Jack The Joker is a modern progressive metal band with a twist, hailing from the Northeast of Brazil. The band consists of Raphael Joer (Vocals) Felipe Faco and Lucas Colares (Guitars), Gustavo Pinheiro (Bass), and Vicente Ferreira (Drums).
The band is notorious for incorporating traditional influences from their local culture, including musical styles such as maracatu, forró, baião and frevo. Their sound draws inspiration from the eponymous renowned Brazilian novel and explores the metaphysical back lands, where human will prevail against the hostility of nature. The instrumental arrangements delineate the environment by fusing regional genres with rock and metal to create a landscape that mirrors the themes in the lyrics.
Out now is their latest single ‘Devir’ alongside an accompanying lyric video you can check out here at RAMzine.
The band said: “’Devir’ is the lament of a man who’s lived the backlands to the bone – where the sun scorches, the earth devours, and there’s no devil but our own choices. A tale of suffering without a villain, where pain is law and faith is just a question carried by the wind”.
Jack The Joker‘s previous singles ‘Between The Sky Lines‘, ‘Denied’ and ‘Sun’, will all be featured on their album The Devil To Pay In The Backlands due out on 22nd August, via Frontiers Music Srl.
Talking about the singles, the band said: “’Between The Sky Lines’ is a gaze beyond the blinding glow of our cities, a song for the forgotten skies observable from the countryside. It’s a reminder of how small we are, in a world that still breathes, suffers, and endures beyond the edge of our comfort.
“’Sun’ refers to the vengeful star that both gives life and takes it away: an allusion to an abusive relationship, in which emotional dependencies are fed by crumbs of affection and countered by emotional abuse.
“’Denied’ brings a rare combination of a melodic prog tune with direct regional music influences to us here in the Northeast, more specifically the Maracatu. The song is a social examination of the inequality of opportunities that plagues our country; the abysmal difference between those who come from different realities”.
The musicality of ‘Denied’ is structured in the rhythmic cells of maracatu, an Afro-Brazilian tradition that carries the marks of struggle and celebration. The pulsating beats breathe life into the song, creating an intense and emotive atmosphere.
You can stream the singles here and check out the videos here at RAMzine.
The Devil To Pay In The Backlands features: ‘Devir’, ‘Between The Sky Lines’, ‘Denied’, ‘XV’, ‘Neblina’, ‘Sun’, ‘You Where I Belong’, ‘Thousand Witnesses’, ‘Cabaret’, ‘Saudade‘ and ‘Hope’ – It can be ordered here.
