UMUR
"Limits of Insanity" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Brazilian thrash metal act Attomica. The album was released through Cogumelo Records in April 1989. There´s been one lineup change since the 1987 self-titled debut album as bassist André Rod has taken over the lead vocals in addition to playing bass and Laerte "Animal" Perr who sang on the debut album is out of the band.
The change on the lead vocalist spot has a major impact on the band´s sound. While the debut album was a slightly blackened and very raw and old school sounding thrash metal release, the music on "Limits of Insanity" is slightly more technical and features a little bit of a power metal influence because of André Rod´s singing style. He has a very high pitched vocal style, but even though he is more a singer than a barking raw staccato delivering thrash metal vocalist, his vocal lines are strangely lacking melody and they are ultimately rather monotone. His voice is of the kind that pierce my skull and makes my ears bleed, and it´s actually a bit of a trial listening to him sing for the duration of "Limits of Insanity". He is definitely in the catagory of singers that are an aquired taste.
The instrumental part of the music doesn´t help him shine either. It´s pretty standard thrash metal played by average musicians, packed in a thin and pretty poor sounding production. Although the debut album wasn´t without flaws, it had that raw old school charm to it, that can save most standard thrash metal releases from becoming completely redundant, but "Limits of Insanity" doesn´t possess that charm and ultimately comes off as a very mediocre thrash metal release with monotone high pitched vocals. If you can endure the vocals, the album might appeal a bit more to you than it does to me, but as it is now I can´t rate it higher than a 2.5 star (50%) rating.