Old Psychotic Eyes

An interesting entry from the unfathomable Brazilian underground, a not very known team who come as a curious mix between the thicker, heavier side of the Bay-Area (think Defiance, above all) and the more technical ventures of their compatriots Acid Storm (the drummer Alessandro Jannuzzi an ex-member) and The Mist.

The guys left a long trail of demos in the 80’s, and when the album reviewed here appeared their hymns to the old school had become seriously outdated. However, problem promptly solved with the band’s decision to boost their approach with a more abrasive, more sterile guitar sound and the casual quasi-groovy throw-in (“Wings”). The rest can be really intense at times the title-track and “Inner Verses” moshing like there’s no tomorrow, trying hard to overwrite the more cleverly-stitched exercises like the dramatic stomping shredder “The Wasp” and especially the excellent “Forgotten Past”, a diverse power/thrashterpiece with a wide array of tempo-shifts. The presence of the unbridled Slayer-esque ball of fury “Yes, Sir!” is a bit debatable, and generally there’s no speed lost on this entertaining roller-coaster which very surprisingly finishes in a lyrical downbeat manner with the romantic semi-ballad “When I Saw You Dead”, a leftover from a 1992 demo.

At least the vocalist excels on that last cut, pulling out an attached emotional performance which can’t be said about his earlier feats those squarely falling in the hoarse semi-clean/semi-declamatory hardcore-ish camp; a not very attached baritone that lacks depth and range. For some the performer behind the mike can be a hefty pullback as the music would have benefitted from a more attached throat like Robson Goulart (Acid Storm again), for instance. Still, with a few listens down the line the fan should adjust to all the nuances, the final result a sure candidate for the “classic thrash for the angrier 90’s generation” award, but only after fierce competition with Slaughter’s “The Law”, Cyclone Temple’s “I Hate Therefore I Am”, and Defiance’s “Beyond Recognition”.

Alas, disappointment was lying on the way as the sophomore was a banal post-thrash non-sense, the music as generic as possible, the only plus being the much better accommodation of the vociferous vocals. The mists of Avalon only got dissipated once, unfortunately; too bad as it seemed like they were hiding more mysteries than just the unconvincing concealed farewell gesture.