It was a balmy, beautiful day and a cool evening. I met up my friend Gonçalo (you'll hear more of him later), outside the door of the RCA Club in Lisbon, Portugal. Most people would love to be in Porto, at one of the many beaches, but for a metal head- this is my mecca.
Gonçalo leads me through a PACKED, medium sized club - for my interviewee is patiently awaiting my arrival in the green room as his band have just finished the last few songs that I saw on stage (brilliant, by the way). Suddenly, there he is in front of me, Fábio Rafael, the bass player for FEAR THE LORD, a hardcore band that is known quite well to the people in the Portuguese metal scene.
Rafael and I take a seat and I ask how Fear The Lord became a band. Rafael tells me that the band members have known each other for some time yet only been a cohesive band since 2014; in that time, they have managed to release two LP’s, in which they feel has made them stronger than ever. Rafael also said that he feels Fear The Lord have taken "... Portugal's New Blood scene beyond borders..." honouring the bands before them by continuing the metalcore tradition.
In November 2021, they released "Tower of God" (full length LP) and it apparently made them hungrier for more shows, more music and more success. As Rafael says, "..the band is energetic and explosive.."; (they cite Malevolence, Rage Against the Machine and Desolated as some of their biggest influences).
They are currently booking shows for 2022 and are eager to be heard outside of the confines of Portugal - if you're a fan of metalcore, most definitely check them out!!
Marisa Dymond