Embrace the Devil

Embrace the Devil is a black/death metal duo based in Campo Grande, the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, operating in a region of central-west Brazil far removed from the country's traditional metal hubs in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte. The band was formed in 2014 by Rodrigo Schulz (vocals and guitars) and Felipe Lira (drums), the two-piece configuration leaving the project tightly focused on a single creative axis. Catalogued on the Encyclopaedia Metallum as an active, independent black/death metal outfit, Embrace the Devil draws lyrical inspiration from paganism alongside more introspective and philosophical material that the band itself describes as 'the duality of man and his inner demons,' a thematic emphasis that pushes them toward the more contemplative wing of South American black metal rather than the strict anti-Christian or war-metal lane occupied by many of their compatriots. The duo's most prominent release, the full-length 'Death Is Only a Chapter,' surfaced in early 2022 and runs through tracks including 'Devil Knows Who I Am' and 'Nosferatu,' blending blackened tremolo riffing with the heavier mid-tempo punch typical of Brazilian death metal lineage. Working without a label and self-releasing through Bandcamp and YouTube, Embrace the Devil is part of a growing wave of bands quietly building a metal scene in Mato Grosso do Sul, a state whose underground has historically been overshadowed by the better-known scenes of Brazil's coastal southeast.