Juninho Afram

Juninho Afram is the founding guitarist, leader and principal composer of Oficina G3, and one of the reference guitarists of Brazilian rock — inside and outside the gospel world. He put the band together in São Paulo in 1987 and is the only member present throughout its history, which now exceeds three and a half decades. In that time he led a path unusual for the segment: it started from straightforward hard rock and arrived at progressive metal, with long compositions, layers of guitar and keyboard and arrangements of considerable technical demand. O Tempo (2000), Humanos (2002) and Além do que os Olhos Podem Ver (2005) form the core of that phase. His importance is also structural. Oficina G3 professionalised Christian rock in Brazil, opened space for a whole generation of bands in the genre and showed that a theme of faith and elaborate instrumental playing are not incompatible — an argument that needed proving in a circuit often treated as minor. As a guitarist he is cited by musicians from inside and outside the evangelical world, which is rare: his phrasing combines melodic metal technique with a blues sensibility, and the solos are built as melody, not as display. He has also taken on the band's lead vocals, holding both functions in the current line-up.