Biography
Celebrating 15 years of career, DEAFKIDS and TEST performed together on the legendary stage of SESC Pompeia in São Paulo on January 10th, 2025, in a historic sold-out night. The joint show put to the test why both bands are regarded as icons of extreme, experimental and avant-garde independent music – not only in Brazil, but worldwide. This partnership resulted in an album recorded at the end of 2024, the culmination of years of collaboration between the two groups.
The collaborative album, entitled "Sem Esperanças" (No Hope), will be released on September 5th 2025 on digital platforms. It will also come out in physical formats on vinyl through Rapid Eye Records (Europe) and All Music Matters (Brazil), and on CD by Cospe Fogo (Brazil).
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In December 2024, TEST and DEAFKIDS gathered in the studio for three days to create and document the entire process. With two drum kits, two guitars, effects, synthesizers, vocals and percussion, they produced 10 brand new tracks showcasing the full creativity and experimental spirit of both bands. From drone-laden slow, menacing dirges, to all-out avant-grind assaults, ambient atmospheres and percussive, frenzied grooves, the album broadcasts many years of experimentation, and the merger of both bands' unique and inimitable approach to sonic research.
The NO HOPE TOUR project was born in 2018 from the idea of traveling to as many cities as possible aboard a VW microbus for a series of joint shows. To date, it has already reached 66 cities in 16 countries. The first edition, supported by Red Stripe beer and VICE magazine, marked the debut of the all-out collaboration as DEAF TEST, in a sold-out show at the newly inaugurated SESC Avenida Paulista. In 2024, the third edition toured Southeast and Southern Brazil, followed by an extension with US band Lightning Bolt and an appearance at the Música Quente Festival, alongside Juçara Marçal. The impact led to an invitation for three concerts at the renowned Polish festival Avant Art, complete with a European tour of 16 shows across 12 countries, and a quick incursion in Asia, with a concert in Istanbul. In 2025, the bands carried out the fifth edition of the NO HOPE TOUR, which took place in March, bringing the joint tour for the first time to Northeast Brazil.
Overall, TEST and DEAFKIDS have already played more than 100 shows together, including performances at SESC Pompeia, SESC Avenida Paulista, SESC Belenzinho, CCSP and Virada Cultural.
TEST recently surpassed the mark of 1,000 concerts in 28 countries. On an extensive 50-date tour, the duo traveled through Europe, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, consolidating its path as one of the most active and itinerant bands in the extreme music scene. In 2024 alone, the band performed more than 90 shows, including an appearance at the Radical Sounds Latin America Festival in Berlin alongside Iggor Cavalera. Now, TEST is preparing to release three collaborative albums with DEAFKIDS, Papangu and Goatburner, scheduled for 2025 and 2026. Over the years, TEST has shared the stage with artists such as King Diamond, Napalm Death, Tom Zé, Dillinger Escape Plan, Brujeria, Metá Metá, Sepultura, Carcass, Soulfly, among many others.
DEAFKIDS has established itself in recent years as one of the leading exponents of Brazilian avantgarde/experimental music abroad. Signed to the US label Neurot Recordings since 2016, with several internationally acclaimed releases, the band has performed at renowned festivals such as Roadburn (NL), Supersonic (UK), Amplifest (PT), Donau (AT), A Colossal Weekend (DK), Novas Frequências (BR), among others. In addition to tours across Brazil, Europe and North America with major acts like Neurosis (US), Oransi Pazuzu (FI), Rakta (BR), Big Brave (CA), DEAFKIDS also contributed to the soundtrack of the video game Cyberpunk 2077 and have been featured in outlets such as The Guardian, The Wire, Folha de S. Paulo, Afropunk, CVLT Nation, Revolver Magazine, among others. They have also collaborated with artists like Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke), Petbrick (Iggor Cavalera’s project), and Duma (Nyege Nyege Tapes), and shared stages with Neurosis, Eyehategod, Converge, Godflesh, Melt Banana, As Mercenárias, Lightning Bolt, The Varukers, Juçara Marçal, among others.
What to expect musically from this partnership? Both bands are renowned for the impact of their live performances and the sonic innovations within their styles, influencing not only local scenes but also creating ripples worldwide. DEAFKIDS present their ever-mutating punk-percussive-electronic sound, while TEST brings their sonic experimentation that uniquely compiles virtually all styles of extreme music.
credits
released September 5, 2025
Recording by Andre Leal and João Kombi
mixing and mastering by Andre Leal and Kleber Mariano
Artwork and design by Douglas Leal
Produced by DEAFKIDS and TEST
TEST:
João Kombi: Guitar, vocals
Barata: Drums
DEAFKIDS:
Douglas Leal: Guitar, vocals, synths, percussion,
tenor saxophone, berimbau
Marian Sarine: Drums, percussion
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.