When Prika Amaral helped form Nervosa in Sao Paolo in 2010, she knew one thing: she wanted to thrash. 15 years and five albums on, the Brazilian band have certainly done that. Prika might be the only consistent member, but in that time her role has shifted from shredding to also fronting the group, serving as the lead vocalist on the band's 2023 record Jailbreak.
Hammer caught up with Prika to find out what albums make her tick - from the thrash metal band that deserve to be in the Big Four to the band she considers the greatest of all time, these are the 10 records that changed her life.
Metallica – The Four Horsemen (Kill ‘Em All, 1983)
“Metallica was the band that made me want to play guitar. The first time I listened to them was Seek And Destroy and straight away I was like, ‘I want to play that riff!’
But the guitar picking on Four Horsemen is crazy and over the years I think that’s become one of the things I’m a specialist at. It’s really challenging, but has helped me grow as a guitarist. I’m self taught, so it was difficult but so worth it!”
![Metallica - The Four Horsemen (Live, Seattle 1989) [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WOc7HyRZisc/maxresdefault.jpg)
Saxon – Wheels Of Steel (Wheels Of Steel, 1980)
“If you love 70s vibes, you can’t not go for Saxon and Wheels Of Steel. I’m a motorcycle girl, so Wheels… was perfect for me. The band has had an amazing discography for such a long time. I’ve been riding for about 13 years and got my driver’s license about 2012.
It can get pretty scary in Brazil; one year after I’d got my own motorcycle, I was at the lights in Sao Paolo when a guy came running out from robbing a bank. He saw me, put a gun in my face and stole my motorcycle. That was actually my biggest fear!
I managed to get it back after a week, so I was very lucky it wasn’t stripped to pieces, but he’d used it to commit more crimes. He’s in jail now though, so that’s okay!”
Sepultura – Propaganda (Chaos A.D. 1993)
“Sepultura mean everything to Brazilian metalheads. Even the ones who aren’t sure about some of their songs, we all know a lot of attention paid to Brazilian bands now is because of them.
I first heard Sepultura the same day I heard Slayer, and that groove is just so unique. I love the sound of Propaganda, and as a guitar nerd I just loved the double-picking at the start of the song, plus how angry Max’s voice is. Our name is actually inspired by them too – Sepultura is a Portuguese word [for grave or tomb], so we decided to use ‘Nervosa’ for the female version of ‘nervous’.”
Judas Priest – Painkiller (Painkiller, 1990)
“Judas Priest are the kings of metal. When I was a teenager, I actually didn’t like them because I was so into extreme music I basically ignored anything with melody. Huge mistake!
Now Priest are one of my favourite bands and Painkiller is a perfect song. That song made me pay attention to the drums more in songs – I’d been obsessed with the guitars and how they worked up to then.”
Slayer – Raining Blood (Reign In Blood, 1986)
“Slayer are my favourite band ever. It’s so hard to just pick one song, but Raining Blood is the obvious one to go for, especially because Reign In Blood is my favourite album. I was sitting with my friends in a garage, listening to CDs we’d recorded illegally because that was pretty much the only way to discover things at that point!
We were drinking and listening to music at home because where I grew up didn’t really have rock or metal bars you could go to and listen to music. Now the best compliment I can get is when people tell me they can hear Slayer in Nervosa’s sound!”
Vader – True Names (Black To The Blind, 1997)
"Vader are my favourite death metal band. I was into thrash metal before I got into death metal, but they helped change that. Every time I hear True Names, I wish I could just sing and play drums at the same time. I always imitate the kick-drums, even though I definitely can’t play them in real life!
All of Vader’s songs are incredible – Piotr Wiwczarek was a huge influence on me when I started singing. He’s a crazy guy, singing in this very unique way which is brutal and it’s amazing. I love the whole of Black To The Blind, that album is what got me into the band.
Bolt Thrower – For Victory (…For Victory, 2005)
“I really like the vibes of Bolt Thrower. They’re so dark and they’re not fast in the same way so many other death metal bands are. They don’t sound like Swedish death metal, not like American death metal… They’re their own thing.
It’s crazy, too fast to be doom but it’s super heavy and the first time I heard For Victory I was hypnotised. I can listen to their albums back to back and I’d still be hypnotised by them.
On our first US tour, I was with [Conquer Divide drummer] Samantha Landa driving up to Canada and For Victory just started playing on its own in the car on repeat. For hours. But we loved it, it was like a sign from the other side!”
Testament – Over The Wall (The Legacy, 1987)
“Testament are another of my favourite bands. Their entire discography is brilliant – I love all of their albums. Over The Wall has a definite Slayer vibe that edges it, though! Alex Skolnick is one of the most brilliant guitarists in all types of music, and since I took over as singer in Nervosa, I pay a lot more attention to their techniques too.
Chuck Billy has a great vocal range with these incredible tones and ways of singing, all of it very natural and not forced. I have a problem with some high vocalists, but I find Chuck Billy so easy to listen to. They’re a band with equilibrium too – heaviness, melody… they do it all. They should be in the Big Four, for sure!”
Kreator – Enemy Of God (Enemy Of God, 2005)
“Kreator. Wow. I love all of their old albums, but I think their records from the 2000s to now are something else. Their sound has only gotten better, starting with Enemy Of God.
They’re one of the greatest thrash metal bands ever. We were a bit too late for the mid-2000s thrash metal revival, and definitely too late for when thrash was a true sensation in the 80s.
But for all the amazing bands that have come since the 80s, nobody has reached the same popularity as those older bands. It’s a shame places like MTV don’t give space to these bands anymore – could you imagine hearing Kreator on there now? It’d be so badass!”
Destruction – Thrash ‘Til Death (The Antichrist, 2001)
“We’re old school girls who want to play thrash! Nervosa are basically a thrash/death metal band, so what better song could we ever have hoped for than Thrash ‘Til Death by Destruction? Double meaning!
Nervosa have toured with Destruction more than anyone else – we’ve played with them four times, so they’re like family to me. This was always my favourite song by them, too, so it’s only gotten more important to me.”
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