Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

Brazilian PENTRAL have teamed up with Metal Shock Finland to premiere exclusively their new video ‘Disconnected’, taken from the band’s debut album “What Lies Ahead Of Us”, which was released on May 7th, available on all platforms.

Watch the video here:

Furthermore, Metal Shock Finland‘s Tarja Virmakari had a pleasure to talk with the band about the premiered video, their debut album + else. Read the interview below.

1. Hello PENTRAL and welcome to Metal Shock Finland. Today, we’ve a pleasure to premiere your new video ‘Disconnected’, so let’s start talking about it. Please, tell us the story behind the song and video.

The song talks about our hostile society, and how the characters of our debut album – a mother and her kid – have to cope with all the selfishness, aggressiveness, and apathy they face when escaping from the woods. That’s why the characters and all of us fell more and more “disconnected”, like thinking only about ourselves. I really believe this is one of the biggest issues mankind has to deal with. As for the video, differently from the previous ones, we thought that for this song – as this is a more energetic track – we should make it through live performance, and that’s the way it was made in an old theatre in our home town, with all the intensity we could put out.

2. ‘Disconnected’ is taken from your debut album “What Lies Ahead Of Us”, which was released on May 7th, on all platforms. How has it been welcomed by your fans?

The debut album is being well received so far. On all platforms and radios worldwide – considering we can’t go out on tour – the songs are getting fair airplay and getting traction amongst different audiences, which are quite exciting as this is beyond what we would expect for a debut album under the uncommon circumstances we’re all living in. These are weird and challenging times, but we’re glad about the reactions to our music and really hope we can push this debut effort even more through live concerts as soon as this is possible to happen.

3. Now tell us about PENTRAL and its members and how you guys got together?

All it started with many projects years ago and I was always focused on writing songs, singing, and playing guitar. My younger brother (Vagner Lima) a few years late started playing drums and became a great musician. Back in 2018, I had dozens of songs that were pre-recorded, so I thought it was the right time to start out a new band with the new material. I Shared some of these songs with him , so that He could work on better drums arrangements, and as the format we were all looking for is a power trio, we met Joe Ferry, who is an old friend and such a great bass player as well, and Pentral was born.

4. Going back to the debut album, what can you tell us about its songwriting process and topics, being a concept album?

As for the songwriting, I can’t say it’s usually a planned process. There’s no way I can schedule a precise time when I’m going to sit and write something new. It’s much more like a melody and a message that comes to my mind, which I believe is much more of a spiritual gift, something that has to be expressed and shared at that very moment. Mostly I use an acoustic guitar or a guitar with clean sound and no effects at all and the song comes as a whole. I kind of know what the track should be about, as this feeling or presence is quite noticeable and it’s attached to something from this material and chaotic world and to what I believe is a parallel existence that is right beside us, and everything has to be written together, verses, chorus, outro, bridge, etc. After that, considering the message, I write lyrics.
“What Lies Ahead Of Us” is a concept album that describes a drama of a poor couple and their young kid living in the woods, as they fight for their lives and deal with land-grabbers, violence, selfishness, racism, greed, bigotry, and indifference. All they can do is try to do is keep themselves alive and trust in the power of love. This is not only a Brazilian story but a call for awareness of what we are as human beings, all over the world.

5. How would you describe your musical sound?

A mix of much different stuff. We all love Progressive Rock, Heavy Music, Thrash and Groove Metal, Jazz and Folk, and many Brazilian artists as well. I would say Pentral’s music is the outcome of all these various sources. That’s why you’ll feel influences from “Led Zeppelin”, “Queen”, “The Beatles”, “Rush”, “Yes”, “King Crimson” and even “Metallica”, “Faith No More”, “Van Halen”, “Megadeth”, “Slayer” mixed with brazilian artists like “Djavan”, “Gilberto Gil”, “Milton Nascimento”, “Lulu Santos” and even jazz fusion guys like “Chick Corea”, “Return to Forever”, “The Mothers of Invention” and “Dixie Dregs”, to name a few. It’s really a crazy thing.

6. Give us 3 good reasons why we should buy your album?

Truth – we don’t try and never will try to sound like band A or B. We love so many bands from the past and present, and we’re naturally influenced by the greatest acts, but the songs are supposed to sound like Pentral songs. The lyrics and the songs are our truth. There’s no way we make something to pretend what we don’t believe; Emotion – whatever I write and whatever we play we do it putting all the emotion we could get. This is something that is being done with a love for music and really believing in the message we’re aiming at, and this is something that will touch people. Pentral will have something to say; Diversity – there’s no formula neither a specific genre we’ll be always stuck in. Pentral will do heavy music, but acoustic, progressive, groovy, and always try to make it exciting!

7. As we don’t yet know when the proper shows and tours will be happening again, how will you support the album in the meantime?

Live Streams, Playthroughs, and all the experiences we can provide to our fans so that they can feel like they were attending a Pentral live concert. Releasing versions of the songs,and trying to keep people interested in the full process behind making the songs and record them. We’ll do our best to keep busy and share our journey with the public.

8. Talking about Covid, how’s the situation in your home-country, Brazil?

Awful. Our president – Bolsonaro – is a lunatic and criminal who denies the vaccines being effective against the virus, and we’re having corruption issues here that have delayed the vaccination, so we’re doing it now, but only after a huge struggle against our own government who insisted in postponing the purchase of the vaccines, and this lack of support took a lot of time and tons of Brazilians lives, unfortunately, but as they are coming we can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel! We’ll resist!

9. And what about your future plans?

Playing live! This is the priority! And I wrote a second album already but we got to focus on the debut album at first, and then raise the bar for the second one! Pentral has plenty of new ideas to share with people who appreciate our sound. We’re looking forward to it!

10. Now the word is yours, what is your message to our readers and your fans?

Remember you belong to a much bigger picture, so be part of the solution rather than the problem. Look after your family, friends and community as well. Music is art, life is art, and art is to be a valid way to change reality, it’s not like anyone could be “the savior of the world”, but to make us all grow our own consciousness and respect for each other, no matter where we came from neither who or what we believe in.

Thank-you guys for this great chat, take care, stay safe and keep on rocking!

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Brazilian PENTRAL mix hard rock and progressive metal music, and though the two brothers Victor Lima (vocals and guitar), and Vagner Lima (drums), and their third bandmate Joe Ferry (bass) had already worked together before, under that current name they are releasing their debut album this year. Pentral has been around since last year dropping some versions of classic rock songs from iconic bands through their YouTube channel, like Queen, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.

“What Lies Ahead Of Us” is a concept album. “Silent Trees” was the first single, unleashed on March 5. Following the first single, two other singles have been released, “All My Wounds” out on March 26th, and “Aiming For The Sun”, out on April 16th.

“What Lies Ahead Of Us” Track Listing:

1 – Silent Trees
2 – All My Wounds
3 – Disconnected
4 – Letters From Nowhere
5 – Aiming For The Sun
6 – A Gift From God
7 – No Real Colour In Souls
8 – The Shell I’m Living In
9 – Are You Satisfied?
10 -The Law

Produced by Pentral and Tim Palmer
Mixed by Tim Palmer
Co-produced by Sergio Fouad and Cesar Bottinha
Mastered by Justin Shturtz

More information at
Official Site: https://www.pentralmusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pentralmusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pentralmusic 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pentralmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2AXLFVIhosACuumLmolRPX
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/pentral/1514782602