Modern black metal would be virtually impossible to imagine without Sarcofago, there is no denying that. And Vulcano was important as well. But South America (especially Brazil) gave rise to so many crucial bands that helped shape international black metal that it only makes sense to mention them. That being said, few of them were as overwhelmingly influential as Sarcofago or Vulcano (or, in a peripheral sense, Sepultura). The one exception to this might be the Brazilian band HOLOCAUSTO.
Brazil's Holocausto
Formed in 1985, Holocausto incorporated violent imagery and war themes into their lyrical content. Their legendary debut album, 1987's Campo de Exterminío, was perceived as praising Nazis and fascism when it was really a critique of those ideologies. After that album, they became less black metal and veered more toward thrash metal with industrial influences. They broke up in 1994 only to reform a decade later.
"Forças Terroristas", off of 1987's Campo de Exterminío
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Also hailing from Brazil were the extreme black/thrash bands EXTERMINATOR and ESCOLA ALEMÃ. Not as prolific as Sarcofago or Vulcano, these bands became known for one or two quality releases and demos in the mid- to late-80s. Both bands used war and Nazi imagery for the sake of being extreme, and like Holocausto were mistaken for Nazis themselves.
In its entirety, here is Exterminator's only album, Total Extermination
"Germany School" is from Escola Alemã's 1989 demo, Vergeltungswaffe
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Out of Colombia, the band PARABELLUM is one of the oldest South American extreme metal bands. Formed in 1981 and hailing from Medellin, their brand of black/thrash was a raw and primitive style that sounded very much like other extreme 1980s old-school bands. Put next to Sarcofago, Parabellum definitely holds their own. They never released any full-length albums, just EPs and demos.
"Engendro 666", off of the 1987 EP Sacrilegio
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Uruguay as a nation is not known for their metal scene, but the Uruguayan extreme metal band GRAF SPEE sure made an impact on the death/black scene in the 1980s. They formed in 1985, but didn't really release any original material until the 1988 album Reincarnation. They didn't release much after that album, and I'm not sure of their status today.
Graf Spee's "Freedom"
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Another Colombian band, REENCARNACIÓN is a fairly prolific black/thrash band that is still around to this day. Like Parabellum, they hail from Medellin. A style that is much more black metal than some of the other bands listed in this entry, Reencarnación made a pretty big impact with their 1988 self-titled album.
Their self-titled song from their self-titled album
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There are numerous other important South and Latin American black metal bands from the first wave worth mentioning that managed to combine some element of evil, rawness, speed, and atmosphere to fit into this discussion of old-school black metal. Peru's SATANAS and HADEZ, Mexico's TOXODETH, Chile's PENTAGRAM, and Colombia's BLASFEMIA are all examples that bear mentioning.
From Hadez's 1986 demo Guerreros de la Muerte
From Satanas' 1989 demo Blasfemia
Off of Toxodeth's 1988 demo, Phantasms
The title song from Blasfemia's 1988 EP Guerra Total
Pentagram's 1987 single "Demoniac Possession"
As you can see, the Latin American scene produced some pretty interesting and influential bands in the 1980s. Later bands came along who have been extremely important (Inquisition, Mystifier, etc.) but they will get their own entries when the time is right.
Select Discography of 1980s Latin American Black Metal Scene:
(in alphabetical order by artist)
Blasfemia, Guerra Total EP (1988)
Escola Alemã, Black War (demo) (1987)
Escola Alemã, Transport of Death (demo) (1988)
Escola Alemã, Vergeltungswaffe (demo) (1989)
Exterminator, Total Extermination (full-length album) (1987)
Graf Spee, El lugar de los Asuras (demo) (1985)
Graf Spee, Demo '86 (demo) (1986)
Graf Spee, Reincarnation (full-length album) (1990)
Hadez, Guerreros de la Muerte (demo) (1988)
Hadez, Altar of Sacrifice (demo) (1989)
Hadez, Hadez Attack (demo) (1990)
Holocausto, Masacre (demo) (1985)
Holocausto, Campo de Extermínio (full-length album) (1987)
Parabellum, Rehearsal (demo) (1984)
Parabellum, Sacrilegio EP (1987)
Parabellum, Mutacion por radiacion EP (1988)
Pentagram, Rehearsal (demo) (1986)
Pentagram, Demo #1 (demo) (1987)
Pentagram, Demo #2 (demo) (1987)
Reencarnación, Dioses muertos (demo) (1987)
Reencarnación, Reencarnación (full-length album) (1988)
Satanas, Blasfemia (demo) (1989)
Toxodeth, Toxodeth (demo) (1988)
Toxodeth, Phantasms (demo) (1988)
Toxodeth, Mysteries About Life and Death (demo) (1989)
Next time: KAT
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