stuff. The live set was totally defined and
it was not necessary more than one regular rehearsal for week. With our constant live
activity, those old songs were tight and we had enough time to write the new stuff...
People had the felling that we never stopped between the first and the second
album, and as a matter of fact, it was true. The process was normal... Pardal ou
Neto brought some ideas... normally the songs start by a guitar riff.
The method is always the same... We just have to do more
and better. The second album made the difference
to our name... we had to do better, or at least
similar than the first album... it could not be worst.
This one was already done in our own studio, UltraSound in Moita.
Everything was done here... pre-production and recordings.
The fact that we have our own studio where we can work,
helps us a lot... Here we have total freedom to arrive
when we want, to leave when we wantÖ We can
have all our things set up every day of the week.
This time instead of record the drums in 3 days,
I did it in 10... Itís much easier... I can think better!
I remember that during the recordings of this second
album, Xinesís drums were set up during one month,
the time we spent to make the album... If we wanted
to change something we always had that chance.
Itís all advantages... Besides being our studio and we have more time to work, itís
me there working and listening all the stuff with my patience... And that allow us
to work all the points. This album we had one month and a half to work all the
details... Thereís not so much pressure... We have time, our stuff, our ideas!!
In this album another advantage point was the fact that Pardal was the guy behind the
recordings. Like us, Pardal know the songs better than anyone and technically itís a
person who can do this job. This is a great help for us... someone like Pardal, who
knows the songs like him, helped a lot for the final result.
And if we got to the studio and felt that a solo or a riff was not going so well, we always had the
chance to go home, away from the studio and away from the pressure of being here recording.
Daniel was going to the studio in the important
times during the recordings, and that mutual help
between Pardal and Daniel was important
to make this album tighter and better!
When Switchtense came out, once again we had expectations
about what people would think of this new album...
we made some presentation gigs, and the
reception from the audience was once again brutal.
Obviously this album reached more people, and it was natural because the first
one was good and we tried to improve and to hit more people, and we did it.
When the album came out a lot of people told us that the band was sounding exaclty at
the same thing but we gave a step ahead in composition and in our performance as musicians.
In each concerto more people were coming to us saying things that we really did not know what to say... Itís like that!
One of the best reviews we had, were people saying that listening to both albums they could notice some differences,
the band was more tight, but there was a Switchtenseís mark on it... And thatís good for us, because itís our mark.
Critics were really greatÖ We had more
reviews from abroad in sites and magazines all around the world, which helped us to
spread bandís name outside Portugal. We toured all around Portugal, we made some
presentation gigs and then the regular circuitÖClubs, festivalsÖ
We played in Spain, Resurrection Fest in Galiza and it was also awesome... man, it was awesome. There were 2 stages: a main
one with big bands, and one in a tent, where we played, which was really crowded at that time, during the afternoon.
We started to play in opening acts for bigger bands, like Hatebreed or D.R.I.
To get back in time, 10 or 8 years ago, and understand that those cds that you were
listening to, which are the bands who influences you, are the bands that we are now playing with, and to share the stage
with those bands itís always a great experience for us... and to me, as a fan,
itís awesome... I canít put into words what I feel when I share the stage with a band like that.
We had the chance to do a tour with Sepultura in Spain, around 5 or 6 gigs, and it was awesome... a band we listen
since we were 16 years old, and after 20 years we get the chance to tour with them, for us it was great!
The first album I ever bought was a Sepulturaís album, and after 12 or 15 years
to have the chance to do a tour with them was awesome. To get up in the morning and
drive 800kms, play again at night, back to the hostel, get up again in the morning and
drive more 600kms, all that experience is what a band is looking for... thatís the reason to be in a band.
We were able to bandís name abroad... we played some gigs in Germany, Spain during 2011.
Also in 2011 we made a tour in Portugal
with 3 bands our friends, Grankapo, For the Glory and Seven Stitches... the tour was
Lions Unleashed Tour and we did 5 gigs in
the end of 2011...it was really gratifying because at the same time we were playing
live we were sharing these moments with
people we knew during our life... which are people that became important for us by
their attitude and way of living, and at the same time gathering two different music
styles, Metal and Hardcore that have a few common links but also complement each other.
It was the first time we were playing for an audienc of 4 or 5 thousand people and it was an awesome experienceÖ
The gig in Campo Pequeno was very important because from 5 thousand
people there, maybe only, letís sayÖ 200 people really knew our band.
To have that crowd in front of us, and with
all the empathy that happened on the concert... we spent 30 minutes on stage
where we left a mark and it was possible to show our band. From that time, a lot of
kids who did not know about us, started to know Switchtense.
It was one of the moments where we had more exposure
in one day... half an hour. Itís gratifying the feedback after that.
Moita Metal Fest started in this time because we really wanted a place to play in
our hometown... on that time, public government was giving the chance to young
people of our town to do something and we decided to do a Metal Fest. On the first
edition played Switchtense, another local band and Mindlock.
Meanwhile the festival was growing up and we started to do 2 days...we brought
some international bands, as Dew-Scented, which is a band we always liked.
Contradiction also from Germany, Angelus Apatrida and Noctem from Spain...
For us, it was always important to have
a pro-active role inside our thing, because thereís no other way to act, and alone we
will never make it anywhere. The fact is,
that today we can do a festival with 15, 16 bands in one weekend, with 1000 people
coming to see the shows, with 1 or 2
international bands and the rest of the bill is completed with Portuguese bands...
Itís very important for us to have that experience here in our hometown and to do
something for the other bands and for the audience.
We decided to show everyone what is
a festival organized by us since 2004,
and, we also decided to show what is a show
of Switchtense in our hometown.
We decided to gather all the technical means, capture images, record the sound
and try to do a special release that celebrates our 10th anniversary.
We had some friends with us on stageÖ Congas from For the Glory.
*** from GrankapoÖ
Pica from Seven Stitches.
Itís always great... people enjoyed it and so did we...
It makes everything easy... much easier!
Cake on the stage, crowd and friends on the
stage... Chaos! That is what we try to transmit to the people... this is not just
a festival where people are there to headbang... this is more than a festival...
Moita Metal Fest itís a party! It¥s explosive! It¥s Party time!
We wanted to make a special release, not only with the live gig, but we also wanted to add
some new songs, and record again an old song which we think it makes sense to record now!
One music that was recorded again and 3 new songs we made
only for this celebration release of our 10th anniversary.
These new songs at the DVD portrays what we are doing now... we are not
moving away from what we have already done before in the last albums.
We always say, besides the 5 elements of Switchtense,
there are always more people who work with us.
AndrÈ Tavares is our soundguy for some years and heís a friend of ours.
He is also working with the live sound for the dvd, and heís the best soundguy in the world.
Daniel Cardoso, our albumís producer and the best producer in the world.
Daniel, that we already talked about, is our producer since our first record... we donít
need to change and we are still going to work with him. Pedro from our label Rastilho,
always a great help with our releases, Emanuel from Helxis, is also part of our family, heís our booker
and helps us with transportation to our travels, sometimes driving the van, always available to help us.
We got to stand together and work together. Yeah. At the same time you meet
great friends even from other bands, that¥s also really important for us.
Our only behavior was to share these moments with the people that really love us, and that we love to be with.
What we feel from all the people that support us, that go to concerts, that buy
our records, and that hear our stuff, is a strength that makes us carry on this fight,
that isnít easy, not easy at all... and give us the will to make more music and
play, and the more we play, the better, because we want to show what we do best.
I feel more and more that people value our workÖ I can feel that.
But we always want more. We want to go further. We want to play in more places and
if necessary, to play abroad in places with little crowd, we play anyway. we have to play
and we have to live thatÖ We have lived that here in our country and we must
live that whenever we arrive to a new place where nobody knows us.
Here, itís still difficult because we canít, itís very hard to live on the band
but we keep on going, everybody have their jobs outside the band but itís still hard
even going abroad, we got to have holidays, and we have to find a way to go.
We are always making efforts and I think itís worth it!