Sarcófago: Rotting (1989)

Hmm, I am not really sure why I have not talked much about Sarcófago on this blog.  I have mentioned albums in passing, even had a couple of posts where I talked about their legendary debut I.N.R.I., but I have never actually reviewed one of their albums before.  This seems like an oversight.

Well, today I will be covering the 1989 EP that was at once the follow-up to I.N.R.I. and a turning point for the band.  The band is partly famous for being the group Wagner Antichrist (probably not his real name) created after leaving Sepultura.  He was Sepultura's first singer, though he never appeared on any recordings. 

This album marks a step forward musically by the band.  Where I.N.R.I. was characterized by its raw and primal aggression and fairly simple songwriting, Rotting is a push by the band to expand their musical boundaries.  It is still filthy and grimy blackened thrash metal, but there are more progressive song structures and blazing lead guitar lines with some melody and solos this time around.  Almost every song on this release is over six minutes in length progressing through a number of movements to keep things from getting stale.  None of the songs on the prior release reached that length.  The vocals have not changed, still maintaining that psychotic rasp that they had on the prior release.

Sarcófago has taken a step forward musically on this album, while retaining some of the twisted aggression that marked their debut album.  This EP is still essential to fully grasping the Brazilian extreme metal scene, but less so than the debut.