Júnior Cruz

Júnior Cruz started as a church singer in Nova Iguaçu, though his approach to hymns didn't always fit with local religious authorities. He began working solo in the early 2000s, then formed a band under his own name in 2007. Their debut album '7 Trombetas' became their calling card, with the title track painting vivid biblical scenes of apocalypse.

That album established a pattern for Cruz's work, where lyrics drawn from Revelation and other biblical texts meet heavy arrangements. Songs like 'A Vinda de Cristo' and 'Acredito' continue in that vein, often building to dramatic, almost theatrical crescendos. The band includes guitarist Edinho do Maranhão, bassist Fabio Santos, drummer Leo Guimarães, and keyboardist Rosa Andrade.

Later albums like 'Apocalipse 9' and '10º Selo' kept exploring end-times imagery, sometimes tying it to contemporary worries about war or environmental collapse. Their 2020 release 'Revelação' was framed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, using the same apocalyptic language to address more immediate uncertainty.