Release:
High Roller Records
22.11.2024
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 Bloody Vengeance (Reissue)
Hailed as one of the founders of the South American extreme metal scene, VULCANO came to be in 1981 in São Paulo, Brazil. Struggling with a non-existent infrastructure for this kind of music, the band released their debut EP “Om Pushne Namah” in 1983, which was sung in Portuguese and followed by “Live!” in 1985, the first metal live album ever published in Brazil.
“At the beginning, everything was very different and precarious here in Brazil”, mastermind Zhema remembers. “Nobody knew exactly how to write a metal song like the Europeans, so we did it our way – no good instruments, no good amplifiers, no recording studios, no audio engineers.”
In 1986, the five-piece unleashed their first full length “Bloody Vengeance”, which was indeed recorded and mixed within 24 hours by VULCANO themselves. Rivalling even the ringleaders from that time – say, Slayer and Kreator – in terms of ferocity, the album quickly became an underground classic and has maintained this status ever since.
It is thus a no-brainer that High Roller Records, who already released the group’s 2004 LP “Tales from the Black Book” on vinyl in 2012, have prepared the ultimate reissue of “Bloody Vengeance”, faithfully restored and remastered by Patrick W. Engel, who “brought all the audibility that should have been there back in 1986” according to Zhema.
“Bloody Vengeance” saw multiple re-releases throughout the years, which were subpar on all levels, particular with regards to the sound. Be prepared to finally experience it as it was meant to be in the first place!
Transfer, audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in May 2024.
Tracklist:
1. Dominios of Death
2. Spirits of Evil
3. Ready to Explode
4. Holocaust
5. Incubus
6. Death Metal
7. Voices from Hell
8. Bloody Vengeance
Line-up:
Angel - Vocals
Soto Jr. - Guitars
Flávio - Guitars
Zhema - Bass
Laudir - Drums
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 Anthropophagy (Reissue)
In 1987, only one year after their seminal debut album “Bloody Vengeance”, Brazilian extreme metal pioneers VULCANO returned with “Anthropophagy”, an overall more mature yet equally rabid LP that benefited from the group’s increasing live activities. And just like the first record, High Roller Records have given it the deluxe reissue treatment.
Unlike earlier re-releases of “Anthropophagy”, this one boasts an expert restoration and remastering by veteran studio wizard Patrick W. Engel. “The first thing that came to mind when I listened to Patrick’s work was: Wow!”, band leader Zhema gushes. “Why couldn't we do that back in the 80s? It still sounds as raw as ever, not polished, but more on par with the classic European albums from that era. Now I can hear riffs that were blurred before. I started to like this album a lot more now!”
And there’s a lot to like about “Anthropophagy”, starting with the furious triple of ‘Red Death’, ‘Death Angel’s Armies’ and ‘Brainwash’ before changing pace, thus making for a more diverse effort without losing any of the qualities that made early South American metal great.
With its perfect blend of razor-sharp tightness and unpredictable riff-insanity, “Anthropophagy” is a treat worth experiencing (again), the more so in its ultimate 2024 incarnation. “Blood is their food / Black is their color / Night is their day / Debris their houses / And mosh their dance!”
Transfer, audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in July 2024.
Tracklist:
01. Red Death
02. Death Angel's Armies
03. Brainwash
04. F.T.W. (Fuck The War)
05. Fallen Angel
06. Anthropophagy
07. Anyone Can Kill
08. Stirring
09. Am I Crazy?
10. Megathrash
11. Upright
Line-up:
Angel - Vocals
Zhema - Guitars
Fernando Levine - Bass
Arthur - Drums
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 Ratrace (Reissue)
After “Anthropophagy” (1987) and “Who Are the True” (1988), VULCANO entered the 1990s heeding the signs of the times without compromising their initial brutality. As a result, the band’s fifth album “Ratrace” perfectly balances thrashing madness with a more contemporary, midtempo approach.
“I was really incredulous about how he managed to save that album,” band leader Zhema comments on Patrick W. Engel’s restored and remastered version on the original tapes. “The vocals, guitars and bass – everything is finally more defined!” And after frequent bad luck with both recording studios and labels, the Brazilian extreme metal forerunners found a capable partner in High Roller Records to reissue “Ratrace”.
The album, which saw a glorious return of guitarist Soto Jr. († 2001) from the line-up of the group’s seminal debut “Bloody Vengeance” (1986), would be their last release for 14 years but an impressive temporary farewell no less. With tracks like the two-minute barrage ‘Welcome to the Army’ or the similarly frantic ‘White Violence’ set against more chunky stuff such as ‘Just a Matter of Time’, “Ratrace” is a forgotten thrash gem to be (re-)discovered!
Remastered by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in June 2024.
Tracklist:
1. White Violence
2. Last Day
3. Blind Science
4. Welcome to the Army
5. Time to Change
6. Ratrace
7. The Lungs of the Earth
8. Just A Matter of Time
9. In the Mirror
Line-up:
Angel - Vocals
Zhema - Guitars
Soto Jr. - Guitars
Levine - Bass
Arthur - Drums
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