Interview for DEATHTHRASHER MAGAZINE by ARMANDO MUTILATOR :

DT: Hello ALVARO, How are you?.... when did you start playing?
PB: Hello!!! I started playing around 1993. My first band was formed back in 1995 and at the end of that year WITHERING was born. WITHERING is PITCH BLACK, since the band changed name in 2002.

DT: When & why the band was formed? (current line – up)... are you natural from Portugal?
PB: The band was formed in December 1995. The current line-up is me on rhythm guitar, PEDRO GOUVEIA on vocals, RICARDO MARTINS on solo guitar, DANIEL SILVA on the bass and FRANCISCO MARTINS as the drummer. We are all natural from Portugal.

DT: Who designed the PITCH BLACK's logo?
PB: PITCH BLACK’s logo was designed by MICHAEL SCHINDLER from DRAGON DESIGN (www.dragondesign666.de). When we changed names from Withering to PITCH BLACK, we realized we had to change a few things. Our image, our attitude, our logo and our sound would have to be improved. We wanted a more aggressive look and a more heavy Thrash Metal approach.

DT: How old are you?.... who put the name of the band and why?
PB: I’m 29 year old. I came up with the band's name. We were looking for a new name and several came up. Nowadays that is a very hard task, because whichever the name is, you seem not to like any of them. But then, I was getting ready to watch a movie at my place and I was watching a preview trailer, which caught my attention. The trailer was very good and so I kept waiting for the name of the film to appear, because I thought I just had to see that! And when the trailer was getting close to the end, it revealed the name PITCH BLACK. And I thought: “That’s it!!! PITCH BLACK”. So, the idea came from DAVID TWOHY’S film with the same name. I've seen it and I've loved the whole atmosphere of the film. I think it is one of the most brilliant Sci-Fi horror movies of our times. And this movie, as well as the name, transmitted the exact feeling we needed for our new designation: total darkness, horror, phobia and mystery.

DT: What memories do you have about your old Promos please?
PB: I’m not that much into it anymore. I like some old stuff from a fan’s point of view, but it’s not already something we enjoy playing nowadays. At the time it got us excellent reviews, good enough for the band's two first tours all over the country. We sold lots of demos and the second one got us the official award of the best Portuguese Metal demo of 1998. I have very good memories from that time.

DT: Do you think that wearing chains, blood, make-up and all that stuff is important for you image?
PB: Not for us. That depends on the feeling and image each band tries to transmit. Some may see themselves wearing those kinds of props, but we're not. Our image is more connected with our anger and power demonstrated at live shows.

DT: Are you into Serial Killers?... tell me your opinion about TED BUNDY, JACK "THE RIPPER" and GILLES DE RAIS
PB: Yes I am. Although we don't use any material related to Serial Killers on our lyrics, it’s something we may do in the future, now or then. I’m usually very interested in knowing who they were, what they’ve done and how they were caught (or not). I like to read their stories, other people's views and other details. I know all the names you've stated. I don't think TED BUNDY was a genius, regarding the way he led things and the murders through his life. But he got clean for a long time. I only admire his coldness and calm. Now, GILLES DE RAIS... I think this was a pretty sick fuck. Sodomizing children is very sick. As well as necrophilia! But JACK “THE RIPPER” was something else. This is the one who always got my attention. Of course back then the authorities had few means to track him back to his murders, the fact is that he was too ahead on time from everyone. His coldness and killing methods has been quite some matter for criminal studies. I've read some parts from his diaries and it reveals a very disturbed mind, but quite a smart and methodical individual. The truth is that he killed all those women and no one seemed to find out who he really was. And that I think is something to look back and think of.

DT: How do you describe your style?
PB: We describe it has a “in your face” Thrash Metal attitude. We always try to combine power, with sharp riffing, melody, groove and a dose of headbanging action. We will always try to improve our style and have well oiled our “Thrash Killing Machine”. So, I can say we play straight Thrash Metal and try to combine the old way of playing it with the modern sound of recent bands.

DT: What topics do you consider in your lyrics?... who writes the music and lyrics in the band?
PB: I write all the lyrics and music in the band. I try to transmit the entire band's anger regarding some themes as society's hypocrisy and other negative virtues. I’m also very into movie themes, especially on the horror genre. I usually come up with a story of mine or I’ll get some ideas from the movies I watch. We have a very calm but heavy song called “SuffocHate” on our debut album that is based on the claustrophobic atmosphere of the film “Cube”. We have a song about the Washington sniper that killed several people on that American city and we have the song “Standards of Perfection” that talk about total destruction of man.

DT: What CD's / bands have you been listening to lately?
PB: Well, nowadays there are so many things to look up to, that it becomes a hard task trying to listen to every CD, which comes out. I usually like to know what's going on around me. But to answer to your question, I’m listening to the latest albums of KREATOR, CATARACT, BLOOD RED THRONE, THE HAUNTED, IN BATTLE, NECRONOMICON, EXODUS, DEATH ANGEL, PIG DESTROYER, some KING CRIMSON stuff, JEFF BUCKLEY's “Grace”, etc...

DT: What do you think about LORENA BOBBIT?
PB: Nice question. The name sounded familiar, but I had to do a research on the internet to find out who she was. I remember this matter very clearly. I think that this is something that should happen to every rapist. Sexually abusing somebody is a pretty fucked up thing! If you are not satisfied with your sexual life, pay some whore, watch a porno film and try to masturbate a couple of times. Or, get a bath and go out meeting someone. Our mind can be a pretty disturbed place. But there is a line between what you fantasy of and what you can do.

DT: Are you satisfied with “Under The Ground” (Promo CD, 2002)?
PB: Not really. We were at the time we released the new song “No Justice... No Peace”. And we still play that song! But the rest of the stuff is from our second promo, which at the time was never promoted to the general public, besides the theme “Remains of the Past”. By the time we were thinking on releasing this promo, we went to studio and tried to make it sound a little better. We re-recorded solos and vocals and we also re-mixed and re-mastered it. We enjoyed the final result but it didn't turn out exactly the way we wanted. But I think it was a pretty good effort. If you listen to our debut CD, you’ll notice that it is the real thing. That is PITCH BLACK.

DT: Tell me about the participation of the classic PRINCESS MONONOKE in your music.
PB: Well, before I bought the DVD, I was watching it by the first time and at the beginning sequence, I've noticed a line from a spirit, which had possessed an animal that had been shot dead. I loved that part and the way he did that line, so I had the idea to use it on the song “No Justice... No Peace...”, because it has a strong criticism regarding mankind's justice.

DT: Which was the reason for use the X - Files Intro for “Messenger of God”?
PB: I was watching one episode from the “X-Files” series and I was looking for something to include on the song “Messenger of God” from our second demo-tape called “Promo-Tape '98”. The dialog included on that episode is simply amazing. It has very good lines that fitted exactly on that song's subject.

DT: Tell us about the “Outro” on the track “The Sinner”, on the “Promo - Tape '98”, “The Sinner” don't have an Outro
PB: That was something I was working on. I was editing and composing an audio track that would serve as an intro on our shows. I made something simple as a start and then I mixed it with the beginning of the track "The Sinner" just to see if it would sound good and if some ideas would come up to complete the work I had done with the track. So I thought that audio sample would fit perfectly at the end of "The Sinner" and I liked the final result. And that was it.

DT: Talk me about the New Version of “Remains Of The Past” please.
PB: I've already explained what we did on a previous question at this interview. The “Under the Ground” Promo CD has a new song at the time and all 4 songs from our “Promo-Tape ‘98”. Since only the theme “Remains of the Past” was the only one from that recording to be promoted in the media, we decided to do something different with that one. We re-recorded all solos and vocals (with our new arrived singer) and did a job on the sound production of that song. “Under the Ground” Promo CD has one exclusive track, plus 4 bonus tracks taken from our second Demo and one of them in a new version never released.

DT: How did the idea of “Thrash Killing Machine”?... do you have any favourite songs on the album?
PB: After we did some shows to present the new line-up at the time, we started working on new songs in order to start the recordings of our debut CD. We went to studio, started the pre-production of the songs with our producer and then recorded the drums while we were finishing the pre-production of the songs one by one. Then the rest took the usual course... My favourite songs on the album are “Disturbing the Peace” and “Lost In Words”

DT: Your fave European bands?
PB: KREATOR, SODOM, GOTTHARD, SEIGMEN, THE HAUNTED, AT THE GATES, HATESPHERE

DT: In what musical direction will PITCH BLACK be heading in for the next CD?
PB: Always Thrash Metal! There are no more musical directions for us. Thinking of the new recently composed songs, I can tell you to expect a heavier, brutal and more technical approach when it comes to playing Thrash Metal.

DT: Your last growl for DEATHTHRASHER’s readers?
PB: Thank you ARMANDO! And continue your great job on promoting worldwide Underground bands! To everyone: Get ready for the Thrash Killing Machine cd already OUT! Check our website at www.pitch-black.us for details… Keep Thrashing!!!!!!!!