Sarcofago - ROTTING

(mini-review)

What is it about South America that makes it a breeding ground for ugly, brutal death metal? In the 80's, Sepultura ruled the roost, but there was another band based in Brazil that pushed the limits of bad taste and pummeling riffs. I'm talking about Sarcofago, whose brand of Satanic death/thrash scorched the faces of Christians everywhere...or something like that. 1989's Rotting saw the band transitioning from primitive thrash to elements of technical death metal. It's a nice amalgamation of the two genres. Needless to say, these dudes didn't go on to record a groove-oriented breakthrough album. With a title that rhymes with "boots."

The songs here are moderately simplistic, but four of the six tracks are rather intricate, as they leap over six minutes in length. The arrangements pirouette from burning blastbeats to lumbering tempos that crawl along at a doomy pace. The production is raw and decidedly unpasteurized. That's the way it should be when it comes to prototypical extreme metal. Thematically, Sarcofago covers three areas: sex, booze, and Satan. This disc never tries to be something that it's not, and for that, I salute it.

If you're into Possessed, Infernal Majesty, and early Morbid Angel, buy Rotting without blinking. If you happen to own 1991's The Laws of Scourge and you're willing to sell it, hit me up. Hey, it's worth a shot!