Ratos de Porão is one of the most important Brazilian punk rock bands, being the punk rock enthusiasts who propelled the advent of Brazilian rock in the '80s in São Paulo. Appreciated in Europe, they recorded their albums Brasil and Anarkophobia in Berlin, Germany. The group was formed in 1981 by friends who used to hang out at the Punk Rock Discos record store in São Paulo. Their earliest performance for a major audience was in 1982 at the First Punk Festival of São Paulo, aka O Começo do Fim Do Mundo (The Beginning of the End of the World). In that same year, they participated on the collection Sub. After vocalist João Gordo joined the group in 1984, they gradually abandoned their die-hard punk approach for hardcore and then, in 1987 (Vivendo Cada Dia Mais Sujo e Agressivo) to a heavy metal crossover. Also in 1984, they released their first solo album, Crucificados Pelo Sistema. In 1985, they shared a live album with Cólera, and appeared on a British collection of punk bands from around the world, World Class Punk. Having one of the biggest discographies of the Brazilian punk bands, Ratos de Porão were paid tribute in 1998 when several other punk groups, like Verminose, Anões de Jardim, Gangrena Gasosa, and Poindexter recorded their songs on the CD Traidô. ~ Alvaro Neder