Album Notes

Estrume'n'tal is a metal-surf-punk-instrumental band from Brazil with such diverse influences as The Ventures, Ramones, Dick Dale, Stooges, Man or Astro-Man? and traditional Brazilian hillbilly guitar, black music and Brazilian 60's musical vanguard movements. The sound is thick and intense and the live performances are even more raw and powerful. Who would imagine Brazil would produce a surf music band so many light-years ahead of traditional surf.

As can be expected, the Estrume'n'tal sound is difficult to define. In the band members' CD players you can find such names as Ramones, Buzzcoks, The Cramps, Bo Diddley, Billy Childish, Link Wray, Ventures, Brazilian sixties bands, Man or Astro-Man?, traditional Brazilian country guitarists and countless others. Mixing such varied influences, the band makes a kind of music that does not fit traditional classifications of musical styles. To try to give an idea of what it is, several names have been invented, such as "punk-surf", "surf-melda", "guitar-surf-punk-instrumental", etc. But the best definition is, without a doubt, the "Melda style", which means basic rock'n'roll with speed and punch. Good to dance to and good to listen to.

The new release "Neander'n'tal" by Estrume'n'tal cranks the intensity up another notch from their previous release "Surfme'n'tal". With 10 band originals and 8 covers, classics like Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" are supercharged and morphed into "Redemption Surf", Kraftwork's "The Model" is put on steroids and becomes "Kraft", and Ritchie Podolor's "Ramcharger" sees new life as an intense percussive surf instro (you have to hear the drum rolls).

From the opening ear ringing notes and chords of the original "Meteoras", Estrume'n'tal will change the way you think of instrumental surf music. WARNING: This is not your grandfather's surf music - this is ear bleeding, skin shredding and head banging madness.