Oficina G3

Oficina G3 are one of the longest-running and most influential bands in Brazilian Christian rock, formed in São Paulo in 1987 by Juninho Afram, Wagner García and Walter Lopes. Across nearly four decades of activity they have travelled a path few groups in the segment attempted: starting from direct hard rock and arriving at progressive metal, with a technical and arrangement ambition that placed them alongside secular bands in the same territory. The debut album, Nada É Tão Novo, Nada É Tão Velho, appeared in 1993, followed by Indiferença (1996). The 1998 Acústico marked a commercial turning point and considerably widened the group's reach. It was in the run that followed, however, that the band found its most recognisable form: O Tempo (2000), Humanos (2002) and Além do que os Olhos Podem Ver (2005) make up the core of the repertoire, with longer compositions, layers of guitar and keyboard, and writing that abandoned the simple song format for good. Elektracustika (2007) and Depois da Guerra (2008) consolidated that period, and Histórias e Bicicletas (Reflexões, Encontros e Esperança), from 2013, brought a more introspective tone. Over the years the line-up went through numerous changes, chiefly on bass and drums, with Juninho Afram remaining as guitarist, leader and principal songwriter — today also on vocals, alongside Duca Tambasco on bass and Jean Carllos on keyboards. Oficina G3's weight in the Brazilian landscape goes beyond numbers: they professionalised Christian rock in the country, opened space for an entire generation of bands in the genre, and proved that faith-based subject matter and demanding instrumental execution are not incompatible. Juninho Afram in particular is a reference among Brazilian guitarists, cited by musicians inside and outside the gospel world alike.