Storming out of the ninth circle of hell and armed to the teeth with unstoppable devilish metal fury is Whipstriker. The man/band has been smashing craniums, bursting eardrums, and possessing souls for the better part of nearly two decades, with their latest assault, Cry of Extinction, only further cementing their status as blackened speed savants. It’s a dirty job, no doubt, but someone has to do it! So who is this one man filth-metal militia who’s keeping Brazil’s brutish reputation alive and well, and what lured him to the dark side? Who better to ask than Mr. Whipstriker himself?! Despite his menacing studio and onstage presence, Whipstriker was more than willing to answer our inquiries regarding album delays, the potential of returning to America, and of course, Destruction.
It’s been quite some time since we’ve last received a full length from Whipstriker, seven years to be exact, making this the longest wait in between albums to date. Was there any particular reason for the delay?
Whipstriker: Hey! There wasn’t any specific reason. From 2010 to 2020, I released a lot of material (albums and splits) and did several tours across Brazil, the United States, and Europe. I was feeling a bit tired, and the pandemic that started in 2020 slowed down my production pace. In fact, all the songs on the album were already recorded in 2020, but I only picked up the project again in 2024. I’m a teacher, and I focused more on my career. Maybe that was the main reason for the delay. But here we are again!
Was there anything in particular you set out to achieve to set Cry of Extinction apart from past Whipstriker releases?
W: To be honest, what I like to do is mix all my influences. The album follows the same style as the previous two. I can’t say I tried to do something different because there are several riffs from previous years. There are riffs on the album that I wrote in 2006. For the first time, we released a long track (a 10-minute song). In that particular song, there are riffs composed over several different years. The challenge was putting it all together into one song.
Whipstriker’s sound can best be described as a fusion of first wave black metal, speed metal, and d-beat. When it came to writing and recording Cry of Extinction, did you sense this album leaning stronger in any one of these particular directions?
W: You’re right. That’s exactly what I like to do. I enjoy mixing influences from various styles. My biggest references are NWOBHM bands (Warfare, Venom, Tank, etc.), Thrash/Speed bands (early Kreator, early Destruction, early Slayer, Possessed, etc.), and Punk bands (Discharge, Crude SS, GBH, Anti Cimex, etc.). From the first wave of Black/Death Metal, my biggest influences are Bathory, Hellhammer, early Sodom, early Sepultura, early Sarcófago, etc. Even though I like Norwegian Black Metal, I don’t usually draw on that style for inspiration when writing songs.
This album sees you handling all the instruments yourself. What led to this decision and how does recording on your own compare to recording with a full band?
W: No. I’ve never recorded an album alone. I don’t play drums, and I can’t play guitar solos. Since the first album, I’ve invited friends to play with me. On this album, I only recorded the vocals, to be honest. My friend Hugo, who had already recorded two albums, played the guitars, guitar solos, and bass. My friend Pedro, who also recorded on the first two albums, played the drums. And Leo, Pedro’s brother, contributed with some guitar solos. Since I live far away from them, I decided to record only the vocals, since I don’t have a studio at home and they all do. There’s a new element on this album: It’s the first time I’ve used a song that wasn’t written by me. The title track, “Cry of Extinction”, was written by Hugo. Oh, and there’s also a cover of Destruction’s “Satan’s Vengeance”, where I invited Daniel Avenger from Nocturnal to do the vocals.
Like every Whipstriker album before it, Cry of Extinction is rife with themes of war and apocalypse. What attracts you to this lyrical subject matter, and in any way have the events of recent years fueled these songs?
W: It’s true, I’ve always liked that theme. Obviously, the lyrics are exaggerated to represent a completely destroyed world. But you can’t forget that I live in Rio de Janeiro, a city that’s constantly at war. You can see kids holding guns in many parts of the city. The violence between criminal organizations and the police is very intense. We all grew up in this bloody environment.
There’s some great air-guitar worthy riffs scattered about this album, my personal favorite being the black-rockin’ “Heartrippers”. For you, what is the key to a killer guitar riff?
W: I think the first secret is knowing how to throw away bad riffs. More seriously, I don’t really know any secret. I think you just have to sit on the couch and start writing. If you already have well-defined influences, it’s easier to create riffs and choruses. Yes, choruses are very important to me.
Amongst the originals on here is a ripping cover of Destruction’s “Satan’s Vengeance”. Can you tell us why you chose this song and what Destruction means to you?
W: I love Destruction’s early material and always wanted to cover one of their songs. “Satan’s Vengeance” isn’t my favorite track, but I’ve never really heard a band cover this song. Probably several bands have already played it, but the more common covers are of “Total Desaster”, “Mad Butcher”, “Invincible Force”, “Death Trap”, “Curse the Gods” — the more popular songs. I think “Satan’s Vengeance” fits well on the album. And as I mentioned, the vocals were recorded by Daniel from Nocturnal, a friend who’s a hardcore Destruction fan. It’s worth listening to how he screamed on this track.
Cry of Extinction closes with what I believe is Whipstriker’s longest song to date, “Military Scum”. How did this one come about, and can you see yourself pursuing more epics in the future?
W: As I mentioned earlier, “Military Scum” is a composition with riffs from many different years. I had several riffs stored away that didn’t fit into other songs, as well as some incomplete tracks. I tried to put these riffs together into one song. The hardest part was figuring out how to transition between the sections since the song has very different tempos over the course of 10 minutes. There are riffs from 2006, 2008, and 2010.
Aside from Whipstriker, you’re also involved in bands like Atomic Roar and Diabolic Force. Is there anything happening with those bands, or any other projects for that matter, that we should be aware of?
W: Yes, I also play in Farscape. In fact, Farscape is our first band. I say “our” because Pedro and Leo also play in Farscape and have always been involved with Whipstriker in recordings and live shows. Farscape has a more Thrash/Death style. We’ve just released our fourth album through Dying Victims Productions in Germany. If you like that “Evil Thrashing Death” sound, I think you’ll like Farscape.
In closing, Whipstriker last graced U.S. soil back in 2018. Can us American maniacs expect any live rituals to take place in the foreseeable future?
W: I honestly don’t know how to answer that. The US has always been a pain when it comes to touring. We can’t bring instruments because we don’t have work visas. There’s also always the chance of getting stopped at the border, and the fear of getting turned away is constant. With this new government and the mass deportations, I imagine things have gotten even worse. I hope to be able to return soon.
The new Whipstriker album, Cry of Extinction, is available now on Hells Headbangers Records. For more information on Whipstriker, click here.
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