INTERVIEW w/ NERVOSA'S FERNANDA LIRA

Nervosa is a Brazilian band that is continuing to destroy everything in their path. since their inception, they found an amazing blend of Death, Thrash, Groove, and killer instrumentation from everyone involved. June 1st sees the release of their 3rd album, Downfall of Mankind, coming out through Napalm Records. I recently got to ask Fernanda Lira (Bassist, Vocals) a few questions talking about everything you need to know about Nervosa in 2018...ENJOY!


Thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview!
Fernanda: Thank YOU for the opportunity of talking about our new album :)

June 1st  brings the 3rd album from Nervosa, Downfall of Mankind, coming out through Napalm Records. How does it feel to have the album finally coming out?
F: It’s a baby that’s born! haha Really, people have noon idea of how tough producing a new album can be, from having to find time to writing new stuff even when on the road most of the time, to the recording process, when , as an example of our last recording session, we spent sometimes over 13 hours a day in the studio! So seeing it all actually take form and finally be out is one of the most exciting and relieving moments there’s out there!

I immediately noticed that Downfall of Mankind is the most ferocious Nervosa album to date? The tempos are faster, the blast beats are even more insane and the vocals bring the most gripping intensity seen yet. Was this all intentional from the beginning or did the songs naturally come together this way?
F: We actually never set how exactly we wanna sound, once our writing process is really organic, it all happens very naturally. We always know we wanna step forward with a new release, and always try to make it better than the last one, but we don’t set anything sound wise. But i agree with you 100% on how different the songs are and that they sound more ferocious, and many of this is because of our new drummer. She comes from a death metal band. so she knew she would bring more aggressiveness, speed and technique to the songs, so we kinda created refs that would fit this, and in the end we noticed that we finally found out exactly how we wanna sound, we feel that with this album and with her, we really found our musical identity, which is this thrash metal thing, filled with a lot of death metal influences.

Another huge aspect I am enjoying is the insane production quality on the new album. What was it like to be able to get this quality production for Nervosa?
F: We decided to work with Martin Furia, which is an amazing producer that has already worked with some bands we love, like Flotsam and Jetsam and Destruction as a sound engineer, and he also was OUR sound engineer live for a couple of tours in Europe, and he’s amazing guy, with very good taste and who’s very patient, easygoing and creative, which makes the whole difference in the studio, at least for me. Also, when we and mainly he had in mind when we asked him to work with us, was to bring all our energy live to the studio album. Everyone who watched us live, knows how fierce we can sound and look on stage, so when he decided to bring this to the studio, it definitely also made a difference, that’s why it sounds more aggressive and rawer than the previous ones!

Never Forget, Never Repeat & Kill The Silence were chosen as singles. How did you decide on these two songs being chosen to represent the album ahead of the release? What has been the reception you have heard for the singles and album so far?
F: We wanted to have songs that not only had that ‘punch in the face’ kind of vibe, but also we’d like to have as singles songs that summarized all the elements people will listen throughout the whole album, and both of them have it: blast beats, speed, aggressiveness, catchy choruses, etc. People have been really impressed and surprised so far, mainly with Never Forget, Never Repeat, cause it’s definitely one of the fastest songs we have so far, and I’m not sure people were expecting that! The production is also something that people have been talking a lot about!

How did the album come entitled Downfall of Mankind?
F: All our lyrics are about crazy shit that’s been going on all around the globe, and i have the feeling if we don’t change every of those aspects and situation, we will be definitely marching towards our downfall. It seems it’s a pessimistic title, but it’s more of a realistic one if you pay attention to the news and society itself.


What is next for Nervosa? For those that haven’t had the opportunity yet, what should people excpet from a Nervosa live set?
F: We took a little easier this year so we could rest for a bit, so we’ll definitely be touring to promote the album, but not as extensively as the previous years, when we were playing around 150 shows a year! We have an European summer tour scheduled for this year, and many nice small tours and gigs in Latin America! Then on the next year, we’ll be definitely back on touring like crazy, all over the US. and Europe and we’ll be trying to play new territories, like Asia and Oceania, it’s definitely gonna be blast! Our set is very intense live, at least that’s what people say hahaha We believe being on stage is our dearest moment, so we always have a lot of energy to give and show, it’s a fun concert to watch if you like thrash/death metal!

With it being almost half way through 2018, do you have any favorite albums of this year so far?
F: I’ve heard the new Judas Priest album and it sounds amazing! There’s a couple other releases I’m looking forward also, like the new Behemoth and Krisiun albums, I’m sure they’ll also be around my favorite ones hahaha


What do you like to do when you are not focused on Nervosa?
F: When I’m home, i like trying to do nothing haha like really relaxing, doing things i can’t do on the road, like watching movies, going to the cinema, eating our with my family, cooking, riding my motorcycle… And also I’m a very spiritualistic person, so when I'm home i can do all my rituals hahaha like meditating, doing therapies with crystals, watching spiritualistic lectures and courses, lighting all kinds of candles and incenses, all this mystical stuff! haha Oh, and, of course, listening to a lot of pop to learn new vocal techniques, with Beyonce, Lana del Rey, Amy Winehouse! My neighbors hate me when I’m around hahahaha

Thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview? As a huge fan since the debut, it’s awesome to see how the band has evolved into what you are now and being able to help promote such a great album like Downfall of Mankind. Before we are done, is there anything else you would like to mention that I haven’t brought up yet?
F: Aw, that’s awesome, love to hear that and thanks a lot for helping us out and supporting, it really means a lot! For everyone else who’s reading this, i just say what i always say, keep on supporting metal and respecting the scene, we’re all the sole responsible ones to keep the metal flame burning!


NERVOSA- DOWNFALL OF MANKIND IS OUT JUNE 1ST THROUGH NAPALM RECORDS