Disaffected – Exclusive Interview 2025 | Pulse Records

Few bands in the Portuguese underground have shaped our scene with such depth, innovation, and emotional force as Disaffected. Across decades of evolution, silence, rebirth, and transformation, they have remained one of the most daring and forward-thinking acts ever to emerge from our country. With their new album “Spiritual Humanized Technology” — released on November 10th, 2025 — the band returns with a bold, complex, and coldly atmospheric statement that pushes their death-prog identity into a new era. Soon, both the vinyl and CD editions will be available through Pulse Records, and it felt like the perfect moment to celebrate a group that has been part of our DNA since the early days.

This exclusive interview is not just another conversation — it is a tribute to one of Portugal's most visionary bands. We asked the questions we’ve carried with us as fans since the ’90s, and the band answered with honesty, depth, and a present-day clarity that reveals exactly why Disaffected remain as essential today as they were in their earliest, most experimental years.

SECTION I — Origins, Legacy & Evolution

1. As someone who grew up inside the Portuguese metal underground since the mid–to–late '80s, we remember how unique the early '90s scene felt — raw, chaotic, but full of possibility. Looking back, António, what stands out most to you about Disaffected's early days in our zone, Oeiras, and the Lisbon area?

Gião - The early 90s were magical and difficult at the same time for Portuguese metal bands. The scene in Sintra, Cascais, and Oeiras was emerging brutally, with many bands appearing and others consolidating.

There was no internet yet, and all promotion was through tape trading and fanzines, mainly for underground bands, so for a band like us, it was very difficult to penetrate the European circuit because of the Iberian Peninsula's distance from the center of Europe, where everything was happening.

Regarding Portugal, the scene was magical because everything was very DIY, and the conditions were still very amateurish in all aspects. There were few offers in terms of live shows, but any show by a Portuguese metal band was always magical, with a full house of people vibrating. Those were the days! eheh

2. We still recall hearing "Vast" for the first time — it immediately felt unlike anything else in Portugal at the time. Did you all feel back then that Disaffected was naturally leaning into something more experimental and progressive than your peers?

Gião - Yes. In 1995, Vast was very ahead of its time, and today, for many people, it's still considered a modern-sounding album. Initially, we were a death/thrash metal band. Still, from 1994 onwards, we introduced keyboards to the band and began exploring a more death-prog style, with jazzy and experimental influences that greatly shaped the style the band would adopt from then on. Since then, we have tried to be as original as possible, and maintain our own style - "The Disaffected style".

3. Many of us in the scene wondered what happened after the late '90s pause. From your own perspective, what were the key reasons for the hiatus, and when did you personally feel the urge to resurrect Disaffected?

Gião - The band ceased activities in 1997 due to a motorcycle accident involving the band's founding guitarist, which left him in a coma for a long time, with a very slow and difficult recovery.

We felt that his presence and songwriting spirit at the time were fundamental to the band's future, and therefore, we chose to cease activities.

The other band members continued their careers in other musical projects after that. In 2006, when Sérgio Paulo had fully recovered, the idea was just to do some commemorative reunion shows with a new drummer and a new keyboardist. But the spirit and enthusiasm were growing stronger in rehearsals, and we started composing new material, and decided to record and restart the band's full activity.

4. Today, when we talk to younger musicians, your name comes up more often than people realize. How do you feel about Disaffected's influence on the newer generations of Portuguese extreme metal?

Gião - As I said before, we always try to be as original as possible, creating our own style with professionalism, attitude, and commitment, and this may be an example for new bands. Some may even draw inspiration from our death prog roots and consider us an influence.

SECTION II — Spiritual Humanized Technology (2025)

5. Your new album title, "Spiritual Humanized Technology", immediately caught our attention — it feels symbolic, almost prophetic. What triggered this concept, and how does it reflect Disaffected's evolution in 2025?

Gião - The new album is conceptual, and its theme explores the evolution of artificial intelligence technology in the modern world. I think the lyrics and theme of the album fit perfectly with its sound and the band's new musical direction, which, in many ways, returns to its raw, cold, and more experimental roots.

6. As fans who lived through the early tape-trading era, the title also reminds us of how the human–technological relationship changed over decades. Does the album explore this tension between humanity, spirituality, and digital reality?

Gião - Yes, the thematic focuses a bit on that aspect, and on how technology is changing the world, and music is no exception. Digital is increasingly surpassing the physical format. The digital apocalypse that often controls our lives, the technological evolution in a God-Man-Machine cycle, is also increasingly present in music.

7. Comparing this new album to "Rebirth and The Trinity Threshold", what would you say is the most significant musical shift we should expect? More aggression? More atmosphere? More complexity?

Gião - The new album "Spiritual Humanized Technology" is a complex, cold, and dark record. It has ambient passages, and I consider it more experimental and complex than the previous album. It has many experimental and atmospheric influences from the old "Vast" and "Rebirth" formula, mixed with the "in your face" style and the traditional song type (chorus-verse-chorus) of "The Trinity Threshold", never leaving our own death-prog style.

8. Knowing Disaffected's history of layered and intricate arranging, how did the songwriting process unfold this time? Collaborative? Individual? Organic? Structured?

Gião - The songwriting process was the same as on previous albums. It was based on guitar riffs, and then we all contributed with our parts, giving the Disaffected style to the songs. The composition in the rehearsals is organic, collective, and collaborative.

The lyrics and thematic, and the vocal parts, just like on previous albums, were added after the songs are finished. I think that on this album, José Costa perfectly placed the vocals, and the thematic fit with the record's overall sound.

SECTION III — Technical Depth: Production, Gear & Philosophy

9. As listeners and collectors, we've always appreciated how present and thoughtful your bass lines are. How did you approach your contributions on "Spiritual Humanized Technology" compared to earlier records?

Gião - Thank you in advance for your kind words about my bass lines. On this album, I tried to maintain the Disaffected style, with the technical and jazzy prog influences, but smoother and groovier. This album was recorded with a fretless bass, which required a different musical approach, which also contributed to the final result being groovier and hotter.

10. Production in Portuguese metal has changed drastically since the '90s. What production aesthetic were you aiming for here — modern clarity, organic grit, or something in between?

Gião - We aimed for an intermediate result that was as organic as possible. The result of Fernando Matias' production turned out exactly as we intended, and the mastering done by Miguel Tereso gave it the power and the more old-school sound we were hoping for.

11. José has a very distinct vocal identity, and we've followed his work for decades. How did he approach the vocal performance on this record, and what emotional core were you all aiming for?

Gião - José Costa did an exceptional job on this album and perfectly embodied the album's spirit in the lyrics, metrics, and vocal parts. The guttural vocal parts certainly have their own unique, unmistakable tone. Still, he tried to include more clean, robotic parts in equal measure, resulting in a final work that greatly satisfied us.

12. Disaffected's lyrical themes — dreams, illusions, human conditions — were always more philosophical than the usual death metal tropes. What consciousness or internal world does this new album explore?

Gião - The lyrical themes in this album explore the dark side of dreams, from alien abductions, etc., the dark side of the subconscious, the power of words, technological evolution, and artificial sensitivity in the God-Man-Machine cycle, and reflect a human awakening to resist the digital apocalypse that often controls our lives.

SECTION IV — The Portuguese Scene, History & Identity

13. As someone who has watched the Portuguese scene evolve since childhood, I've seen both the rise of strong collectives and the fragmentation of others. From your perspective, what has improved over the decades — and what has been lost?

Gião - Many quality bands disappeared, while others are still active from the 80s and 90s. In my view, those who disbanded had various factors and reasons, from Portugal's isolation from the rest of Europe, to some fear of leaving their comfort zone, monetary reasons, demotivation, or internal conflicts, etc.

Few managed to succeed, some are still active, and many quality bands have appeared in the meantime, which currently gives the Portuguese metal scene a wide range of quality options for the listener.

14. Portugal is now globally respected for its extreme metal, especially black metal. Where do you see Disaffected's place within this broader national identity in 2025?

Gião - We try to be as original as possible, without clichés, and to occupy our space, both nationally and internationally, and not compete with other bands within the same death prog genre.

15. The '90s had a unique creative energy — Decayed, Sacred Sin, Filii Nigrantium Infernalium, Thormenthor, and so many others. What do you think made that generation so daring and experimental?

Gião - That's true! The 90s were very fertile in terms of musical talent in the national metal scene, and perhaps the desire for recognition, the audacity, the spirit of conquest, and pleasure in creating music of these bands and musicians was reflected in the quality that many of them still have today.

SECTION V — Member-Specific Questions

For José Costa (Vocals):
16. José, we've been captivated by your vocal journey across various musical styles. Can you share the personal evolution or emotional landscapes you navigated during the creation of "Spiritual Humanized Technology"? What influences shaped your artistic expression, and how did you confront or embrace your inner experiences throughout this project?

José - Throughout this album, I felt like I was moving through a kind of inner cycle between the human and the transcendent. Spiritual Humanized Technology became more than just a collection of songs — it turned into a mirror that forced me to look at how I deal with doubt, belonging, and that constant tension between evolution and fragility.

Vocally, it was a real journey. I’ve always enjoyed exploring different styles, but here I felt I needed to go deeper — not just technically, but emotionally. The harsher vocals came from moments of frustration and internal conflict. At the same time, the cleaner, more atmospheric parts emerged from phases when I needed to breathe and figure out where I stood amid the creative chaos.

My influences for this project didn’t come only from bands or genres — they came from conversations, books, films, and even long moments alone, trying to understand what it means to be human while surrounded by technology, without losing the spiritual, emotional, imperfect side of things. Some days the work on the album felt like a ritual, almost meditative, and others pulled me into uncomfortable territories — but ones I needed to explore.

For inspiration, I took a lot from the 70s-80s Prog Rock to compose and arrange vocal lines and ideas. In the end, I embraced everything: the doubts, the anxieties, the drive to grow, and the need to express something bigger than myself.

This album made me confront a lot, but it also allowed me to transform those experiences into art. And I think that blend — the intimate and the conceptual — is what gave the record its identity.

For Bruno Vicente (Guitars)
17. Bruno, Disaffected's guitar work masterfully combines technical precision with a rich, immersive atmosphere. Can you share what specific influences guided your approach to writing riffs and creating guitar textures on this new record?

Bruno - The guitar work and ideas generally reflect the dark mind spirit at the moment. The composition has some influences or heroes, as we say, from fusion jazz to progressive metal/rock... time signatures are very similar to some gamala taki examples, leading to a dancing song and avoiding a 4 by 4 standard.

For Manuel Teles (Drums)
18. Manuel, your drumming has truly infused new energy and creativity into the band's modern era. What specific rhythmic ideas or patterns did you explore that played a pivotal role in defining the identity of this album? Were there particular techniques or styles you drew inspiration from that helped shape the overall sound and vibe?

Mané - I resorted to a bag of tricks I developed through listening to a bunch of seminal drummers from the '80s and '90s, e.g., Danny Herrera, Igor Cavalera, Dave Lombardo, Gene Hoglan, etc.

My main concern was to give as much intensity and power as I could to each and every riff, without overplaying them. Other than that, I honestly don't think there was an overall strategic plan in my composition. I just tried to address each riff at a time, as they were presented to me in the studio, to the best of my ability. Nonetheless, I hope the listener can sense an old-school vibe, enriched by odd times, given that the whole became hopefully greater than the sum of its parts.

For Pedro Raimundo (Keyboards)
19. Pedro, the integration of keyboards has become a crucial element in defining the band's sound. For this release, what specific sonic landscapes or intricate synthetic textures did you aspire to craft?
Could you elaborate on the inspirations behind these elements and how they contribute to the overall atmosphere of the album?

Pedro - I've been a Korg user since the early nineties, and I also found that the first keyboard players were Korg users, so it helped me blend in with Disaffected. I could relate to the sonic textures of the earlier albums, the choirs, strings, and other strange sounds we can craft, with some internal effects manipulation and combination of different sounds.

For this album, I used my Korg synth for all sounds, and experimented with Pianoteq for the Pianos, one of the most amazing and realistic pieces of software I discovered in the previous years.

The only conscious goals I had in mind for this release were that I wanted to bring a little more dissonance/strangeness to the riffs/songs, to match a little bit more with the early releases, and to add some piano atmospheres and lines, with different reverbs and effects, I wanted specifically to try and find places to let them flow.

It's difficult to explain the inspirations, because when composing for a song/riffs that is already structured, it's actually quite organic, in the sense that I wrote the keyboards for the part, and didn't force something pre-planned. I usually try to blend with the rhythm, the drums specifically, and see what comes out. Also tried to let the guitar and bass breathe a little, so I don't play on every riff on the songs, I tried to find an equilibrium and select the specific parts on a song where I could add the atmospheres, the ones with more space and room to blend the keyboards.

When I start an idea from scratch, it usually begins with finding a specific sound, then trying a rhythmic pattern, and it usually flows from there. The final result turned out quite balanced, some great atmospheres, eerie pianos, and bits of extra strangeness...

SECTION VI — Closing Question

20. After three decades, scene evolution, lineup changes, comebacks, transformations, and now this ambitious new chapter — what keeps Disaffected alive? What continues to fuel your fire after all these years?

Gião - The love we have for the band, both the old and new members, the pleasure of creating music and playing live, and the respect for our old and new fans, gives us the strength to continue releasing new albums and making new music.

Three decades later, Disaffected remain one of the most fearless and forward-thinking forces in Portuguese extreme metal. Their commitment to experimentation, identity, and emotional depth continues to reshape the landscape for new generations. We are honored to present this exclusive interview at Pulse Records, and we look forward to sharing much more from the band as this new chapter unfolds.

Links:
⛤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/disaffectedmetal
⛤ Bandcamp: https://disaffectedmetal.bandcamp.com/
⛤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disaffected_official/
⛤ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@disaffected_official

⛤ Pulse Records | Disaffected CDs
⛤ Pulse Records | Disaffected Vinyl
⛤ Pulse Records | Disaffected Tapes

More interviews soon — keep spinning loud.