The Pel Project

PEL is best seen as an artistic endeavor rather than a traditional rock band, as its members live in different cities and record separately.

The origins of PEL mirror those of many other rock bands: high school students, driven by their passion for music, especially rock, decide to form a band to play covers or original songs.

In 1987, in Rio de Janeiro, high school students from the National School of Statistical Sciences (ENCE)—Mark Pell, Roger DaSilva, and Marcelo Índio—formed a group called Vozes da Terra, blending hard rock, heavy metal, and progressive rock. Initially a trio (Pell on bass and vocals, DaSilva on guitar, and Índio on drums), they soon became a quartet with the addition of keyboardist Marcelo Funga.

Vozes da Terra, like many middle-class teenage bands lacking quality instruments and rehearsal spaces, lasted only a few months. However, it planted a seed that bore fruit 35 years later: “Árvores.”

“Árvores” can be considered the driving force behind the quartet, which initially lacked a defined repertoire. Mark presented the song's first part to Roger in the apartment of one of its honorees—Zezinho (RIP), a friend of Roger who supported the group by graciously offering his instruments and a spare room in his apartment for the band to rehearse in. The other honoree, Deco (RIP), was a singer and close friend of Índio, Roger, and Mark, who suggested the string arrangement for “Árvores.”

Before Vozes da Terra dissolved, rehearsals focused almost exclusively on refining “Árvores,” structured by Mark and Roger.

After the band’s breakup, each member followed their path, joining various groups. Roger briefly joined the progressive rock band Quaterna Réquiem in Rio before moving to the U.S., where he formed and joined several bands during the 1990s and 2000s in Boston and Los Angeles, including Sleestack, Collide, Off Color, and Hammerstone, along with studio and tour work as a guest guitarist and bassist. Meanwhile, Mark joined two groups: Proposta Final in 1987 and Alma Fripp a decade later, which combined metal, experimental, and progressive rock.

In 2020, after leaving Alma Fripp, Mark created The PEL Project. Initially, PEL was a platform for Mark’s compositions, including “Árvores” and “Green,” a piece he brought from Alma Fripp.

Through the years, in long-distance conversations with Roger, along with close friend and Deco’s former girlfriend Simone Assis, Mark turned PEL into an artistic project centered on progressive rock, incorporating literature, philosophy, theater, and painting. Despite living these days in different cities (Brasília, Fortaleza, and Los Angeles), the trio began collaborating.
“Árvores” and “Green” were the foundation for a conceptual album. The theme—“the society of fatigue”—was suggested by Simone.

After restructuring in 2020, The PEL Project released the conceptual album Fatigué. The “Side 1” debuted on digital platforms in May 2023, with “Side 2” following in February 2025. PEL’s music blends progressive rock with hard rock, metal, folk, and psychedelia.

For Fatigué, Simone Assis (artistic direction), Mark Pell (vocals, acoustic guitar, and bass), and Roger DaSilva (guitar) collaborated with various musicians, including producer and keyboardist Matheus Brasil, drummers Adriano Azevedo and Jan Ariel, guitarist Fritz Henriques, vocalist Zaira Marques, DJ Mohamed Malok, and bassist Alexandre Antunes.

PEL is more than a rock band—it’s an artistic project using progressive rock as a unifying thread to promote poetry, philosophy, painting, and theater. This is evident in Fatigué, which also features artworks by Malu Engel, including the album cover and her recitation of Goethe’s Faust in “Eco,” the final track of “Side 1.”

Fans of prog-rock, REJOICE! Just released! FULL ALBUM (45 min long)
* For free on YouTube (we want to hear your thoughts, so leave us a comment, a👍🏼or👎🏼, and subscribe to The PEL Project channel - it's FREE!!!)
* Also available for streaming and downloads on all the platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc).

The PEL Project - Fatigué [FULL ALBUM - ©2025] (45 min) The PEL Project - Fatigué [FULL ALBUM - ©2025] (45 min)SIDE 11. Árvores (Pell/DaSilva) (00:00 - 08:22)2. Green (Pell) (08:22 - 17:22)3. Eco (17:22 - 25:26)I...

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The PEL Project - IMPRESSIONS [2024 NEW RELEASE] The PEL Project - IMPRESSIONS [2024 NEW RELEASE]Please subscribe, like, and comment to help the algorithm show our music to more people who appreciate it.Mus...

PEL é um projeto independente de expressão artística que reune músicos e compositores de diversas tendências e localidades para a gravação e divulgação de material inédito no âmbito do rock progressivo, com tons de folk, pop e MPB.

PEL is an indie art project bringing together musicians and composers of different trends and styles to record and promote fresh new material presented as progressive rock with undertones of folk, pop, and Brazilian music.

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