ALBUM REVIEW: Holocausto – Diário de Guerra

Here I review the brand new album from Brazilian Blackened Thrash Metallers HOLOCAUSTO which is set to be unleashed via Nuclear War Now Productions on July 31st. It is definitely the time for total mayhem and blasphemy!

1. Intro sets off with disturbing samples, an intimidating and harsh presence is immediately present to ward off anybody who may be listening to this album by mistake. It must be clear to all listeners that true extremity and warfare lies ahead. An effective introduction, beware, total ferocity is coming.
2. Holocausto fires in with blistering 80s guitar riffs, a harsh snarl, thunderous bass and fiercely blasted drum beats. Together the full band create a maniacal, chaotic and primitive sound with raw production and an unrelenting approach to the Black/Thrash/Death Metal ripping journey that lies ahead. With plenty of bite, shredding instrumentals and morbid vocals, the opening track for the full band certainly decimates a pathway of occult and macabre soundscapes for only the most hardcore Heavy Metal fans. Excellent.
3. Refugiados / Solução Final follows up with more face-melting guitar riffs that thrash away in a frenzied rage alongside the meaty, pounding drum assaults. A perfect backing to the vitriolic and horrendously demonic vocals that accompany the instrumental morbidity to make for a violently menacing and damn awesome, high-octane barrage of total extremity with no holds barred. Unnervingly intense, old school headbanging fuel with some awesome build ups to add tension to the maniacal onslaught and great sample use. Brilliant.
4. Zona de Conflito (Faixa de Gaza) regroups in audacious grooves with chaotically crashing cymbal hits, tearing guitar hooks and snarled, hellish vocals that altogether make for an unchanging, searing, scourge of total extremity. Whiplash grooves take the main rhythm of the song into mosh pit chaos inducing, thrashing anarchy. A drum solo hammers us forth into oblivion, which felt so 80s, glorious! The ending was so passionately furious too! Another fantastic track.
5. Guerra Total Apocalipse soars in with grisly guitar gruesomeness and roaring bass over snapping drums before the vocals force the song to descend into depraved chaos and utter warfare. The catch pace and hooks of the song are really fun with plentiful menacing sections of unrelenting onslaughts thrown in for good measure among the punchy grooves. An epic and unwavering strength is present in this nicely varied and face-melting piece of barbaric savagery. Great stuff.
6. Símbolos da Discórdia has some amazing snare pummelling that drives in the Speed Metal guitar extravaganza gorgeously for the vocals to coat in their occultist darkness that feels so genuinely evil with such a powerfully brutal band clearly doing what they do best in their unique brand of chaos-summoning Black-Thrash mania. The song is nicely paced, broken down subtly and rebuilt for the hammering onslaught to resume its unrelenting barrage of total blasphemy. Wondrously hideous, Black Metal brilliance.
7. Intro breaks the album up as the halfway point with more unhinging samples, indistinguishable in nature but with a clear intent to add some misery-inducing vibes to the blistering album. I think these intervals in such chaotic releases are important and do the band a favour with helping the intensity grow for sure.
8. Diário de Guerra rips in with buzzing guitar tremolo picking that forcefully hammers into full paced assaults with the blast beats and snarls that soon ensue. This is certainly not for the weak of heart (or ear), giving a torturously brutal, unnerving and tense attack with some nice doomy sections that add diversity and texture to the album beautifully (in the vein of Goatlord) that is so effective and atmospheric but in a crushing way that allows the blistering starter riffs to hook around once more. The mid-tempo work was so damn groovy too. Astoundingly epic.
9. Prisioneiro churns out some really warm yet aggressive riffing over more energy-packed drum attacks and ripping vocals that once more gives the impenetrably destructive, old school experience of bands like Morbosidad and Profanatica so beautifully. The epically violent attack of this piece must not be taken lightly for the crushing grooves will certainly pull you in, chew you up and spit you out. A crashing piece of anarchistic mayhem. Totally awesome.
10. Ocupação Hostil sets in with punchy drum attacks before classic Heavy Metal guitar grooves draw us into furthered old school territories with a nice crawling pace that builds to somewhat melancholic yet rather upbeat instrumentals and vocal howls. A nice break in the chaotic assaults that lets you get a breather and enjoy some classic sounds before any final pummelling from the band. This track has some really interesting and unique contrasts in sound that made for a really enjoyable listen.
11. Pelotão da Morte kicks in with some nice drum fills before nicely following in the steps laid out by the riffs of the previous songs, keeping a bit more of a reserved sound as the ending draws in. Before long this is torn into by ravaging, rabid blasphemous warfare wherein the whole band give their remaining energy into performing once last barbaric number of speedy assaulting chaos, total extremity and punishing grooves. It was damn cool how they got in some final barrages of nastiness into the album with some impressively catchy grooves too. Utterly filthy and intimidating too (especially towards the end), fabulously done!
12. Outro gives us one last round of dystopian sampling that draws out the album with as much discomfort as it began with, gunshots and chaos, the signature sample choice of the maniacs serves its final calling well. A nice way to close the album and complete the package in a well-rounded manner.

This album is so old school. The mixture of Black, Thrash, Speed and Death Metal with even a slightly doomy appearance had such a nice 80s feel to it that complemented the bestial assaults of HOLOCAUSTO perfectly in their brand new opus of storming, unrelenting extremity. Fans of Sarcofago, Whipstriker, Goatlord, Black Witchery and Morbosidad etc need to check out this classic sounding record! Holocausto are back on top form. -8/10