RAFAEL KEMPP: "Heavy Metal is my life"
Rafael Kempp is the bassist for Louder Than Hell, a heavy metal band from Brazil known for their powerful riffs and high-energy performances. His dynamic playing style and deep grooves are a key element in the band’s sound, blending classic metal influences with a modern edge. As a core member of Louder Than Hell, Rafael has helped the band gain a dedicated following both locally and internationally, contributing to their intense live shows and growing presence in the global metal scene.
Band: Louder than Hell
Name: Rock ’n’ Rafa (Rafael Kempp)
DOB: 2021
Place of Birth: Franca-SP / Contagem-MG
Occupation: Heavy Metal
How did LOUDER THAN HELL come together as a band, and what inspired you to pursue a career in music?
Louder than Hell was born at the end of my ex band, Metaltex. After I moved to the countryside it became difficult for us to rehearse regularly, we started having to compose and work separately and unfortunately that didn't work. When the band ended, we had already started recording a new work. Even with the end of Metaltex I still wanted to release an album, so I took my compositions and added some new ones and invited Fabio Paulinelli (Grey Wolf) to be my partner, I'm a fan of Grey Wolf and Fabio is a great friend, initially I thought he wouldn't accept the invitation because I know he's very busy with Grey Wolf things, but he happily accepted my invitation and to this day he dedicates himself to body and soul to this project.
What inspires me to continue in music is solely and exclusively my love for Heavy Metal, in fact this is my fuel for everything I do in life.
Who are your biggest musical influences that have shaped the sound of LOUDER THAN HELL?
As I said before, Heavy Metal is my life, so there are many bands that influence me, but of course I can't help but mention a few, Grave Digger, Running Wild, Paragon and obviously ManOwaR are the main ones.
What's the main message behind your album "Possessed by Steel"?
The message we want to convey with this album is one of dedication and love for True Heavy Metal
What's the significance behind your band's name and logo, and how do they represent your identity?
Both Fabio and I are ManOwaR maniacs, so we wanted a strong title that made some reference to the Kings of Metal, so we opted for Louder than Hell and we think it was a perfect choice, as it is a very powerful name!
What inspired the album’s title?
Everything that refers to Steel emanates a lot of power, so we decided that the title of the album should have Steel, nothing better than Possessed by Steel!
Can you describe your collaborative songwriting process that results in your signature sound?
Our process is very peculiar, I compose the songs with just the guitar and a macro idea of the drum line, when I go to the studio to record, I record guitar and bass and together with our producer, we sequence the drums, polishing the macro idea I had, the song is practically ready with pre-mixing, just missing guitar solos, so I send the song this way to Fábio, he writes the lyrics and records the vocals. He works very quickly, which makes our entire process easier.
How do you keep your music engaging and dynamic?
I don't have a specific concern with this, I just compose things that come from my heart.
Tell us about the artwork for "Possessed by Steel" and how it complements the music.
We were very satisfied with what we were doing musically for this album, so we felt the need for a special cover art that was impactful and represented our songs well. The end result was far beyond our expectations.
Can you briefly explain your gear setup?
I use a Dean Metalman bass and I like to use heavy distortion on it.
If you had to compare your instrument, in your case the bass, with a weapon, what would it be?
Definitely a battle axe, but its sound resembles the rumble of a Harley Davidson! Hahaha...
What challenges have you faced as a Metal band, and how did you overcome them?
Working with music in Brazil is a huge challenge, working with Heavy Metal is truly crazy. I can only overcome the obstacles that appear because I put my heart into everything I do for Louder than Hell, everything I do for this band is sincere and true.
Every artistic endeavor faces both positive and negative feedback. How do you, as a band, handle constructive criticism and negative reviews, and how do these responses influence your artistic growth moving forward?
To be honest, I don't care about criticism, I don't let negative reviews get me down and I'm also not happy with positive reviews, obviously I know our limitations and I know we have a long way to improve, but I let it happen naturally, we don't have pressure to do something better. Another point is that I'm very selfish with Louder than Hell things, Everything I do in this band I think about pleasing only myself, if I'm satisfied that's what matters, If anyone else likes my work, it's profit! Hahah...
Achieving the right sound is crucial in heavy metal. Could you share some insights into your gear setup and the technical aspects of crafting your signature sound for "Possessed by Steel"?
Nowadays there is a prejudice against those who record digitally, some people think that if you don't record analog with miked amplifiers, you're doing it wrong. I don't particularly care about this kind of thing, my drums are programmed and I record everything digitally, this is the most viable way I've found to record my albums. Our producer is very experienced, he has several plugin resources and so we managed to achieve an incredible sound. For the Possessed by Steel album, for example, I wanted a similar sound to Wizard's Head of the Deciever album, I'm a big fan of the band and this is my favorite album, for me it has a perfect sound, obviously the sound of our album wasn't the same because there were many variables, but the final result left me extremely satisfied.
Do you plan to explore new musical territories or stick to the traditional metal sound in the future?
I will definitely be faithful to what we have done so far, Louder than Hell is like a tribute to True Heavy Metal, I don't want to reverse anything, I don't want to bring anything new, I just want to follow the same path as our heroes!