Anger

Anger was formed in late 1994 in the city of Aveiro, with founding members Pedro Pereira on vocals and guitar, Lino Vinagre on guitar, Tó Viegas on bass, and Afonso Corte-Real on drums. The project took its first steps with this initial lineup, uniting the four musicians around a shared passion for the heavy music scene that was developing in Portugal during the nineties.

The band’s stage debut took place in the summer of 1995, but it was during their second performance in October of that year, at the legendary Johnny Guitar in Lisbon, that the quartet from Aveiro demonstrated their true potential. Beyond showcasing technical competence and energy, the band caught the attention of the A&R manager from the NorteSul label, who watched the performance and immediately expressed interest in signing the group, kicking off the negotiation process.

Their self-titled debut album was released under the Valentim de Carvalho label in July 1997, preceded by the launch of the single “Low Life.” Shortly before the record hit the market, Anger experienced their first massive crowd experience by performing live at the Queima das Fitas in Coimbra, a concert that served to test the audience’s strong reception to the new tracks.

That same month of July saw Tó Viegas replaced by Ricardo Melo on bass, which immediately triggered the start of the “Anger Tour,” the promotional tour for their debut album that took the group to the largest summer festivals in the country. During this tour, a meeting with One Minute Silence at the Paredes de Coura Festival proved to be providential, as it allowed them to introduce their work to Clawfinger and opened the doors to the international market.

This recognition abroad materialized in the early months of 1998, when the band joined an extensive European tour alongside the American band D.R.I. This international adventure led Anger to perform on stages across several countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, and Spain, significantly consolidating their experience on the road.

In November 1998, the group began working on the successor to their first record. The second album, titled “Y2K” and once again released by NorteSul, was launched in May 1999, featuring the single “Look Sharp” as the lead track. For the subsequent promotional tour, the lineup was reinforced with the addition of Luís Silva on keyboards, bringing a new dimension to the band’s sonic dynamics.

At the turn of the millennium, the group’s journey faced a setback due to severe financial problems at NorteSul, the label with which they had signed a four-album contract. Given the precarious situation of the company, both parties decided to amicably terminate their contract in February 2001. Shortly after, in April, the band contributed the track “If You Close Your Eyes” to the Tarântula tribute album, also performing at the tribute concert that brought several projects together at the Hard-Club in the autumn.

The year 2002 marked a return to writing original material with the goal of releasing a new record, resulting in a demo tape that caught the interest of the Cobra label. The third album, “The Bliss,” was eventually recorded between May and June 2003 at Area51 Studio in Hanover, Germany, under the direction of producer Tommy Newton, known for his work with Guano Apes. The album was released in late September of the same year, preceded by the single “Say (What You Wanna).”