Doomed Confessionary: João Wegher (Espectro)
Photo credit: Mateus Cantaleano
Espectro is a five-piece heavy rock band from Curitiba, Brazil. Founded in 2017, Espectro consists of Reinaldo Zonta (vocals), João Wegher (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Luan Bremer (guitar), Felipe Leite (bass) and Karina D’Alessandre (drums).
In May 2025, they released their latest EP »Dead Of Night« in collaboration with Brazilian labels Cospe Fogo Gravações, Zoom Discos, Brado Records and Under Shows. Recorded in the winter of 2024 at Heavytron Studio, the EP features two live-tracked songs, aiming to capture the raw energy, spontaneity, and vibe of the moment – no artificial layers, just amps, instruments, and will. After tracking the live takes, the band added guitar solos, extra arrangements, Hammond and Mellotron keyboards, and vocals.
Opening track »Twist The Knife« is raw and straight to the point, introducing new members Karina (drums) and Felipe (bass). Fueled by proto-punk influences, it blends sharp guitars with a heavy metal spirit and a bitter tale of revenge. »Wicked Life« explores the band’s doom roots, with a complex structure and a thick, epic atmosphere. Like a foggy, ruined village, it slows down into the essence of live recording: friends playing music with presence and heart.
Can you please say a few words about your band?
Espectro was formed in 2017 with the idea of playing old school doom metal, with our first record being released as a demo entitled »The Gipsy« in 2018. After that, we started putting different influences into our music, such as 70s heavy metal and proto-punk, resulting in our first album »Espectro«, released in 2022. This year we released an EP called »Dead Of Night«, which shows exactly this type of input, as now we like to call ourselves heavy/punk/doom maniacs haha.
So, basically, we love that sound made in the 70s and try to do something on the edge between these three genres, maybe adding some psychedelic stuff these days too. A rock n roll stew.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
I guess lineup changes were always pretty challenging for us, because it normally involves months of rehearsals to be sharp again. Also, just dealing with that type of thing can be very stressful. So far, all of our three releases had a few lineup differences, but with the core members and composers being the same (João, Reinaldo, and Luan since 2017).
What can you be most proud of so far?
This year we had a lot to be proud of. We opened for Pentagram in March, released our first vinyl in May (2025’s EP »Dead Of Night«), attended a festival in Minas Gerais (the state where bands such as Sepultura and Sarcófago were formed), and last month we opened for Hällas in São Paulo. It was a really good year, and we are stoked for all of that.
What was your biggest regret?
I don’t know if we have many regrets, especially because we’ve had an amazing year, probably the best since we started. I tend not to listen too much to the things I recorded after they’re done, ’cause I’m the type of dude that tries to find my own mistakes in old recordings or live footage and keep pointing my finger at myself haha. But I don’t regret the way things were made. Maybe I should regret being a perfectionist, but at the same time, it helps me to get to the next level. So, no regrets.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
This year we had great moments on the road and on stage. The release show of our EP was in a small underground pub in Curitiba, with no ticket charges, and the energy was high. It was a perfect night at home. Minas Gerais also was insane, the production took care of us pretty well, and the show was amazing. We started at the end of the afternoon and ended at the beginning of the night, a perfect open-air gig. São Paulo was very good too, the public went there early to rock with us, there were a few friends from different cities, and the dudes from Hällas were very cool. Also, they rip! Probably the best concert I’ve watched this year.
Photo credit: Gabriel Franco
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
I guess still playing to different crowds every time is something that surprises me a lot. Since 2017 we’ve had a lot of shows, especially in Curitiba and São Paulo. Curitiba is our hometown, so it tends to be more familiar in that sense, but São Paulo is always a surprise. We’ve played in different venues there since 2018, and every time there are different people watching us and getting to know the band. Of course, there are always some familiar faces and dear old friends there too, but it’s such a big city that it seems normal to have a lot of people attending underground shows.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff from the 70s lately, such as Camel’s »Mirage«, Atomic Rooster’s second album, Wishbone Ash and Hawkwind too. Regarding new stuff, Violator released an album this year called »Unholy Retribution«, and it’s insanely good. It’s been a while since I got excited about a new thrash metal release, and this one brought the headbanging back.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
The first thing, and probably the most important, is to do it for love. But studying is always great advice because it helps a lot and can increase creativity. So, do it for love and learn about what you’re doing.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Well, there are probably a few haha. I love Eric Clapton’s style, and he has a huge influence on the way I play guitar. Unfortunately, whenever he opens his mouth, you can expect something awful coming, such as his anti-vax bullshit.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Curitiba?
Curitiba has a solid heavy metal scene these days, with great upcoming bands such as Stygian, Leather Wrath and Wild Witch. There’s a punk band here that we love to share the stage with because they rip! It’s called Vida Ruim (means Bad Life in Portuguese). Also, our good friends from CrotchRot, a crazy grindcore band, their shows are always very fun.
Besides the great bands, we also have great music producers on both metal and punk sides, such as Arthur Migotto (who produced our latest release, also every heavy metal band in the city) and Felipe Sad, who has been recording a lot of punk-related bands.
There’s also a label that releases a lot of underground bands on vinyl, called Zoom Discos. Their catalog is pretty extensive, and they do that for love. Our EP was released by them in collaboration with our good friend from Cospe Fogo (a São Paulo-based label), also Brado Records and Undershows (both from SP too).
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We’re playing our last gig of the year on November 22, in Apiaí, a small city in São Paulo state. It will be a nice finale for a great year.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We’re writing songs for a new full-length album to be released next year (maybe). At first, we were kind of worried if that would “top” our first album, but now we’re fine with it. There are a lot of good tunes coming.
Also, we have plans to play in new cities in Brasil, since we’ve been playing only in South and Southeast cities so far. It’s a big country, so it would be nice to play in the North and Northeast states too, but we’ll see about that.
The focus is definitely on our second album.
How can people best support your band?
In Brasil, the best way to support us is by coming to our shows and buying records and other merch. This always helps us take another step, such as funding our next recordings. Outside Brasil, I would say that Bandcamp has a lot of ways of supporting artists, such as donating any amount for a release. That is something that can really help us. Also, just sharing our music with someone who doesn’t know it.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thanks to everyone out there who somehow supports us by listening to and sharing our music.
Also, thanks to you, Bojan, for the interview. It’s really nice and supportive of you, and we appreciate that a lot.
Cheers!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well