Carlos Zema

Carlos Zema — Brazilian vocalist — built an international career in melodic metal, working in bands and projects outside Brazil. His path illustrates a movement common among Brazilian musicians in the genre: the country produces singers with solid technique — the result of three decades of an active scene — but has no market structure able to sustain professional careers in melodic metal. For anyone wanting to live from it, the way out is the international circuit. Zema has the voice the genre demands: high register, sustained power and the ability to keep clean pitch over dense arrangements. It is a kind of instrument that takes years to develop and wears out quickly when the technique is not right — which is why few singers in the style keep long careers. Brazilians in the European and American power metal circuits are still an exception, but their number has grown steadily since the 2000s, as digital distribution reduced the distance between national scenes.