Jeden z najważniejszych Brazylijskich załóg Metalowej sceny lat 80tych i ich fenomenalny debiut album Campo De Extermino

NOTE: In case if you are wondering about the review title, I came up with the idea of defecating on the proverbial reader's grandmother's grave as a joke when I couldn't describe Sarcofago's "I.N.R.I." beyond the cliché "fuckin' brutal!!!' saying so I just went along with it and have decided to give the title of shitting on grandma's grave only for those cult classics that are revered and worship by maniacs and die-hards these days. And also if I happen to think it is ugly and crusty enough, I the benevolent man shall bestow the title the demo/EP/LP/rehearsal so-rightfully deserves.

Ok, let's get down to business.

Cogumelo Records, a famous metal record label located in Brazil released some of the most extreme bands at the time in the 80's to early 90's. Their roster of maniacs included the likes of Sepultura, Sarcofago, Vulcano, Mutilator, and Sextrash. That's pretty fucking impressive considering almost all the debuts by these bands are considered classics in the fact they helped take thrash metal from it's NWOBHM influences, stipped those away, added a primitive form of Punk and Black metal influence and came up with an unholy fucking sound that only that area can create. There has been no other country besides that of Brazil that has produced results maybe outside of Finland in terms of ugliness(Mmm...that gives me an idea!). Out of all those bands on Cogumelo records in the 80's, Holocausto were the most extreme. Not as violently satanic as Sarcofago or the first extreme band as Vulcano, but Holocausto did something more extreme back in the day; they sang about Nazis. Now historically speaking Slayer sang of Nazis but Slayer didn't do an entire album based around the atrocities of the third Reich nor did they have a cover depicting an SS storm trooper’s dog catching a naked starving Jew and is what looks like is tearing his brains out. Oh yeah the original LP's lyric sheet also had a collage of black and white Nazi concentration camp photos.

Holocausto's debut album "Campo de Exterminio" is like watching a grainy Naziplotation grind house flick; it's shocking, it's gory, and a little violent, but at the same time it has a very amateur-ish feel to it and a lot of camp included. If you look at the front cover of a crudely-drawn concentration camp, it does give a sense of unease seeing how a middle school student could do much better but it's the initial shock that it gives the first time you see it. The crudely-drawn artwork is accompanied by a crude-like sound production that can only come out of Brazil in the 80's. Imagine Vulcano's "Bloody Vengeance" only a lot muddier. I have this on vinyl and I cannot begin to describe the warm, warped, blown-out, muddy sound it has. But it's a good way because it only enhances the shocking nature of not only the band's lyrics but the artwork and image of the band themselves; a bunch of crazy thrash metal kids with long hair wearing swastika armbands.

Musically speaking if you took Vulcano and speed them up just a little faster, and added some more proto-blackened thrash metal riffing, you would get Holocausto's sound. On some songs they are more clearer than others, but there are parts where the sound-productions just drowns it out. Vocalist Rodrigo Führer reminds me a lot of Martin Missy from German thrasher Protector which is fucking great. The only other musician that stands out is drummer Nedson "Warfare" Conde who is playing at killer speeds. He's no D.D. Crazy, but he's assaulting his drum kit enough. Also before I forget Holocausto exterminated a now somewhat-known term in the underground which is referred to alongside bands such as Bolt Thrower, Annihilatus(Fin) and Blasphemy(Can); War Metal. It's musically black/death metal with lyrics being obsessed with war.

Last part are the songs which is another case of if you listened to all of them back-to-back, they don't sound too much different from one another. This isn't bad and at least you know what it in store for you, but I would say the highlights of the album includes the intro which sets the shocking mood up completely, the title track, "Scória," the doomy Sabbath opening of "Regimento Da Morte," and "III Reich". Everything is else is just as good and listenable but these always stood out even when I first listened to the album years back.

For all that Holocausto's "Campo De Exterminio" is, it's worth it. Which probably along side most other Brazilian/South American Metal bands are worthy of owning just to give you an idea on how great the music they made was and how today it makes a lot of so-called Metal seem weak and light. Also this is a testament to a bygone-era in a time where you were probably able to get away with more without little to no worry. For a bunch of crazy Brazilian kids who sang about Nazis, I'm sure they had a hell of a lot of fun doing so.