Interviews: Carceral

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Instrumental Death Metal band Carceral from Brazil. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. For readers discovering Carceral for the first time, how would you describe the band's sound and identity?

Roberto Ortega: Carceral combines the oppressive atmosphere of death metal, the aggression of thrash metal, and the concise songwriting of grindcore and powerviolence. Aesthetically, we wanted to create the sensation of being in the middle of an apocalypse: a world collapsing around the listener, where chaos, devastation, and tension become the experience itself.

2. The band delivers an entirely instrumental extreme metal experience. What inspired the decision to let the guitars, bass, and drums carry the entire narrative? 

Roberto Ortega: The absence of vocals was part of the concept from the very beginning. Choosing an instrumental format was not about showcasing technique, but about giving the music complete freedom. Without lyrics directing the listener toward a specific meaning, riffs, melodies, harmonies, dynamics, and textures become the language of the narrative, allowing each listener to create their own interpretation. I was especially inspired by the instrumental passages of bands like Death, Morbid Angel, Voivod, and Immolation, as well as artists such as Allan Holdsworth, Tribal Tech, and Dixie Dregs, who demonstrated that instruments alone can express complex ideas and emotions. 

3. Descending Reprisal represents an idea that has been developing for over two decades. What originally sparked the vision for this album?

Roberto Ortega: Around 2002 or 2003, while I was listening almost obsessively to The Sound of Perseverance by Death and Scum by Napalm Death, a simple idea emerged: what if the harmonic language and riff vocabulary of death and thrash metal could be combined with the conciseness of grindcore and powerviolence? Songs reduced to their most violent essence without sacrificing musical depth. Q

4. The album explores themes of punishment, collapse, power, privilege, and injustice. What inspired the apocalyptic concept behind the record?

Roberto Ortega: From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the imagery was certainly influenced by albums like Bestial Devastation and Morbid Visions by Sepultura, as well as Conquerors of Armageddon by Krisiun. Those records helped shape my imagination of apocalypse and devastation. Conceptually, however, the album comes from a very different place. Having graduated from law school and worked within the justice system, I've spent years reflecting on legal philosophy, religion, anthropology, politics, and the nature of punishment itself. I'm fascinated by questions surrounding the accumulation of power, the abuse of authority, and the monopoly of violence. 

5. With 24 tracks, Descending Reprisal feels like a massive journey. How did you approach creating an album with such a large scope?

Roberto Ortega: Although it consists of 24 tracks, we conceived the album as a single experience rather than just a collection of individual songs. The influence of grindcore and powerviolence naturally led many compositions to be brief. Ideas appear, evolve, and disappear before they become repetitive, keeping the record in constant motion. Our ambition was to create a world the listener could inhabit for about thirty minutes, much like Reign in Blood by Slayer. An album that leaves you wanting to press play again the moment it ends. 

6. Without lyrics or vocals, how do you approach songwriting to make sure the listener understands the emotions and story behind each song? 

Roberto Ortega: We don't try to dictate what listeners should imagine. Instead, we focus on creating emotional situations through harmony, rhythm, dynamics, dissonance, texture, and silence. Music is capable of communicating long before words become necessary. At the same time, the album's unified atmosphere, harmonic language, and song titles can evoke specific images and emotions for those willing to fully immerse themselves in the experience. 

7. How do you balance the technical aggression of death and thrash metal with the relentless pacing of grindcore?

Roberto Ortega: That balance emerged naturally because those styles have always coexisted in our individual musical vocabularies. Death and Thrash Metal provide the harmonic language, the riff construction, and much of the technical foundation. Grindcore and powerviolence influence the architecture of the songs rather than the riffs themselves. They taught us that an idea should last only as long as it needs to. 

8. You mention influences like Death, Morbid Angel, Dark Angel, Voivod, and Immolation. How have those bands shaped Carceral's sound while allowing you to create something unique?

Roberto Ortega: Those bands taught me something fundamental: that musical expression should come from a pure idea, rather than from established formulas. Each of them created a unique identity and developed a personal musical language, exploring their own sense of freedom and creativity. 

9. Can you walk us through the writing and recording process for Descending Reprisal?

Roberto Ortega: For this album, everything began with the riffs. Once that stage was complete, drummer Daniel Moscardini started developing the arrangements, transforming those initial ideas into complete compositions. From there, bassist Victor Hormidas and guitarist Hard Alexandre Christiani brought their own perspectives, refining details and helping shape the final versions of the songs. Recording took place across several studios throughout 2025 and became an intensely collaborative process. Victor's contribution extended far beyond the bass. We co-produced the album together, and every creative decision had to be approved by both of us. Nothing remained on the record unless we both felt it served the music and the overall vision of the album. 

10. The album features a large team of contributors, including artwork, visualizers, sound design, and production collaborators. How important was the visual side of the project in completing the album's atmosphere?

Roberto Ortega: It was very important. From the beginning, we wanted the visual elements to complement the atmosphere created by the music. The cover art by Artem Demura (a concept designer known for his work in the gaming industry, having contributed to major titles such as Lords of the Fallen and Mortal Shell) became the foundation of the album's visual identity. Danilo Ferreira developed the visual direction and created several single covers, as well as the booklet and many additional promotional artworks. 

11. What was it like working with Victor Hormidas on production and Samuel Bassani on mixing and mastering?

Roberto Ortega: Victor and I co-produced the album, so every significant creative decision passed through both of us. It was a process built on mutual trust, friendship, and constant dialogue. As for Samuel Bassani, I became interested in his work because of the impact his previous productions had on me. His mixes possess tremendous punch, clarity, and precision. Although our riffs are rooted in old-school Death and Thrash metal, we wanted the production to feel contemporary, without sacrificing the organic character of the performances. 

12. Were there any songs on the album that were especially challenging or rewarding to create?

Roberto Ortega: The songs themselves flowed quite naturally. I don't remember struggling with any particular composition. The rewards, however, were numerous. Hearing Archaic Law fully arranged and recorded for the first time was a defining moment. It was the first piece that truly revealed what Carceral had become. For that reason, I believe the greatest creative challenge wasn't writing individual songs, but organizing 24 compositions into a sequence that felt coherent, cinematic, and emotionally continuous. On a personal level, the production was also interrupted by two major surgeries I underwent, one of them an emergency procedure that carried significant risks. 

13. How does being an instrumental band change the way you approach live performances and connecting with an audience?

Roberto Ortega: Without a vocalist, every musician becomes equally responsible for communicating emotion and intensity on stage. That naturally shifts the audience's attention toward the interaction between the instruments, the physical performance, and the atmosphere created by the band as a whole. Because there are no lyrics telling listeners what to think or feel, each performance leaves room for individual interpretation. 

14. What do you hope listeners experience when they hear Descending Reprisal from beginning to end? 

Roberto Ortega: More than anything, I hope listeners become immersed in the world the album creates. If, for half an hour, they can forget everything around them and inhabit that atmosphere, then I feel the music has accomplished its purpose. I also hope the album rewards repeated listening. There are details, recurring motifs, and subtle connections that may reveal themselves only over time. 

15. What does the release of this debut album mean for Carceral moving forward?

Roberto Ortega: On a personal level, its meaning goes far beyond the release of a debut album. Descending Reprisal represents the realization of an idea that remained with me for more than twenty years. At the same time, it establishes our artistic identity as a band. It means that we now exist as a musical entity within the metal scene, rather than only in abstraction. We hope the album reaches the listener and gathers supporters who appreciate what we are doing. 

16. Are there plans for live shows, more visual content, or new material following the album release?

Roberto Ortega: Absolutely. Over the coming months, we'll continue supporting Descending Reprisal with four additional singles, each accompanied by its own video, as well as a special alternate version of one of the album's tracks with orchestration by Vithor Moraes. At the same time, work has already begun on our second full-length album. It's still in its early stages, but the creative process is already underway. Another important objective is finding the right partner for a physical release, so we're actively seeking a label aligned with what we are doing. 

17. Is there anything else you'd like to share with the readers of Breathing The Core Zine? 

Roberto Ortega: We'd simply like to thank everyone at Breathing The Core for the opportunity to share our story, and everyone who has taken the time to listen to Descending Reprisal. Metal occupies a unique space in culture, and we are grateful to every listener willing to experience our take on it with an open spirit. We hope the album resonates with you and invites listeners to immerse themselves in its atmosphere. Thank you!

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