Doomed Confessionary: Paula & F.L.Y. (Midgard)

Midgard is a five-piece epic doom/heavy metal band from Bauru, Brazil.

Formed in 1999, Midgard initially proposed to make an 80s heavy/doom sound. The current lineup features original members F.L.Y. (vocals/bass) and Omar Rezende (guitar), as well as Julio “Tio Chico” Della Togna (drums), Paula Jabur (vocals) and the recent addition of Miño Manzan (keyboards).

Midgard released their second full-length album »Verdugos« on November 2nd, 2024 via Som do Darma. They also launched a music video for »Pearls To The Pigs« to promote the album.

Can you say a few words about your band?
Paula: We are a heavy doom stoner metal band formed in 1999. With this first lineup, the band recorded 3 demos, totaling 5 songs, which were very well received by the specialized press at the time, both in Brazil and in 17 other countries where we sent promotional material. Unfortunately, many of the zines, blogs, and magazines that supported the band no longer exist. A defining moment of this first phase was when we had the opportunity to open for Helloween during The Dark Ride Tour.
There was a second lineup that recorded the first full album From Ashes and remained active from 2002 to 2010, but with less impact. After a 12-year hiatus, the band returned with two of the original members, F.L.Y. (vocals and bass) and Omar Rezende (guitar), bringing back the initial sound concept. The second album, »Verdugos«, was released in November 2024, and so far, the reviews and reception from the public have been very positive.

What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Paula: To get back on track and stabilize the lineup. I tried to make this happen several times, even with a mix of the different lineups, but it never worked out. Besides that, finishing »Verdugos« was difficult because there was always something to add, and reaching the final line was really tough. (laughs)

F.L.Y.: In this new lineup, until now, I’m not exactly sure which one was the biggest because there were so many (lol). We had the pandemic, which delayed our work a lot, the death of our dear drummer Marcos Gil, and many, many necessary operations for us to be able to get together, record, and play shows.

What can you be most proud of so far?
F.L.Y.: What makes me most proud so far is our perseverance and the friendship we’ve had for such a long time. This formed a strong circle, full of personality, which is practically the formula of our music. And this resulted in the album, right? So, let’s say that, in my case, the greatest pride so far is the release of the new album.

Paula: I’m extremely proud of the reception the new material has had, which is very similar to the reception of the band’s initial material. We didn’t know how it would be to go back to our roots, and it’s been really great.

What was your biggest regret?
F.L.Y.: My biggest regret since the band’s return was, for sure, only inviting Paula to participate at the end of the recordings, when I had the idea (lol). I really wanted her to be a part of it, and she definitely deserved to participate, both because of her competence and the love she has always shown for the band, always supporting us without asking for anything, just believing in our music. For sure, I really wish I had managed to get her more involved in this recording.

Paula: This will sound a little bad until I explain but I really regret From Ashes… being a Midgard album. It’s a great album that I do love and don’t regret existing, but it should have been released under a new name because it’s a totally different band and sound.

What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
F.L.Y.: The best show since we returned is hard to say, because we’ve had several really cool moments. I’m afraid to mention one and forget another (lol). But, for me, I prefer the smaller shows, with fewer people, where the vibe flows more intimately. I think there’s almost a deeper psychic interaction with the audience, you know? They have more opportunity to pay attention to the show, and everyone hears everything clearly (lol).

Paula: Definitely, the best show was when we opened for Leather Leone. We’ve also had some really great shows, like the one with Cobra Spell and several other smaller ones, like Fly mentioned, that were awesome, but the one with Leather was super special to me.

What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
F.L.Y.: My biggest surprise since the return with the band, unfortunately, hasn’t been a good one: the lack of interest from new generations in digging deeper into new bands. Perhaps because of the virtual ease of obtaining material, everything has become trivialized. But back then, we would go after the cassette tape that a friend recorded, the neighbor who had a friend in the United States, who had another friend there who bought the vinyl (lol). It was exciting to have the physical material and the interaction of the listener with the physical media, and all the work we had to do to get the material from the bands we wanted to know or that we loved. That seems to have been lost. Many things have been lost, but many things have also been renewed, like the expansion of the headbangers’ mindset, which used to be much more radical, right?

What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
F.L.Y.: Lately, I’ve really been enjoying Funeral Mist and Stellar Master Elite, which are pretty unknown in Brazil. It’s black metal, a genre I really like, actually. It must be strange to hear that from someone who writes the songs for Midgard, right? (lol). But I honestly only listen to black metal about 80% of the time. However, I’m extremely eclectic, I really like electronic music, classical music, and even some weird stuff from metal, like Baby Metal (lol).

Paula: I always keep the same things on my playlist, which is pretty varied and a little weird. I really like Ghost, Saint Vitus, Candlemass, Abstrakt Algebra, Krux, Savior Machine, Type O Negative, a lot of 80s hard rock such as Skid Row, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, then I also love Ministry, and a lot of grunge, like Screaming Trees, Candlebox, Mother Love Bone, Blind Melon and Alice In Chains. Besides that and the classics of metal from the 70s and 80s, there are several things that aren’t metal, but are more introspective, like Depeche Mode, Aurora, Lana Del Rey, Mazzy Star, Mark Lanegan, among many others and even some 80s rock and pop. We could probably sit here listing bands endlessly.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
F.L.Y.: Not long ago, the best advice I received was from a friend from another band, Fabio Lazari. He saw me stressed while explaining on the microphone about an issue I had during a song, and he told me not to do that again, and just move forward with the song, because, most of the time, people don’t notice the mistake. And if they do it’s not that serious, it’s not something that needs to be alarmed, because doing that just makes the mistake stand out more (lol). It was really good advice.

Paula: Singing with my own voice and accepting it as is, without trying to imitate another sound that I could possibly do but wouldn’t be so natural. Instead, focusing on training what’s peculiar to me and always evolving.

What are your guilty pleasures?
F.L.Y.: Guilty pleasures? (lol) They’re secret, they’re secret. (lol)

Paula: Coffee and cigarettes – terrible for the voice – and adopting street cats: the ones falling apart that no one would ever adopt (lol) or those abandoned by their mothers that need to be fed with a bottle, to give me plenty of work (lol)… I have 19 at home. These are teenage habits that have stuck with me until today.

Can you say something more about current music scene in Bauru?
Paula: The music scene in our city is one of great persistence. In the past, Bauru was known as the ‘Brazilian Seattle’ for being a hotspot for many independent bands. Over the decades, this has decreased, but we still have excellent bands here that deserve all the recognition. In the state of São Paulo, the scene is very strong, with countless bands, and across Brazil, it’s even more vibrant. A tip for those who want to get to know the Brazilian scene is to watch the many programs from the Roadie Crew Online Festival on YouTube.

Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Paula: Our schedule for this year has just opened, with the Leather show last week, and we have some local dates and others that are yet to be confirmed. We don’t have plans to leave Brazil just yet, but it’s in the plans for the near future!

What are your plans for the future as a band?
Paula: To keep producing as long as our health allows us. We’re not big on planning! (lol)

How can people best support your band?
Paula: Spread our sound if you like it: show it to your friends, save it to a playlist, leave a comment on our videos, subscribe to our channels and social media. These actions make a big difference because they encourage us to produce more. Well, not only our band but any band that you like.

Do you have any message for your listeners?
F.L.Y.: My message to the audience is: always be yourself. As long as you’re not harming anyone, you can be who you are, without fear, even if others say otherwise. Just don’t do harm. Be whatever you want and live well being yourself. The price is high, the social cost is steep, but it’s totally worth it. That’s all I have to say to our audience, and it’s everything our music speaks: always be yourself.

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Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well