Rapture Biography

Rapture was formed in early 1996, emerging from the collaboration of Ricardo Souza, his cousin Eduardo Escalier, and their neighbor Rick Soares, who had been rehearsing rock and metal cover songs since 1994. The band's lineup solidified when Rick introduced Flávio Régis to Ricardo, leading to a creative partnership between the two guitarists that focused on writing doom metal material, drawing inspiration from bands such as Cathedral, Paradise Lost, Serpent Rise, and Amorphis.

Flávio invited Paulo Pinho to join as the bassist, and the newly formed five-piece began rehearsing twice a week at Ômega Studios and Notech Studios in Rio Grande, RS. In May 1996, Rapture made their live debut at a skate exhibition on Avenida Portugal in Rio Grande, performing original compositions alongside a cover of Paradise Lost’s "The Last Time." At this point, Ricardo was managing both lead guitar and keyboard duties.

Shortly after the concert, Ricardo invited Pedro Fernandes to join the band as the keyboard player. Following a series of rehearsals, the band recorded their demo tape "The Inquisition" over several nights in June 1996 at Notech Studios, utilizing ADAT technology. The demo garnered positive reviews, with notable recognition from Ricardo Franzin of Rock Brigade in the September 1996 issue.

However, shortly after recording, Eduardo left the band to explore different musical styles, leading to Moisés Oliveira stepping in as the new drummer. With Moisés, Rapture gained exposure on the local TV show "Espaço Cultural NET," hosted by Alzira Paiva of RBS TV, where they performed songs from their demo as well as new tracks "Regretful" and "Dead World." Although the performance of "Chalice Of Tears" was filmed, only a short segment of its audio was used during the program's credits.

The band continued to develop new material, including "Atmosphere Of Pleasure," which featured a more intricate guitar approach. Although plans were made to record "Dead World" as a test single to gain studio experience, tensions arose between Ricardo and Flávio, leading to the band's disbandment in early October 1996. Despite reconciling shortly thereafter, the split persisted, resulting in Flávio returning to his hometown of Santa Maria, RS, while Ricardo moved on to a heavy metal band. This project released its debut album "Return To The Roots" around mid-November 1996 and featured Moisés on drums.

Eduardo Escalier has since established himself as a studio drummer, collaborating with various notable musicians. Rick Soares shifted his focus to drums and reunited with Ricardo in 2007 to release the stoner rock EP "Capítulo I." Additionally, Rick and Paulo played together in the rock band The Members, and Rick also drummed for a gothic doom metal band in 2013. Flávio and Moisés formed the doom metal band Adverse Persevering in 2008 and 2009, continuing their musical endeavors.