It’s with a heavy heart that we communicate the passing of VIPER‘s bassist, and once vocalist, Pit Passarell at the age of 56 due to a rare pancreatic cancer. The passing happened on September 26th in São Paulo, the homeland of the band. It’s fair to say VIPER and Pit Passarell shared a life as he was one of the founders of the band in 1985 when he was only 17 and the future of the band is unsure without him.
After having some health issues during a VIPER‘s concert in August 31st. There, on stage, he received the first aids and did his best to finished, however, his condition was worst than thought and he was hospitalized. There he stayed until his passing.
Viper were one of the most promising bands in this sad and lonely and pathetic little planet back in 1987 when they released “Soldiers of Sunrise,” one paramont classic of Brazilian Heavy Metal. Pit was only 18 years old and the band’s average age was only 16. Together with SEPULTURA they were one of the very first bands to reach an international career. Even though with strong doses of HELLOWEEN and IRON MAIDEN, “Soldiers of Sunrise” was an instant classic with the band’s very personal touch. I was so thrilled about the review I read in a magazine that I immediately bought the album. It was with 1989’s “Theater of Fate” that the band started of what could have been an international career, however, due to internal disagreements Andre Matos left VIPER to form ANGRA. The rest is history. Metal academics agree that this album is one of the staplers of what would be called Progressive Metal along with 1988’s Queensrÿche’s “Operation: Mindcrime.” This album was released in several countries and granted them some international fame – especially in Japan, where it outsold renowned bands like NIRVANA and VAN HALEN.
Pit Passarel later took over the microphone. This led to the first major change in the band’s style, noticeable in their next album, “Evolution,” released in 1992, heavier, more direct, with a more thrash metal sounding. Then, in 1993, came their first alive album “Maniacs in Japan” recorded at Club Cittá, Tokyo. In 1995, they released their next album, “Coma Rage,” with a very strong punk influence. In 1996 came the release of “Tem Pra Todo Mundo,” the album I consider to be one of the major Metal’s screw-ups. It was their first album in Portuguese with a lighter, pop-like sound. Their record label at the time (the Brazilian arm of Castle Communications) went bankrupt; legal disputes and the disappearance of the album’s masters prevented the re-release of the album by some other label, or the recording of another album. The band’s activities came to a halt, despite never officially breaking up. After many backs and forths, including a celebration tour with Andre Matos which ended with his death in 2019, Viper released “Timeless” in 2022.
So long, brother! Rest in peace!
With you one of Viper’s battle hymns “Living for the Night.”
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!