Benjamim Saga - No Rio dos Siris

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Brazilian history is filled with many cruel and bloody moments, from the early days of the nation. One of them happened in the state of Sergipe, on the Northeast region of the country, the Indian people were slaughtered in wars due the thirsty of power and money from the conquerors. This tale is what BENJAMIM SAGA tells on the band’s first release, the 4-song EP “No Rio dos Siris”.

This EP is Dejair Benjamim (singer of TCHANDALA) first solo effort, and was composed due his love for Metal and History (the lyrics were done with the helping hand of Ph.D. Hermeson Menezes, of Universidade Federal de Sergipe and Universidade Tiradentes, a researcher on Sergipe’s history). On the EP, the music is mainly a form of Heavy/Power Metal, but adorned with parts that are influenced by Thrash Metal, Death Metal and even with touches of regional music of the state (especially on the percussions and acoustic guitar parts). So it’s a personal approach, full of energy and hooking melodies, so what are you waiting for? Marcos Cupertino (who played guitars, bass, drums and backing vocals on the EP), is the producer, and the mixing and mastering were done by Marcos Franco (of Estúdio Revolusom). And although it’s not perfect for the music that the band plays, it’s very good, allowing the listeners to hear and understand what the band expresses with its songs.

“Serigy” is a Heavy/Power Metal song with fast tempos and good contrasts between regional music moments and heavier parts (and the vocals are really great). On “A Palavra e a Espada”, the rhythms are slower and heavier, with good melodic arrangements (with very good guitars and acoustic guitars). “Pacto de Sangue” speeds things up again, with remarkable melodies. And on “O Retorno”, there’s a very good set of contrasts, using regional elements with Death Metal tempos and grunts in some moments, giving an aggressive and dense ambience to the song. These are the songs of the EP, a conceptual release that tells about the early contacts between the conquerors and the native Indians, and the slaughter of the last ones soon after it.

“No Rio dos Siris” (that can be translated as ‘On the River of Crabs’, because Siri is a type of crab that can be found in Brazil, and the title of the EP is a reference to the Indian word ‘Serigy’, that is from where the name ‘Sergipe’ came) is a good release, and show a bitter moment of Brazilian history. And maybe it can be only the first release of BENJAMIM SAGA.

Oh, you can find “No Rio dos Siris” at the following links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0hU5MHIQ717Ag6phRcB5MD

Youtube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ml8467hwa6Dxel9Wzoopu7hcwZzd-h030

Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/album/225501452

Songwriting: 9
Musicianship: 10
Memorability: 9
Production: 8