Bassist and founding member of the legendary death/thrash/black metal band Sarcófago, Gerald “Incubus” Minelli, recently gave a rare and in-depth interview to Goblin Underground TV. The musician, who has been working in the health field for some years as a nurse and continues to play just for fun, spoke about various issues related to his band and about the 1980s metal scene.

With surprising serenity, Gegê, as he is also known, embarked on a frank and uncensored conversation, in which the topics covered included the origins of Sarcófago in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, the possibility of a return, the commented discography, composition process, the feuds with Sepultura and, of course, all the controversies inherent to the band.

Check out the transcript of some highlights and the full video interview, above:

Sarcófago’s origins:

“As I told you, me and Butcher started the band, and then Dudu, DD Crazy, came in. Zéder used the Butcher pseudonym. We started the band and we had some vocalists. Most were friends of ours, who wanted to make music, but none worked out fine until Wagner came, who fit well.”

First concerts and the Minas Gerais state scene:

“Well, we were in the scene from the beginning with Cogumelo and all those bands. (...) There were some interesting festivals in the beginning, where everybody played together. One was called Hoje é Dia de Rock, which was organized by Dirceu Pereira. Sepultura, Sarcófago, Overdose and Sagrado Inferno played that festival. But Sarcófago's first concert was at the Sagrada Família neighbourhood, at a school called Helena Pena.”

Controversies and the band's motto:

“We cared about the repercussions we were having. If one was speaking badly, it was cool. If one was speaking well, it was cool. Speak well or speak bad, but always remember us. We always had this motto in Sarcófago.”

The pioneering blast beat drums:

“I don’t want to underestimate other drummers of that time, who played fast, but it was Dudu who came up with that rhythm. Not that it didn't exist, but it came to be used by Dudu. (...) He would accelerate so much, that the noise from de drums would ressemble a machine gun. There is no previous record of a drummer playing that way.”

Aesthetic influences:

“Everyone says ‘oh, it was Slayer, it was Motley Crue’... Yes, they helped, but it wasn't these people, these bands. It was KISS and Alice Cooper. At that time, the references we had were these: KISS and Alice Cooper.”

I.N.R.I.’s (1987 full-length debut) recognition:

“It is an album known all over the world, by many people and many bands and even music celebrities, who are into it. Like the lead singer of Pantera, among other people. Nirvana's drummer, David Grohl, also speaks well about Sarcófago.”