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.
plano furado
Ratos De Porão Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O Brasil ia mudar
Congelaram a pátria amada
Botaram as coisas no lugar.
Todo mundo, o mundo inteiro
Essa farsa engoliu
O povo se fudeu
E o Brasil faliu
Deu tudo errado
Plano Furado
Eles não fraquejaram
Prometeram que iam ver
Uma desculpa nova
E o plano refazer
Refizeram a constituinte
Com um grande bacanal
Não rifaram o Brasil porque era ilegal!
Deu tudo errado
Plano furado
Pediram pra igreja
Gentilmente ajudar
Cobrando entradas na missa
Que os fiéis possam pagar
O papa interveio
Disse logo:
-Filhos Meus!!
-O plano é de voces mas o dinheiro é de Deus!!!
The lyrics to "Plano Furado" by Ratos De Porão tell the story of a failed economic plan for Brazil. The song describes how the government worked endlessly to try and change the country, but their efforts were fruitless. They implemented extreme measures such as freezing the economy and rearranging the country's priorities, but it all ended in disaster. The citizens bought into the plan, but ultimately they were the ones who suffered the most.
The song highlights how the government tried repeatedly to come up with new excuses and solutions to fix the failed plan. They even rewrote the constitution and had a wild party, but nothing they did made a difference. In a last attempt to save the plan, the government asked for help from the church. They started charging entrance fees for mass, and even the pope intervened. However, his message was clear: the plan was theirs, but the money belonged to God.
This song is a commentary on the Brazilian economic crisis that occurred in the 1980s under President Sarney. The lyrics reflect the frustration and disappointment felt by the citizens who were promised a better future, but instead found themselves in debt and poverty. It is a powerful reminder of the consequences of failed economic policies and the impact they have on everyday people.
Line by Line Meaning
Planejaram Febrilmente
They planned feverishly
O Brasil ia mudar
That Brazil was going to change
Congelaram a pátria amada
They froze the beloved homeland
Botaram as coisas no lugar.
They put things in their place
Todo mundo, o mundo inteiro
Everyone, the whole world
Essa farsa engoliu
Swallowed that hoax
O povo se fudeu
The people got screwed
E o Brasil faliu
And Brazil went bankrupt
Deu tudo errado
Everything went wrong
Plano Furado
A botched plan
Eles não fraquejaram
They did not waver
Prometeram que iam ver
They promised they would see
Uma desculpa nova
An excuse anew
E o plano refazer
And remake the plan
Refizeram a constituinte
They remade the constitution
Com um grande bacanal
With a big party
Não rifaram o Brasil porque era ilegal!
They did not gamble with Brazil because it was illegal!
Pediram pra igreja
They asked the church
Gentilmente ajudar
To kindly help
Cobrando entradas na missa
Charging admission to mass
Que os fiéis possam pagar
So the faithful can pay
O papa interveio
The pope intervened
Disse logo:
He said soon:
-Filhos Meus!!
-My children!!
-O plano é de voces mas o dinheiro é de Deus!!!
-The plan is yours but the money is God's!!!
Contributed by Tyler I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.