Fan Tribute: Passion for the work of Chuck Schuldiner

Alan Ribeiro with Suicide Machine (brazilian Death cover)

 By Mara Vanessa

Passion for the work of Chuck Schuldiner. This is the formula that unites the Brazilian guitarist Alan Ribeiro to the members of Death TR /BR. Alan is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Suicide Machine, native from Rio de Janeiro. The guitarist chatted with Death TR and talked a bit about his unconditional admiration for the killer riffs created by Evil Chuck. Check it out:

Death TR / BR - Was Death important to your musical degree?

Alan – Totally! After listening to Death, I started hearing the other songs that were made by Chuck with different eyes. Although he hadn’t a classical music degree (theoretical), he had an absurd ability of creation and this original style of building influenced me hugely, because I always end up falling into a riff that reminds me about the Death.

Death TR / BR - In your opinion, did Chuck Schuldiner modify or insert new elements in the Heavy Metal scene? Can it be regarded as a symbol of a generation?

Alan - Modified, inserted, created, demystified. Yes, all of this and more. With absolute certainty it can be considered not only a symbol of a generation but a symbol of the Metal.

Death TR / BR – Does the media grant the rightful importance and space for Chuck, nine years after his death?

Alan - Unfortunately not. He has so much prestige, so much creation, so much moral and that still growing even after his death. The Metal is only what it is today because of him. But this was the option he decided to follow, create and keep quiet. Chuck has never worn masks and has left saying: "I created, I'm the best ..."

Death TR / BR - What motivated you to form a cover band? Tell us a little about it.

Alan Ribeiro lives

Alan - When I listened to Death, my brother and I began to understand the band's sound instead of being angry and criticizing the throaty voices or the drums turnings. So we started developing a great admiration for the band. Then after a while I was studying a lot to the school and abandoned the guitar for some time until my brother had the idea to create a cover of Death. At that moment I had already learnt some musics just hearing it because there were no tabs or guitar pro software such as decent or even acceptable. I'm talking about 2002-2003, eight years ago.

The few times I played was just to make music and write my own guitar pros, good time of Mysongbook, there were several tabs of Death there. Then we joined, because I already liked a lot and my brother because he didn’t want me to stop playing. We played for one year until I had to stop again. I already was almost one year stopped without even taking a guitar when I heard the Control Denied (yes I just listened to them in 2006 hehehe).

Wow! I got the guitar and restarted playing madly, I was in love again. I searched a band and I gathered some older musicians to keep the tribute to Death. But unfortunately once again the band stopped and it was stopping, exchanging musicians and stopping until it stopped completely. This time I didn’t stop. I kept playing a lot, learning and making songs and the music was flowing. 

Then I discovered that there were more three musicians crazy for Death in the Rio de Janeiro scene and I already knew one of them at that time. We got together and the Suicide Machine appeared.Today, the motivation to do a tribute to Chuck and see the guys on the show happy listening to great classics is what makes us fill a taxi with guitars, pedals, drums, bass and similar things and go playing. If it was not for the support of the crowd and the respect we have for Chuck, I think none of this would be possible and I probably wouldn’t be playing.

Thanks guys, Thanks Chuck, Thanks Mara Vanessa and Death TR/BR by the opportunity. And we're there, who knows if in an upcoming show if we can’t play a song from Control Denied, after all, we are a tribute to Chuck, not only to Death.

Suicide Machine (brazilian Death cover)

Check the Suicide Machine (brazilian) lives: Click here.