Sarcofago

No offense to Vulcano, Mystifier, Evil or any other Brazilian black metal band, but SARCOFAGO is the king of Brazilian black metal.  Formed in Belo Horizonte in 1985, Sarcofago has had an indelible impact on black metal.  More extreme than most of the old-school black metal bands of the mid-1980s, Sarcofago combined the raw, intense speed of punk-influenced metal with the evil aesthetic of the burgeoning black metal scene.  Their image was also highly influential on black metallers of the future:  the members of Sarcofago can frequently be seen in leather, spikes, and corpsepoint.

Sarcofago released a slew of important demos in the mid-1980s, including 1985's Satanic Lust, 1986's Black Vomit, and 1987's Sepultado and Christ's Death.  All of these showcased the visceral, crusty, blackened sound for which Sarcofago has since become famous.

"Black Vomit" from the 1986 demo of the same name

With the raw, guttural vocals, and the no-holds-barred drumming, Sarcofago's sound was pretty extreme for the mid-1980s.  I think it is safe to say that Sarcofago and Mayhem were perhaps the best old-school black metal bands from this time period (after Bathory, of course).  The highlight of this era of Sarcofago's existence was the legendary 1987 album I.N.R.I.

"Satanic Lust", off of INRI

Sarcofago didn't sacrifice either atmosphere or heaviness when making their black metal.  Listen to the beginning of "Satanic Lust," and the explosion/thunder sound strewn throughout the song, as well as the eerie vocal effects.  None of it comes across as cheesy, and at the same time, it totally sets these Brazilians apart from most of the other bands of the 1980s.

From 1989's Rotting

Sarcofago continued to release important albums, but in my opinion, few packed the punch that I.N.R.I. had.  1989's Rotting, and 1991's The Law of Scourge all contained that trademark Sarcofago sound, but weren't as evil-sounding in comparison to their early years.

Select Discography:

Satanic Lust (demo) (1986)
The Black Vomit (demo) (1987)
Christ's Death (demo) (1987)
I.N.R.I. (1987)
Insulters of Jesus Christ (bootleg rehearsal) (1989)
Rotting (1989)
The Law of Scourge (1991)
Hate (1994)
The Worst (1996)

Next time: MORE SOUTH/LATIN AMERICAN BLACK METAL