Crust

Well, the real problem here is that nothing out there can actually be worse than “The Worst”, the guys’ last full-length showing, one of the most aptly-titled efforts in the annals of metal; it’s neither humanly nor inhumanly possible… enough said. In other words, even its own creators wouldn’t be able to beat it… and they don’t try hard, to be honest, on the EP reviewed here although the four cuts presented have by all means caught some of the stench exuded by its hyper-violent, ultra-messy “anything goes” predecessor.

Cause, in all honesty, they do sound like slightly superior leftovers from that opus, cast aside for being more memorable and marginally better assembled (not false) entries into a discography that looked once destined for much bigger things… no, I’m not crying here, just taking a short break; I’ve never been Sarcofago’s most avid fan to start shedding tears their way, but I did like what they came up with initially, including on that “Hateful” third showing.

I look beyond the crust now and I can’t help but notice this “Sonic Images of the New Millennium Decay”, what with one of the most ambitious, most academic titles in the annals of Brazilian metal, this all-instrumental 2-min etude which goes from peaceful serene balladisms to ravaging industrial noises in no time. I try to detect signs of originality and outside-the-box thinking on this contrasting cacophony, but I have no time to reach any tangible conclusions as “Day of the Dead” entry, a blasting outrage taken straight from the Australians The Berzerker’s atrocities, a brutal melee that can pass for equal dozes death, black metal and grindcore. Agonizing indecipherable “vocals” assist on the side, too scared to interfere more prominently, the assault on the senses continued with “F.O.M.B.M. (Fuck Off the Melodic Black Metal!)”, the title saying it all, no congeniality, no sophistication, just violent intimidating barrage with semblances of normality appearing in the form of, well, more melodic embellishments and cool lead guitars. All the way to the title-track, a hyper-aggressive vitriolic cut built on a recurring blast-beating theme which starts again just when a more sensible motif comes to the fore.

No, no time for those here, the band too busy justifying their notoriety for being one of the most brutal acts in music history. And they are, truth be told, based on this 4-tracker and the full-length before it, this effort here being a tad neater and more carefully assembled, but definitely spawned by the same uncompromising, dishevelled mindset, one that was drifting further and further away from any musical frames and meaningful artistic developments. The guys by all means reached the top of the brutal chaos, with this cyber-grind/death/black/industrial offense which amazingly is not a complete throw-away. They could have done it with bigger musical merits exhibited, though, cause they surely had the requisite skills for that…

nah, why bother when the dark deities they swore allegiance to would never acknowledge such talents; those are lying hidden in a dark dusty sarcophagus somewhere Down Below… waiting to be re-discovered. Cause who knows… maybe the best is yet to come?