Masacre - Brutal Aggre666ion (2014)

   Masacre is one of the not so many good examples for how a band could renew its style with time and to not disappoint their old fans meanwhile. Like if "Reqviem's" Masacre and the "Total Death's" Masacre (their 4th full-length album) were 2 different bands. And if we're looking at the line up changes that occured meanwhile (guitarist Juan Carlos Gómez as the only constant band member), they are.
   It might be interesting to compare Masacre's case with Massacre, if the analogy by style, band name, and cultic underground status wouldn't be enough. Both bands had lineup changes, both tried to change their style, but while Massacre tried it earlier in a drastic way led by the changing tendencies of the main scene and failed, Masacre's music changed in small steps album by album as a continuity and succeeded. More importantly they didn't try to abandon their old style, but to renew it. In 2014 Massacre came back from nothing and released a great album that was more brutal than how their early music was, but something was missing. Like if it was made by any other death metal band. A soulless mass product without any genuine features. In 2014 Masacre released a great album that was that was more brutal than how their early music was, and also sounded as a fulfillment of their musical development. Cause they haven't been gone meanwhile. That album was like if it was made by another band compared to their early period, but their music still had intense spirit. It was a different flame than in the old times (by different musicians it's understandable), but the flame was there, and it didn't just burn, it was incinerating. "Brutal Aggre666ion" isn't about trying to play something that certainly could be sold, cause there are well proven samples how to do it. It was about to enjoy being as brutal and compromise-less as the genre could offer cause that's why it was made for. An excellent record, strongly recommended for the fans of death metal!

Masacre - Metal Medallo Attack (2012)

   Masacre's music has changed a lot with time, and extraordinarily for the band that had only beneficial effects. On the side of the musician's personal and technical development probably the line-up changes also had something to do with that. However, "Metal Medallo Attack" was a compilation that meant to turn back time, since it includes 2 early EPs, "Ola de Violecnia", that was released before the band's full-lenght debut "Requiem", and "Barbarie y Sangre en Memoria Christo", that came out after.
   Therefore the compilation also reflects the spirit of "Requiem" by it's very familiar themes. The ancient sound and atmosphere of Masacre could be only compared to old Sepultura and Sarcófago, and their importance in determining the mixed style and strongly anti-Christian concept of the South American extreme scene is also notable. But if it's about themes and song compositions, Masacre had it's own way that's easily distiguishable from the other old and big names of the scene. In general their music back then wasn't even similar to what was known as death metal. It was something more ancient, built up from heavy, doom and thrash metal influences assisted by growling vocal style. The limited possibilities of recording metal that time also had role in sounding different than what was usual. But this had advantageous effect by showing better their musical diversity, since their mixed style came to life probably because of the different influences and imaginations of the band members. Therefore it was also quite experimental, but worked out well to become their genuine style. With noisier sound the complexity of their music would have lost from it's importance. In total, the compilation recalls the nostalgic and genuine old sound of the band, and by that the basics of a once notorious extreme metal scene.

Death Kult - Beyond the Flesh (2011)

   Death Kult debuted with an evidently old school death metal album, that could be a potential favorite for those who missed the sound of the early '90s.

   "Beyond the Flesh" was influenced strictly by the American scene, and a long list of names could be mentioned from Tampa Florida scene bands like Morbid Angel or Massacre to the NYC bands like Immolation. This used to be quite uncommon from South American bands, but the late scene prefers to build their music from influences out of South America. The band's main intention was probably to authentically recall the feeling of the early '90s, and without any further extreme ambitions, like to play as fast as possible or to turn brutal or technical. They preferred basic thrash influenced themes and intensity by often switching to middle speed with medium blast beat assistance. This proved to be quite effective, since without knowing the location of the band or the release date, it was completely believable that Death Kult was a yet undiscovered band from the depths of the early '90s old school American death metal scene. The sound also reminds to the pleny of underrated one or few album bands of those times. In total "Beyond the Flesh" is an excellent nostalgia album for the fans of old school death. 

Inquisition - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm (2010)

   Inquisition became the essential part of the black metal elite with their genuine approach, that didn't follow strictly the traditional Norwegian scene like most bands did one decade earlier. They were more similar to more experimenting bands like Mayhem, who also built on complexity, intense sound and tried to represent some sort of upgraded concept, that could give a different aspect to blasphemic musical concept.

   In case of Inquisition it was a cosmic, more scientific approach of the essential evil that lurks somewhere in the dark unknown, and there's also the intention to find analogy and confirmation in the esotheric order and by it's observations. The music suits the lyrical concept well, and they make together a great unity. Inquisition might sound raw and monotonous for some, but there is a great diveristy to find in their music that's parallelly operating with heavy themes, simple but catchy melodies, atmosphere, and overwhelming intensity. Speed swithes are frequent, they often play very intense, but slow downs to middle speed are keep returning for long periods. The previous albums were more old school oriented and involved basic essential elements. These are returning during the middle speed themes in some form completed by melodic themes and atmospheric sound features. In general "Ominous Doctrines..." shows a way more diverse approach than before, embedded into great sound quality, while the music kept it's deeply obscure touch.

Bestialized - Annihilating the Judeo-Christian Generations (2007)

   The debut of Bestialized is an excellent example of the most exaggerated manifestations of black metal. They didn't bother to follow any of the traditional lines of the genre, but their music carries features that are typically South-American.
   The intensity of their music may remind to Marduk, but this style, sound and compromiseless brutality refers to what Sarcófago did on the "Crust" EP. On the side of the noisy themes there are also thrash riffings to find occasionally that are like some old school touch. But that's all to mention if it's about catchier themes, the whole album is like a skull breaking blasphemous rampage. There isn't anything to find about the atmospheric effects or sizzling sound that are indispensable in Norwegian black metal, and even if their music is closer to black/death, they doesn't fit into that style either. Bestialized kept more from the sound of ordinary black, and their music is more diverse than the mostly repetitive noise-based black/death themes. Still this is not some new waved direction, just a very exaggearated one, and that's why it's a less known and less popular aspect of black metal. The album offers excellent entertainment for the fans of brutal musickness.

Inquisition - Anxious Death / Forever Under (2006)

   Inquisition became known as a genuine black metal band, that was partly influenced by Mayhem, but preferred to go on it's own way. It was a long way, but apart from the main directions of the genre they earned a cultic status with time.
  They formed in the late '80s and debuted as a thrash metal band, and at the beginning their music showed some similarities with the main tendencies of South American metal. Most old bands in that region were like mix of the lately distinguished and defined extreme genres, and at Inquisition on the side of their intense thrashing some affinity to their late style also could be sensed. That was mostly represented in their exaggeratedly aggressive tone and in the vocal style. They also preferred to write way longer songs than it was usual. These songs were free from any frippery, they kept playing wild and intense. At the foot stones the birth of a notorious black metal band couldn't be expected yet, they just sounded like a promising Sepultura influenced band, who might like to show more than other tharsh formations that time. This compilation includes their debut EP "Anxious Death" and the demo "Forever Under" to commemorate condignly how everything was started.

Amputated Genitals - Human Meat Gluttony (2005)

  The competition to play so exaggerated music as it's possible ended in the early '90s already. But there are bands from time to time who prefer to pick that line again and trying to exceed others.
   Amputated Genitals was one of them, and even by the name selection they didn't try to hide their intentions. Their extremely sick brutal death metal mainly refers to old Cannibal Corpse by both the musical features and the extremely violent and disgusting lyrical topics. By the themes they tried to create a similarly intense ground and the drumming style shows plenty of similarities too, not the mention the guttural deep growling that couldn't even nearly serve as an example of decent articulation. In the lyrics they focused on the less tolerable topics: serial killing, and the most violent and sadistic ways of murders led by endlessly twisted sexual lust. The simple narrating style may made them even more outrageous, and these references probably refreshed bad memories in Germany where the early Cannibal Corpse albums were banned (even if by this vocal style the lyrics are not understandable at all). So this record wasn't really welcomed there either. However there is an endless line of brutal death bands, and even the number of gore addicts isn't low, but Amputated Genitals successfully managed to mark out from them by their raw and massive brutality.

Masacre - Requiem (1991)

   Nice relaxing acoustic melodies are introducing the first full-lenght album of the Colombian Masacre. Which band had important influence on the the very depths of the South American underground scene.
   The followings are not so calm and chilling, but it's a very interesting album, balancing on the borderline of genres, between catchy melodies to noise, and stepping back and forth from musical structure to chaos. Quite diverse themes and ideas changing each other in that way. Usually it's a death metal band, but like in the case of bands from South America, the style features are not so evident, and including various influences. Mid speed, massive hammering and occasional melodic slow downs changing each other with deep growling that often ends up in insane screaming that reminds to black metal styled vocals. It's a very raw album for sure, but they managed putting together those different influences. This chaotic main view became the main feature of the band's early period. With "Requiem" they gave a new dark shade to the extreme scene.