Holocausto (BRA) - Diario De Guerra CD

Final full length from one of the very first extreme metal bands to form in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

In 2016, the original Warfare Noise lineup of the band reunited to resurrect its old sound for the unanticipated and superb “War Metal Massacre” album. Last year’s “Guerra Total” demo, featuring the same lineup as “Campo de Extermínio,” was nothing short of astonishing. Holocausto proved that it is possible for a band to reclaim the youthful intensity of its earlier recordings after straying far from the original sound, a feat that almost no band has successfully accomplished.

With “Diário de Guerra,” Holocausto has arguably produced the finest Brazilian deathcore/black metal album in about 30 years. It is a vengeful and violent exploration of human horror. The raw, razor wire sound of Valério Exterminator’s guitar is wound around the pummeling fury of the bass and drums, delivered by Anderson Guerrilheiro (Insulter) and Armando Nuclear Soldier (Insulter, Mutilator, and Sarcófago). The album is relentless, each riff a savage outburst, each song an unyielding attack. Directing the assault are the vocals of Rodrigo Führer, whose snarling, dictatorial growls accentuate the band’s misanthropic tendencies. In keeping with the classic Holocausto sound, the songs here are unrestrained, and, at times, appear to be capable of flying off the rails, but the band always manages to harness the chaos and cacophony in a way that is quintessentially Brazilian. For any fans of the early Brazilian pioneers, “Diário de Guerra” will sound almost like an unearthed lost recording from that era featuring all the hallmarks that defined the genre.

- J. Campbell

Label : Deathrash Armageddon