André vegetarian

The world of music is full of vegetarians and it shouldn't be a surprise. In melodic heavy metal there is a vegetarian representative from Brazil. It's André  Matos, ex-singer of the bands  Viper, Angra, Shaman and at present having a solo career. André said he has been a vegetarian since his 14 deliberately and spontaneously. His father  continued in macrobiotic diet and André accepted a more natural lifestyle, but it's never been any suffering. On the contrary, sympathy with animals helped him a lot. “ I remember being a child, I went home for fishing equipment, and at the end of the day I came back with a dish full of fish… they told me to pour the water out, and open their bellies and cleaned them. After pouring the water out, I noticed the fish suffered a lot. Without hesitation I filled the dish with water again, and as quickly as possible I put them back to the lake. I could be 5 or 6. Since that day I've never agreed with such things.“ 

Nowadays, due to numerous journeys and tours, André accepted fructo-lacto vegetarianism for comfort. But meat has never formed a basic part of his menu. He believes people who keep from eating meat can reach higher level of perceiving themselves and the world around. Spiritual question is a bit subjective because every person develops according to their abilities and needs. No doubt, however, vegetarianism improves awareness in general, and the simple fact to have a discipline in relation to their own nutrition helps not to be so much indifferent

André wrote texts, with great sense, well aimed at transcendental questions, apart from others Ritual, For Tomorrow, Time Will Come. He said he doesn't  consider himself a believer, and what's very important, he can distinguish a religion and  spiritualism. „Thanks to music I managed to get a bit nearer nonmaterial matters. Music is above all a communicative channel in human unconsciousness through senses. It's a way enabling to open a lot of gates. It isn't a coincidence that a part of practically all religions is formed by music in their rites and cults.”

André tries to give on his experience as well as that of others through music. „The world is a big bubbling kettle where everybody who pass here in any time meet. A creative process in art consists of catching these perceptions and expressing them in one's own way. That's why the art is personal. And at the same time it identifies spontaneously those who it absorbs. I think it's important artists have a true belief and values they can move on. Only so the world can be improved.“

Source: Andre Matos Solo Fan Club

Translation from Slovak into English: Galadriel (translation from Portuguese into Slovak Katarina Balekova) Great thanks, girls!