A group of four long time acquaintances consummated their wish of being in a metal band in 2003, in the beautiful and serene Furnas Valley. Apart from the dormant fury of the volcanoes, nothing would be as threatening in such a place as the sound that Stampkase wanted to create notwithstanding their positive attitude.
André Viveiros and Ruben Bento on vocals, Bruno Moniz (ex-Kaos) on guitar and Nuno Costa on drums showed the first signs of their irreverent selves in a tiny rehearsal room, made of styrofoam, that would end up having a very close relation with the band’s name. It was all made in a compact way, sincere and watered by the want to leave a mark, a stamp, a rare seal of reference.
Shortly after a month, Pedro Valério (ex-Nableena) became the bass player and, after that, the band started on a trail of unexpected successes that were the catalysts of a status dearly celebrated by the Azorean public.
tampkase were the big winners of the “Concurso Angra Rock” in 2005 – an unbelievable feat for the young men, when all they wanted was to travel and to make others travel with their music – catapulting the band to the golden years that followed.
Their live curriculum is branded by the amount of presences (both in number and quality) in festivals such as Alta Tensão (organized by António Freitas – Antena 3, Loud Magazine), F.I.M., Angra Rock, the anniversaries of SoundZone webzine, as well as other festivals – and here the surprise is even bigger – with a more mainstream nature, such as “Festa do Chicharro” (three times offenders and performing for more than 4.000 people), Festival do Nordeste, Festas de S. João da Vila and Semana Cultural da Povoação (twice). The success of the band also spread to Terceira and Santa Maria islands, where they performed at Sanjoaninas and at Festas do Senhor Santo Cristo, respectively. Unforgettable are the performances on the same stage as renowned bands, both international and Portuguese, such as Mnemic (Denmark), Dagoba (France), Fear My Thoughts (Germany), Exilia (Italy), The Temple, Switchtense, Concealement, Reaktor and many others.
And all of this through a six songs demo, conceived in a homemade environment and with very limited technological resources. However, there is pride in the fact it was recorded by André Tavares, today a renowned producer in Lisbon, having already worked with Grog, The Firstborn and Seven Stitches.
There was the urge for a debut album. The struggle was huge. The characteristics of the Azorean market delayed this goal and, in a sea of difficulties, with the exit of more than a band mate, a brother, Pedro Valério, who was replaced by Nuno Carreiro (Sanctus Nosferatu, Askara), who, in turn, came to stay and leave his mark from 2008 on, they got to the studio in 2010 with the certainty that, this time around, their old dream wouldn’t get away.
There was the urge for a debut album. The struggle was huge. The characteristics of the Azorean market delayed this goal and, in a sea of difficulties, with the exit of more than a band mate, a brother, Pedro Valério, who was replaced by Nuno Carreiro (Sanctus Nosferatu, Askara), who, in turn, came to stay and leave his mark from 2008 on, they got to the studio in 2010 with the certainty that, this time around, their old dream wouldn’t get away.
The journey went ahead, in February 2011, when all the remaining instruments where recorded by José Miranda and Carlos Rijo (who produced the latest Morbid Death record) at the Colégio Castanheiro studios’, in Ponta Delgada. The cherry on top of the cake is the invitation addressed to Daniel Cardoso (no need for introductions having already worked with bands such as Angelus Apatrida, Heavenwood and Switchtense) for mixing and mastering.
The band recoiled, since then, to take care of all the remaining details of their debut album’s release, which must happen somewhere in 2012. They carry the certainty of an extremely honest, decisive and ambitious work, which is the result of nine years of each member’s life and unconditional dedication.
An incendiary groove, an enthusiastic and visionary message, an energetic and electrifying posture, where textures and corrosive environments converge to a controlled chaos, mediated by the beauty of the roots that saw them grow. And so are Stampkase.
During the first half of 2013, the band sees the departure of André Viveiros and Bruno Moniz due to personal reasons. Today the band is still seeking for replacement, though the search is coming to an end. Meanwhile, the remaining members never stopped working on new ideas for a forthcoming release.
