Victim of Yourself

There was a fair amount of hype surrounding this Brazilian trio known as Nervosa, some speculating that it arrived based on attributes apart from their musical abilities and vicious stylistic demeanor. While there may have been something to the initial hype leading up to the realize of Victim Of Yourself that could maybe be justified on these grounds, the studio work that came along with the fairly inventive yet somewhat cliche imagery on the album art tells a very different story, as did like their various live performances a bit earlier on the decade. This is a band that exemplifies the sort of tight togetherness and raw vitality that was inherent in the early days of Germany's reputed thrash trios Sodom and Destruction, and their stylistic tendencies largely reflect the same spirit of where said bands were during the late 1980s, along with some of the more overt death metal inclinations that were brewing in Brazil's correspondingly dark thrash outfits Sarcofago and Sepultura.

The reference to the late 80s Teutonic thrash sound in describing Nervosa's approach goes beyond their tendency towards lyrical content focused on violence and political unrest rather than the occult-themed direction of earlier works of Slayer and the other aforementioned influences, and actually also reveals a band that is a bit more stylistically nuanced and tactful in how they deliver their brand of thrashing brutality. There are plenty of high paced riffs that touch the blinding tremolo and rapid galloping of Hell Awaits and Persecution Mania, but cut up and delivered with a bit more groove and punch than said albums, coming a bit more in line with an Agent Orange meets Arise approach. The songs generally exhibit a level of precision and structural symmetry that is a bit more accessible than the wild fury of mid 80s extreme thrash, though the vocal work of Fernanda Lira shifts things in much more of an extreme direction, to the point of sounding like a female version of Chuck Schuldiner circa Leprosy.

As with any trio set up, there is a heavy reliance on exemplary performances from each member with no slack to spare, and they come out on top in this regard and actually manage to draw some distinctions with themselves and their forerunners in some key areas. Lira's bass work is a bit more adventurous and notable for breaking away its usual support role, particularly on the more mid-paced riff monster "Wake Up And Fight" and the faster "Envious", and generally has a prominent place in the overall mix, making for a less crunchy and more thudding sound compared to many earlier extreme thrash albums. Just about ever song on here has a solid lead guitar break loaded with references to iconic 80s thrash shredders, though the principle influence on Prika Amaral's approach appears to be Frank Blackfire, and the individual cases of "Death!" and "Nasty Injury" showcase an exceptional ability to mix riffing styles between early 80s speed and late 80s groove with a good sense of transition. But ironically enough, the drum work is where this album really offers up some surprises, particularly the eclectic array of beats and styles that go beyond repetitive d-beats with an occasional roll, though the blasting work on "Urânio em Nós", which is basically an all out death metal song that could pass for early Cannibal Corpse musically, is remarkably well accomplished.

This is a band that is definitely worth the hype, and one that has accrued a fairly decent cult following, though they are deserving of a wider audience that may or may not come given the ongoing decline in popularity of the revivalist thrash scene. Nervosa is among the better bands to come around lately that have elected for the extreme niche where thrash metal flirts about as closely with death metal without morphing into the 1988 version of it as possible. They are fully forthcoming of where their influences reside, not that it would be much of a secret given they all but incorporate the same vocal line from Sodom's "Nuclear Winter" into this album's title song "Victim Of Yourself", itself a song that generally exemplifies the classic approach of Persecution Mania while still having a flavor that's a bit further along in the Teutonic meets Brazilian extreme that Nervosa dabbles with on here. Don't be deceived by the visual on the cover, the only way to truly victimize yourself with an album like this is to pass it up.