Rapture (49)

left to right: Paulo, Rick, Eduardo, Ricardo S., Flávio Régis Rick Soares (vox) Ricardo Souza (lead guitar) Flávio Régis (rhythm guitar) Paulo Pinho (bass) Pedro Fernandes (keys) Eduardo Escalier (first drummer) Moisés Oliveira (last drummer) Bio: During 1994 and 1995, Ricardo Souza, his cousin Eduardo Escalier, and their neighbor Rick Soares had been rehearsing rock/metal cover songs with different bassists, but Rapture came to life around February-March/1996 right after Rick introduced Flávio Régis to Ricardo Souza. Souza and Flávio were guitar players, and developed instant musical affinity and a mutual interest to write doom metal material, with influences from Cathedral, Paradise Lost, Serpent Rise and Amorphis. Flávio invited his friend Paulo Pinho to play the bass guitar in the band, and the 5-piece started rehearsing twice a week at Ômega Studios / Notech Studios, in Rio Grande-RS. In May/96, the band played its only concert during a skate exhibition on Avenida Portugal (avenue), in Rio Grande. They played their material, but also a version of Paradise Lost's "The Last Time". In this concert, the band was still a 5-piece, with Ricardo Souza doing both lead guitars and keyboards. Weeks after the concert, Ricardo Souza invited his friend Pedro to join the band as keyboard player, and after a couple of rehearsals the band headed to Notech Studios in June/96, in 4 or 5 in-a-row nights to record their demo-tape "The Inquisition", using ADAT technology. The release had great reviews, especially one coming from Rock Brigade's Ricardo Franzin in the September/96 edition. Not long after the recording, Eduardo left the band, since he was eager to play different music styles, so Moisés Oliveira came as his replacement. With Moisés on drums, Rapture was aired in a local TV Show called "Espaço Cultural NET", hosted by RBS TV's Alzira Paiva and managed by Neivaldo Oliveira. They played songs from the demo-tape, plus Paradise Lost's "The Last Time", and also two new songs - "Regretful" and "Dead World". The track "Chalice Of Tears" was filmed but only one minute of its audio appeared during the program's credits. The band finished writing another new song called "Atmosphere Of Pleasure", which pointed to a more intrincate approach on the guitars. There were other songs coming to life, but none were registered. Rapture had agreed to record "Dead World" as a test-single to get more studio experience, but this plan was called off after an argument between Ricardo Souza and Flávio Régis which caused the end of the band, in early October '96. Souza and Flávio Régis made up after a couple of days, even rehearsing together some ideas, but Rapture was kept split-up by the former. Soon Flávio Régis went back to his hometown (Santa Maria-RS), while Ricardo Souza proceeded with heavy metal band Zone Off, whose first release "Return To The Roots" came around mid Nov '96, having [a5323940] (technician from Notech Studios) as second guitarist, Moisés Oliveira on drums, Amorinha Garcia on bass, and Jener Porto on vocals. Eduardo Escalier is a studio drummer and has performed and recorded with multiple classy musicians. Rick Soares chose to focus on drums and ended up joining forces with Ricardo Souza in 2007 to release the stoner rock EP "Capítulo I" by Amargo Letal. Rick and Paulo Pinho played together again in the rock 'n' roll band The Members. Rick was drummer for the gothic doom metal band In Absenthia in 2013. Flávio Régis and Moisés had a doom metal band called Adverse Persevering in 2008/2009.