Aquiles Priester
Hangar, Freakeys

Aquiles Priester is endorsed by:
Mapex (Drums), Paiste (Cymbals), Pro-Mark (Sticks), Evans (Drum Heads), Audio-Technica (Microphones), Gibraltar (Hardware), DW Pedals, Staff Drum (Triggers), Ciclotron (Electronic Equipments), Zoom Equipments, Urban Boards (Drummer Shoes) and Shred Cases (Drum Bags).

I was born in a town called Otjo, in South Africa where I lived til I was five years old. At the age of four, I saw a drum set for the first time. It was a Jazz drummer on a TV show. That was my first contact with the instrument, and the only, for many years. In November 1997 after been playing drums for 12 years I formed Hangar, and we started playing covers of heavy metal songs before making our own music. For being employed, we rehearsed every weekend around 8 or 10 hours a day, and as the band had an incredible direction, we were all into it and knew that investing that time was necessary.

The CD was well received by the specialized critics and was followed by a national projection of the band. I received an invitation to record, with other Brazilians, an album with Paul Di’Anno (Iron Maiden). The CD “Nomad” was recorded in São Paulo, in the year 2000 and right after it, the band went on a tour around the country and I realized that many people already knew my work with Hangar. I received, informally, the invitation to be the new drummer of Angra in 2001 and , with the band Angra, I recorded the albums Rebirth (2001), Hunters and Prey (2002), Live in São Paulo (2003), Temple of Shadows (2004) and Aurora Consurgens (2006).

In 2004, I still had time to release my first instructional DVD, Inside my Drums, after which I traveled all over Brazil during 2003 and 2004 doing over 80 drum clinics and workshops. In the years 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 I was voted best heavy metal drummer by the main specialized Brazilian magazines and web sites. In Japan, in 2002, I came in 15th place according to Burrn! Magazine, in 2004 in 4th place and in 2005 in 9th (without having released an album that year) and in 2006 in 6th, in the overall ranking of the 30 best drummers of the world. Many of my idols took part of these elections. Not bad for someone who only had dreamed of becoming a professional drummer...

However, the year of 2006 reserved much more. In January, Mapex confirmed my participation at the Drummer Live Festival, in London, and, in February, I did my first workshops outside Brazil. There were five presentations, in countries such as Colombia, Portugal and Spain. In Bogota, Colombia, I did a workshop for almost 1200 people, my absolute audience record until today.

In March I decided to really hit the road: I went on my first workshop tour in the Northeast of Brazil with all the backline that I normally use. There were seven dates in thirteen days, a total of 8.500km traveled, and I was on the road almost twenty hours per day to carry out the schedule. The following month, the excellent feed back provided by these workshops in South America helped to confirm four more dates in the continent, three of which in Chile and one in Peru.

I reached a great mark in July, with the release of the Aquiles Priester signature drum kit by Mapex. This was the first time in the music history of Brazil that a local drummer had a signature kit released by a company with worldwide recognition. And while new workshops had been taking place in Brazil, the next month the local Mapex distributor broke all sales records in the country.

During that same month Drummer Live, in London, took place and I finally had a life dream come true when I personally met and played with nobody less than Nicko McBrain.

Not bad for someone who wanted to become a professional drummer…

Today I look back and see that my path to be where I am today was really tough but I always kept the perserverance on believing that the one who really dreams and deserves it, reaches it.

I am a regular guy who had a dream and, eventhough it was a tough and painful journey, in the deep bottom, I always knew that this was my destine: Being a musician.

Through all these years there were always many superstitions and other things that made me believe that was the way to be followed.

Throughout all this, I always kept with me a Chinese proverb, which says: “Where there’s wish, there’s a way”.

If you have a wish, you can make your own way...

Discography:

Hangar – Infallible
Hangar – The Reason of you Conviction (2007)
Aquiles Priester – Inside my Psycho Book / Instructional Book (2007)
Serj Buss – Liquid Piece of Me (2007)
Angra - Aurora Consurgens (2006)
Freakeys – Instrumental Project (2006)
Batuka Festival – Aquiles Priester (Judgment Day) (2005)
Angra – Temple of Shadows (2004)
Aquiles Priester – DVD Live in Concert/Inside my Drums (2004)
Angra – DVD Rebith World Tour Live in São Paulo (2003)
Angra – CD Rebirth World Tour Live in São Paulo (2002)
Angra – The Music Remains the Same (Led Zeppelin Tribute) – “Kashmir” (2002)
Angra – Hunters and Prey EP (2002)
Angra – Rebirth (2001)
Angra – Acid Rain Single (2001)
Hangar – Inside Your Soul (2001)
Hangar – Sheakespeare’s Hamlet Project – “Hidden by Shadows” (2001)
Di’Anno – Nomad (2000)
Hangar – Last Time (1999

More Information: www.aquilespriester.com