''Mata Leão'' is the fourth studio album by American

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band

Biohazard A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat (or is a hazard) to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect huma ...

, released on June 25, 1996, by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

, their second and final album for the label. Upon release, it charted at No. 170 on the Billboard 200, charting over 100 places lower than its predecessor, ''State of the World Address'' (which charted at No. 48)'','' and was a commercial failure, leading Warner Bros. to drop the band from the label. Music videos for ''"''Authority" and "A Lot to Learn" were released to promote the album. The album was produced by

Dave Jerden David Jerden (July 25, 1949 – February 5, 2025) was an American record producer, audio engineer and mixer. He is best-known for producing, engineering and mixing albums recorded by a variety of bands from the mid-to-late 1980s and 1990s, inc ...

, best known for producing albums by

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AiC) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1987. Since 2006, the band's lineup has comprised vocalist/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney. Voca ...

and

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The band's best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro. Jane's Addicti ...

. It was recorded by the band as a three-piece following the departure of guitarist Bobby Hambel in 1995. During the touring cycle for the album, former

Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...

guitarist

Rob Echeverria Rob Echeverria (born December 15, 1967) is an American musician who has worked as the guitarist of Biohazard, Helmet, Rest in Pieces, and Straight Ahead. While in Helmet, he helped compose and record the song "Milquetoast", which was released o ...

stepped in his place. The title "mata leão" translates into "kill the lion" in Portuguese (mata 'o' leão, the 'o' is sub-intended). This is also the name of a chokehold in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which in English is also known as a

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

. The album was released on vinyl, cassette and CD. Some versions of the CD came with an O-Card.

Track listing

Charts

Personnel

Evan Seinfeld Evan Seinfeld (born November 1967) is an American musician and former pornographic actor, writer and director. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and founding member of the hardcore/metal band Biohazard. Seinfeld left the band in ...

– bass, vocals * Billy Graziadei – lead and rhythm guitar, vocals *

DJ Lethal Leor Dimant (, , ; born December 18, 1972), better known as DJ Lethal, is a Latvian-American turntablist and producer and is best known as a member of the groups House of Pain and Limp Bizkit. Early life Leor Dimant was born to a Latvian- ...

– turntables *Danny Schuler – drums, percussion

References

Biohazard (band) albums 1996 albums albums produced by Dave Jerden Warner Records albums {{1990s-punk-album-stub