O Monstro Precisa De Amigos

This is a quite versatile rock album by Portuguese band Ornatos Violeta. Many of the songs have impressive arrangements (f.e. "Dia Mau") with the help of Corvos (a string quartet that plays mostly rock songs). The songs have lots of ideas and are complex, but most of the time it works great.

Emotional singing. Surely singing with eyes closed perhaps and looking slightly upwards and twisting face to monstrous positions most likely. Enjoyable throughout. If this was made by some fuckass anglosphere indie rock band it would have a 3.1-3.2 rating.

Good to have a change from the UK/US core of the list. Probably the first Portuguese album I’ve knowingly listened to. Can’t make out a word of the lyrics and but it did suit the music well drifting from smoother Spanish sounding to a harder more Eastern European vibe. Personal view decent but probably won’t be revisiting but glad to have heard it and a good addition to the list

It's not something I would call a perfect pop rock album, but I truly enjoyed the mix of styles and references. Also, a Portuguese rock album deserves a spot on the list given the lack of Portuguese albums on the original list (There is none if I remember well). Nice inclusion.

A nice discovery! Ambitious alt-rockish songs, some hints of muse in there

I started off enjoying the dramatic opening numbers, but as the album went on the vocals started to wear on me.

OOH, Portuguese electronica hard rock? Yes please.

Tanque certainly sets the scene, and Ouvi Dizer and Capitão Romance are highlights. Fim Da Canção gives me huge Enjambre vibes. Keen to explore further.

Yeah, this was a fun listen - reminded me a little of Muse, or early Radiohead. Good to see some Portugal Portuguese on the list! I'd assumed Brazil when I saw the track names. Fave tracks - "Tanque", "Ouvi Dizer" and "O.M.E.M."

This is Portuguese BritPop and you can’t tell me otherwise. More specifically, this is the Portuguese version of Supergrass meets Pulp. The singer’s slurry delivery is unique and infectious. I liked it plenty.

Rock alternativo. Entretenido. Un 4, venga, por estar en portugués.

Pretty solid. I enjoy hearing stuff like this in a style I listen to a good amount but in a foreign language with some unique elements from that culture.

The singer on this album sings like he's having a stroke, but it kinda works? I don't think I've ever heard Portuguese music before, but it's a good language for this genre, sets a good tone. This doesn't quite hit any mood that I'm usually looking for when listening to music, so it's not going to make it into regular rotation. Which is a shame, because it's great.

Este álbum tem algumas músicas muito boas, que soam a várias bandas diferentes. Gostei muito e gostei bastante de ouvir algo completamente diferente e novo.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Chaga, OMEM, Fim da canção

Very good Portuguese alt rock. Lots of cool ideas, and while not all of them land, it's still a great time and an album I definitely wouldn't have come across without this list. And yet again, I am astounded at how much Portuguese sounds like a drunk Slavic language.

Really enjoyed this 4

Suuuuper unexpectedly good. A little dated, this sounds very of it's era but this record is really good.

Rock alternativo. Entretenido. Un 4, venga, por estar en portugués.

Nice share, definitely something different and I'm glad to have been exposed to it. Also I totally want to get me one of those little guys on the album cover. So cool. However, and nothing against the person who shared this, it is a good share, but I'm not sure about trying to keep up with user albums if you don't have to finish the list before submitting an album. Or at least halfway through. Or 10%?

Another fine example of an album that is uncommon yet opens your eyes to a whole new region for culture. Portuguese rock was not on my list of expectations. 3/5

Simpa

Sounds like a Portuguese version of Our Lady Peace. Decent.

It’s all Greek to me. And of course it isn’t.

There are spy film soundtrack vibes in this at times ("Notícias do Fundo") which I enjoy Thought it dragged in the middle but has a strong run towards the end of the album HL: "Chaga", "Notícias do Fundo", "Fim da Canção" April 25, 2026

Iso levy vissiin Portugalissa, sen ulkopuolella melko geneerisen kuuloinen altrock-platta. 3/5

Felt similar in tone to Violent Femmes. Nice distraction for the better part of an hour, but probably would have liked it more if I knew Portuguese.

I don’t speak the language so in these cases I go with the feel and impression left by the music and the manner in which the words are delivered. I really enjoyed the sound and feel of this record. Had I known the words it might have been even more appreciated.

Not bad

Very cool international album that was a bit wild and enjoyable!

A bit more varied than the first couple of tracks implied. I can see why the band split up, as I can't imagine that trying to agree on what was included would have been any fun at all.

Down-the-middle rock music

Tangue is a strong opener. Bombastic, with swelling violins, and very much rooted in a 90s alternative rock sound, even if I can’t quite pin down the reference. Ouvi Dizer sits clearly above the rest though: an over-the-top rock epic, almost an anthem, and easily the album’s high point. Not every track reaches that level. Capitao Romance leans more into a distinctly Portuguese flavour, which works well, and O.M.E.M is a standout in a different way. It reminds me of Mike Patton at his most theatrical. Not understanding the lyrics has never bothered me; the music speaks perfectly well on its own. As a whole, the album is consistent and enjoyable, even if it constantly balances on a thin line between art, kitsch, and genuine expression. It never tips into annoyance, but it also doesn’t fully sustain its strongest moments. I can see how this could become a classic for many, but for me it lands at a solid, respectable 3 stars.

Might enjoy more if I knew the language.

I always enjoy hearing some non-English rock music and I enjoyed the healthy doses of (what I assume is) analog synth, even if it was a bit OK Computer-y for me.

I didn't get the hype but i also don't speak Portuguese.

Not really my thing, but I'll always advocate for more non-English based rock. Other countries can make mediocre stuff too! My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes and replace some bland British equivalent.

Couldn't understand a single word but it was still better than a lot of the shite which gets posted on here!

I liked this pretty well musically, not a huge fan of the vocals style and of course could not understand a word.

A completely serviceable rock album, and though in a language i don't understand, the variety is the reason to do this and makes it a bit more interesting.

Light baby

Pretty good. Sounds like a lot of other albums that came out in the time period but with nice Portuguese twist

Portuguese Alt Rock radio

This is definitely some Portuguese rock alright. No question about it.

Pretty eclectic, not too bad. Bit of a mix of late 90s tropes - some sounded a bit like Muse, some a bit like Tool, a shitload of ska-ish punk. Not too bad. 3/5.

It's pretty alright. 3 stars.

Pretty straight and unremarkable 90s alt rock. The only think it had going for it was that it was not from the US/UK, though otherwise it sounded pretty boring.

Not my thing. It just sounded like really bad 90s alternative rock with the double whammy of the fact I couldn't understand it at all. 1.5/5

Nja, jag är skeptisk. Musikaliskt så är det väl okej. Men sången och språket är ju lite hejsan svejsan.

I don't want to come across as a language snob, but I did struggle with this on account of the Portuguese. I tried to look beyond the language barrier, and focus on the music. But it was a little doom and gloom. The ballads work better than the attempts at Porto party tunes. The spoken word tracks had me skipping. And not in a good way.

#dnf

How does one say "meh" in Portuguese?

I live in a country where English is not an official language, so believe me, I understand the temptation to add rock bands singing in other languages to this list. As I said elsewhere, I really wish I could bump into a user-curated suggestion of a rock album sung in Spanish, Portuguese or any other latin language that I would be inclined to add to my 5/5 gallery. Pescado Rabioso's *Artaud* came very close to it two days ago. But it still didn't make it. For me, *O Monstro Precisa De Amigos* is VERY far from that potential league, unfortunately. Ornatos Violeta are very fine musicians, of course, and they know how to compose a song. But honestly, their strand of late nineties alt-rock is still pretty generic, as lushly produced as it is. It was a specific rock sound -- splitting the difference between extravagant glam and dystopian dark balladry -- that Belgian band Ghinzu would for instance take to a far more promising direction five years later with *Blow* (with songs admittedly sung in English). I encourage anyone in here to compare the results... Stylistically, what both bands were doing five years apart is quite similar. But the respective executions vastly differ for my ears. Worse, Ornatos Violeta's lead singer routinely displays so many affectations in his vocal performance, and the whole album quickly became tiring because of this. I can indeed sense Faith No More's influence in here, but not anyone can be named "Mike Patton", you see -- you need an extra unhinged level of zaniness to make the results spectacular instead of grating. You could also argue that I don't like the vocals because I don't understand what the guy sings about... But I'm a "music-first,-lyrics-later" kind of listener, so please, believe me when I say I could write the same sort of criticism for similar singers using words I can understand... Final breakdown: not "bad", objectively speaking (the appreciation of a lead vocalist is always oh-so-very subjective), but certainly not in the league of "1001 albums..." fodder. So next, please. 2/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums. 7/10 for more general purposes (5 + 2) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 79 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 99 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 199 (including this one) ---- Émile, tu trouveras ma dernière réponse sous le *Inside* de Bo Burnham

O Monstro Precisa De Amigos starts with promise, Chaga was right up my street, but it falls off quickly. Some decent emotion behind it, some of the song constructions are like a lo-fi Muse/Radiohead in places but it missed more than hit for me. High 2.

Good to have something Portuguese on here, but this is just musically so painfully ordinary.

Rock. Nop, lo siento. Muy aburrido.

Music is pretty cool. Until it gets a bit much after about 8 songs. Unfortunately the singer sounds like he's constantly trying to not throw up. And he's too high in the mix anyways. Honestly it's nice to have a non-English rock album again in here, even if I don't really like it. 5/10 2 stars. IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

Ok but nothing special.If this was a middle of the road rock-pop band from Basingstoke nobody would bat an eelid.

Average rock album, probably not helped I couldn’t connect with the lyrics.

I couldn’t work out what language it was in - was it French? Was it Russian? Was it English and I was having a stroke? Still don’t know but that’s ok.

Just alright, a bit sappy and melodramatic in places for my taste. What’s notable is how prescient this LP is in terms of the early aughts indie rock sound – there’s some guitar here and there that reminded me of Interpol, only 6 years ahead of schedule. Those bright moments weren’t enough to make this LP a winner for me, but it was fascinating to hear.

I don't know if it's good or bad that I can't understand the lyrics, but the music wasn't moving me. Bailed fairly early on this one.

irrelevant

Took me like half the album to realize this was Portuguese and not Spanish. Had a hard time understanding anything all things considered. This album has heavy rock tones but it’s very chaotic. Obviously not one for me. 3.8/10

Not knowing the lyrics doesn’t make a difference at all to me. But I didn’t like this album. The voice was harsh and brute and just didn’t match up with the music and therefore it was bad.