Their first album was released in 1983 and was titled Crucificados pelo sistema. Released on the Ataque Frontal label, it was one of the best-selling hardcore albums to come out of the country, and was soon considered a punk classic worldwide. The line up was João Gordo (vocals), Mingau (guitar – later in many punk and pop bands in Brazil, currently playing in Ultraje a Rigor), Jabá (bass) and Jão (drums). Soon after, with the fall of the São Paulo punk scene (because of associated gang violence), the band split up and since then João Gordo has been accused of selling out and betraying the DIY ethics of the hardcore punk movement for several alleged reasons; he has said, "I'm a traitor since 1983, because I told the guys I played hardcore, not punk. Then, I got labelled.(...)That's a stigma".[1]
Initial crossover thrash era
In 1985, RxDxPx came back, but with a different line up and sound. They brought thrash metal to their music, influenced by bands such as Slayer, Exodus, Kreator and hardcore bands around the world that were also transitioning to a more thrash metal sound, like Suicidal Tendencies, D.R.I., English Dogs, Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front and others (including Brazilian bands such as Lobotomia and Armagedom). Jão switched over to playing guitar, and an old punk named Spaghetti (who later adopted a thrash metal sound) replaced him on drums. Subsequently, they released the Descanse Em Paz album on Baratos Afins in 1986.
With their new sound, they began to associate more with heavy metal bands, becoming friends with longtime RxDxPx fans Sepultura and other bands of the Brazilian 1980s metal scene, including Korzus and Anthares. Their next studio release with Baratos Afins Records, 1987's Cada Dia Mais Sujo e Agressivo, was also released in an English-language version (Dirty and Aggressive) (the band feared that their English was so grammatically inaccurate that many of their native English speaking fans might ridicule their translated lyrics).[citation needed] This release continued the band's D-beat drum tempos.
In 1989, they signed to Roadrunner Records at the urging of Igor Cavalera of Sepultura, who played one of the band's tapes for the label's executives. RxDxPx then went to Germany to record their next studio LP, Brasil. With Harris Johns of Voivod and Tankard producing, the band's production quality improved substantially in contrast to their previous releases; the instrumentation was noticeably more technical.
In 1990, they returned to Germany to record their last album with the 'classic' line-up of João Gordo, Jão, Jabá and Spaghetti. With Harris Johns acting again as producer, their next album titled Anarkophobia was met with criticism by some fans for being the band's most metallic release to date, having considerably more complex and lengthy song compositions and more technical musicianship. Nevertheless, Anarkophobia increased their profile within the worldwide metal scene of the early 1990s.
But in mid-1991, they had their first line-up change in years, with Spaghetti leaving the band, citing that he had "been tired of the musical life".[citation needed] They auditioned several drummers to replace him, including Beto Silesci from Korzus, but the band decided that Silesci's style was too metal for the new direction they were planning to pursue. Silesci was in turn replaced with Boka of the Santos Beach thrash/death metal band Psychic Possessor. In 1992, RxDxPx released its first official live album, called Ao Vivo, with a corresponding music video for the song "Aids, Pop, Repressão" receiving heavy air play on Furia Metal of MTV (the Brazilian equivalent of Headbangers Ball).
At the decline of the thrash scene, under tension and personal problems (Jabá left the band and they had a heavy drug problem), they entered into the studio in 1994 to record their only 'all lyrics in English' album, called Just Another Crime In Massacreland. The album suffered a thin production and a low promotion by the label, and it was a hard time in the life of RxDxPx.[citation needed]
Return to hardcore punk
After the departure of Jabá, the band had several different bass players and recorded a studio album with only punk and hardcore covers called Feijoada Acidente?, a play on the Guns N' Roses album "The Spaghetti Incident?". (Feijoada is a traditional food from Brazil, a stew based on beans and pork.) There were two versions of this album: one covering only Brazilian bands such as Olho Seco, Lobotomia, Garotos Podres, among others; and one covering only non-Brazilian bands such as G.B.H., Black Flag, Anti-Cimex, Minor Threat, among others. At this time, Walter Bart (who used to play in a punk band called "Não Religião") and "Pica Pau" (Portuguese for woodpecker), who stayed in the band until 1999, played bass.
Released in 1997, Carniceria Tropical marked a return to hardcore and Portuguese lyrics, and the band regained their former success. The same year, João Gordo started to work as a VJ for MTV Brasil.
In 1999, the bassist Cristian "Fralda", who used to play in the punk rock band Blind Pigs joined the band, and they entered into the studio to re-record their first album, and called this album Sistemados Pelo Crucifa (a play on the original album title, "Crucificados Pelo Sistema"). The front cover was designed by the Korzus bassist, Dick Siebert.
Return to crossover
In 2002, they released the Onisciente Coletivo album, and came back to be more friendly with thrash metal, mixing the 1980s with 1990s faces. The bassist Cristian "Fralda" left to join the old hardcore/crossover/thrash band Lobotomia. In his place entered an old underground musician, the bass player Paulo Júnior, who still plays with his hardcore band called "Discarga" and guitarist of "Point of no Return".
In 2006, they released Homem Inimigo Do Homem.
On 13 August 2013, Ratos de Porão announced on their Facebook page that they were working on a new album. Entitled Século Sinistro, the album was released on 27 May 2014.
Another eight years passed until the release of their upcoming eighth studio album, Necropolítica, on May 20, 2022.
Diet Paranoia
Ratos De Porão Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't you think it's time to lose some
Pounds?
Feel the agony
I'm a freak in the eyes of society
I need your help, my babe
Please, please don't let me down
Gimme some pills, my baby
Fear in my life
Calories and lard are my sweet dreams
All your Diet shit, shit!
Makes me Feel, really fucking sick
Amphetamines
To make you think thin
I go to weight watches
I drink my slim fast
The diet paranoid
Destroying me and you
Why do you sell me this trash?
I'd rather sniff cocaine
Hey, you fat clown
Feel, feel the agony
Fear in my life
All your diet shit!!!
The song "Diet Paranoia" by Ratos De Porão sheds light on society's obsession with being thin and how it affects individuals who struggle with their weight. The song's opening line, "Hey, you fat clown, don't you think it's time to lose some pounds?" speaks to the harsh criticism and judgment individuals receive for their weight, often by people who have no idea what it's like to struggle with their weight. The lyrics also touch on the desperation people feel to lose weight, as evidenced by lines like "I need your help, my babe, please don't let me down" and "gimme some pills, my baby, my hunger is back again."
The lyrics also highlight the dangerous methods people resort to in order to lose weight, such as using amphetamines or restrictive diets like Weight Watchers and Slim Fast. The chorus, with its repetition of "all your diet shit, shit" speaks to the frustration and hopelessness that individuals feel while trying to lose weight. Ultimately, the song suggests that the "diet paranoid" mentality that dominates society is destroying not only individuals but society itself.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, you fat clown
Addressing someone as a fat clown, implying that they are overweight and should do something about it.
Don't you think it's time to lose some Pounds?
Asking the fat clown if they have considered losing some weight.
Feel the agony
Expressing the pain and discomfort of being overweight.
I'm a freak in the eyes of society
Feeling like an outcast in society due to being overweight.
I need your help, my babe
Asking for someone's support in losing weight.
Please, please don't let me down
Pleading with someone not to disappoint them in their weight loss efforts.
Gimme some pills, my baby
Asking for diet pills to help with weight loss.
My hunger is back again
Feeling hungry despite previous efforts at weight loss.
Fear in my life
Being afraid of the consequences of being overweight and unhealthy.
Calories and lard are my sweet dreams
Jokingly referring to unhealthy foods as sweet dreams, despite acknowledging their negative impact on weight loss.
All your Diet shit, shit!
Disparaging diet products and programs.
Makes me Feel, really fucking sick
Expressing disgust and discomfort with diet products and programs.
Amphetamines
Referencing the use of amphetamines to suppress appetite and aid in weight loss.
To make you think thin
Explaining the purpose of using amphetamines for weight loss.
I go to weight watches
Referring to attending meetings and following the Weight Watchers program for weight loss.
I drink my slim fast
Referring to consuming Slim Fast meal replacement shakes for weight loss.
The diet paranoid
Describing the fear and anxiety that can come with obsessing over weight loss and dieting.
Destroying me and you
Acknowledging the negative impact that the dieting mindset can have on oneself and those around them.
Why do you sell me this trash?
Questioning why companies and individuals would push ineffective or harmful diet products and programs.
I'd rather sniff cocaine
Sarcastically suggesting that cocaine use might be a more appealing alternative to dieting and weight loss efforts.
Hey, you fat clown
Repeating the opening line to bookend the song.
Feel, feel the agony
Repeating the second verse to emphasize the pain and discomfort of being overweight.
Fear in my life
Repeating the final verse to reaffirm the negative impact of the dieting mindset.
All your diet shit!!!
Repeating the chorus to emphasize the song's anti-dieting message.
Contributed by Isaac H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.