In the 1980s, one of the most important countries for the development of black metal was Brazil. Sarcofago, Vulcano, Holocausto, Exterminator, Escola Alemã and others were absolutely instrumental in the shaping of old-school black metal and laying the foundation for so much of what came after. By the early 1990s, many of these bands had broken up or were no longer making an impact on the scene. GOATPENIS, formed in 1991, was a crucially important underground black metal band that helped Brazilian black metal evolve in these years.
Band mastermind Sabbaoth has mentioned that their name draws on the fact that "penis" can be used to denote testosterone-driven power and strength. In terms of style, Goatpenis draws not just on the raw Sarcofago-styled black metal from the 80s, but they looked to Brazil's death metal and grindcore scene--bands like Necrobutcher and Fear of God--for sonic inspiration. The resulting sound is primitive, nasty, and visceral. It compares favorably with the work of such brutal bands as Blasphemy, Beherit, and Archgoat. Topically, like so many black metal bands on the brutal side of the genre, Goatpenis has been obsessed with not just all things blasphemous, but the dehumanization and chaos of war.
From their 1992 demo, this is "S'havohej Detaefed"
This is the title track from their 1994 demo, Jesus Coward
In the early 90s, Goatpenis put out some really raw and intense demos that showed the world the brutality that Brazil was capable of. Through tape trading, Goatpenis's sound spread far and wide. That being said, the band went on hiatus in 1997 due to lack of rehearsal space--but they did become active again in 1999.
Since the dawn of the millenium, Goatpenis has been much more active than they were in the early 90s. They've put out numerous albums, EPs, splits, and compilations that show how the band retained their signature raw sound, but had matured and refined it in the intervening years.
This track from 2004's Inhumanization showcases Goatpenis's post-millenial sound
After Sarcofago, Salvador's MYSTIFIER is probably the best-known Brazilian black metal band. Beelzeebubth (guitars/bass) decided to form the band after his stint with groups like Death Vomit and Putrefaction, gathering other musicians together to create blasphemous music under the black metal label. After rehearsals and small local shows, Mystifier put out the Tormenting the Holy Trinity demo.
"Possession" is a song from the Tormenting the Holy Trinity demo
Unlike other old-school black metal bands from Brazil (Sarcofago, Holocausto, etc.), Mystifier's sound was not stereotypically Brazilian. It was not the raw thrash-influenced style heard on such classics as I.N.R.I. or Campo De Exterminio. Instead, Mystifier's sound was steeped in something more eerie, more occultic, more....mystical. Tormenting the Holy Trinity caught the attention of not just black metal fans in South America, but record labels. But instead of signing with a label, Mystifier kept on toiling in the underground, releasing a single (1990's "The Evil Ascenscion Returns") and another demo (1991's Aleister Crowley). They then signed with the label Hellion Records to release the 1992 album Wicca.
From Wicca, this is "Mystifier (Satan's Messengers)"
Mystifier's eerie and atmospheric sound continued to gain them attention around the world. They signed with Osmose Productions and subsequently released 1993's Goetia. This album was a continuation of their early sound, but showed signs of maturity. Possessed of a style all their own, Mystifier marched forward with their evil sound. Following Goetia, they released such cult albums as 1996's The World Is So Good That Who Made It Doesn't Live Here, 1999's Demystifying the Mystified Ones For a Decade in the Earthly Paradise, and 2001's Profanus.
"Caerimonia Sanguilentu (Goetia)" is from 1993's Goetia
From their 1996 album, this is "The Death of an Immortal"
"Superstitious Predictions of Misfortune" is off of Profanus
As can be heard with their somewhat more recent material, Mystifier is not afraid to take chances with their black metal. They occasionally incorporate clean vocals, odd rhythms, and even riffing that doesn't resemble typical black metal. That being said, they're still a dark and evil band that has hugely impacted world black metal well beyond the borders of their native Brazil.
Select Discography
Tormenting the Holy Trinity (demo)(1989)
Aleister Crowley (demo)(1991)
Wicca (full-length)(1992)
Goetia (full-length)(1993)
The World Is So Good That Who Made It Doesn't Live Here
(full-length) (1996)
Demystifying the Mystifed Ones for a Decade in the Earthly Paradise
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
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
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.
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.
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
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)
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)
The oldest extreme metal band in South America, or so the story goes....VULCANO formed in 1981. They hail from Sao Paolo, Brazil. They pre-date Sarcofago, Sepultura, Overdose and all the other old-school Brazilian metal bands from that era. They have a sort of an extreme thrash/proto-black metal sound. They released a single, "Om Pushne Namah," in 1983 (which is not as extreme as later material), and a demo in 1984--Devil On My Roof.
"Witches Sabbath" off of their 1984 demo
In 1986, they released the full-length album Bloody Vengeance which continued the extreme old-school black/thrash style of their demo. The lyrics contained the requisite amount of evil and Satanic-oriented content to fit into the old-school black metal mold. After Vengeance, the 1987 album Anthropophagy seemed to be a change in the wrong direction for many fans.
"Death Metal"--from their first full-length album
Despite the complaints from some of the fans of Bloody Vengeance, 1987's Anthropophagy is still a pretty decent album. It's definitely got an evil, old-school atmosphere to it, and it stands strong next to the extreme thrash of the day (think Sodom or Destruction or early Sepultura).
An example of their sound off of Anthropophagy
Vulcano is one of the few old-school black/thrash bands that has continued to release albums down to this day. While their sound has been overshadowed by the full-fledged development of modern black metal, they still possess a rather potent sound for a band that is three decades old.
