Panic: Rotten Church (1987)

When I was first listening to this band, the thought occurred to me that this band sounded a lot like groups that were straddling the line between thrash metal and the fledgling death metal sound.  In particular I thought they sounded a lot like a combination between Possessed and Morbid Visions-era Sepultura.  I kind of liked their retro sound.  Then, upon exploring more information about the album, I determined that it actually came out in 1987 and this band would have been active at the same time as that shift in sound.  Well, there you go.

This is a short, sharp album that unfortunately went under the radar when it was released and is getting a reissue now when it might be better received.  The songs are mostly fast-paced, with a ton of riffs.  The thing I like most is the impressively meaty production.  Unlike other South American albums from the time period (looking at you Cogumelo Records), there is a lot of bottom end here and it is otherwise crisp and clear.  And the best thing about this is how well the bass can be heard, because it is doing some damn interesting things, particularly on "Empire of Violence".

I like this album even more now that I know it was released in 1987.  It means that the band was living the kind of metal they were playing rather than trying to capture a moment in time.  The album fits in well with some of the other, more well-known extreme metal albums from South America of the time period.  It is a shame Panic is not better-known.