Metal Music Reviews from Tupan

MASTODON Hushed And Grim

Album · 2021 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 3.61 | 25 ratings
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Tupan
I have a problem with overlong albums. It’s rare for a band to come with more than 50 minutes of good music in each release. In the vinyl era, the artists were forced to choose the best material to fill an album, and the “fat” would be used as B-sides or never be recorded at all. When CD arrived, many bands tried to put many songs as possible in their albums, and frankly, that was a unnecessary move by most…

Anyways, here we are, with Hushed and Grim, the most recent release from the prog/sludge band Mastodon. A double album with some great tracks (Pain and Anchor, More Than I Could Chew, Gobblers of Dregs, Gigantium) and many not so great songs that I don’t even remember the name. This is a more mid-tempoed album, with some furious and fast moments scattered through the songs. I would like to hear more faster tracks, to add a bit more of variation. And surely this album would benefit from some editing – pick the best music and put the rest in an EP or in the aforementioned B-sides.

Mastodon never made a bad album, but their last great release (and masterpiece) was Crack The Skye. I still recommend this one, but it’s a tiring listening.

RATOS DE PORÃO Necropolítica

Album · 2022 · Crossover Thrash
Cover art 4.50 | 2 ratings
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Tupan
Few metal styles captures the zeitgeist like the "punkish" ones. It's way more common to hear thrash metal, crossover and grindcore talking about about social and political issues than, let's say, power metal or death metal; a punk rock legacy that survives not only the music but in the lyrics too.

This is the case in the most recent album of Ratos de Porão. The legendary brazilian band blends the aforementioned genres to protest against the chaos created by the neo-fascism inspired government of Jair Bolsonaro. Every song deals about an aspect of Bolsonaro's administration: the scientific negationism, the corruption, the economic crisis, the environment destruction (which increased abnormally during these last four years) and the monstrous health crisis, that made the pandemic kill way more people than expected in such scenario under any other president.

So, as expected, this is a furious album, even more violent than the most recent releases of the Ratos. And it's glorious, recommendded to any grind/thrash fan out there. I only lament that the lyrical content feels so close to home for me... Anyways, I hope anyone has fun with this short but fierce release!

LIMP BIZKIT Still Sucks

Album · 2021 · Nu Metal
Cover art 3.22 | 5 ratings
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Tupan
Ok, I never was a fan of Limp Bizkit. Always thought about them as the worst that nu metal can offer – and I simply plain hated nu metal for a long time, haha. I don’t hate the genre anymore, there are some good things there. Although I am convinced that the “nu metallers” never fullfiled their potential. There were never a band from this genre I can say “Wow, they make amazing music!”.

And after listening to Still Sucks, the most recent release of LB… Well, I don’t changed my mind about the genre, haha! I haven’t found that GREAT nu metal album yet. But I do changed my mind a bit about this band. Still Sucks is a decent album, actually. It’s varied – there’s even a good ballad, Don’t Change, and a pleasant poppy tune, Goodbye – and don’t overstay its welcome. In fact, this is probably their shortest release ever, barely passing the half hour mark.

I must praise the work of Wes Borland, he creates some good riffs and nice acoustic passages, I would even like to hear some solos… The electronics are well used, the rapping doesn’t annoys me that much. Unfortunatelly, there’s not a great track here. Surprisingly, the best thing their ever made, the track Endless Slaughter, isn’t here.

Anyways, I can revisit this album in the future, but it’s not an essential release. 3 stars.

METALLICA Kill 'em All

Album · 1983 · Thrash Metal
Cover art 3.80 | 200 ratings
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Tupan
The first Metallica album, like most debuts, has the energy and excitement generally found in young musicians. The sound is rougher and cruder than any of their late albums, the songs have an urgency that would be more polished later. We are talking about thrash metal, so these aren’t bad characteristics in this context.

And like most the debuts, their early influences are more obvious here. Kill E’m All is basically a mix of Motorhead, Diamond Head, Budgie, Misfits, even some Iron Maiden… Again, nothing wrong, they manage to package all these influences with a Metallica flavour after all. Songs like Seek and Destroy and Whiplash would become immortal thrash classics, and other less known tracks, like Hit the Lights and Metal Milita are pretty great too! There’s even some experimentalism, with the instrumental (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth.

And I have a personal story with this album. When I was a kid, I remember seeing a brazilian TV show named Fúria MTV. It was, for a long time, one of my only sources for metal these days, since the radio was crap (still is…) and only few friends shared my musical tastes. Anyways, the opening theme of this show was Metal Militia, the closing track of this album! And only years later I would know it, because in that pre-internet era all we could listen were the songs from the Black Album onwards, which played ad nauseam in the media at the time. So, Kill ‘Em All has a place in my metal heart since I’ve listened to it first time. Recommended!

MANOWAR Sign of the Hammer

Album · 1984 · US Power Metal
Cover art 4.30 | 42 ratings
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Tupan
I never was a fan of Manowar. In fact, I despised them when I was younger, thought they were overrated. The only album I listened was their debut, which failed to impress me: some good songs, but most average hard'n'heavy rock.

I never cared to listen their other albums, until now...

...let's say I changed my mind a bit!

For example, this Sign of The Hammer, is actually a good album! Excellent songwriting, powerful tracks, and the band seems actually excited to play! This albums irradiates that raw energy who every headbanger loves to hear from an eighties album. Even the cheesiness of some lyrics is an inseparable part of that "thing" that makes this release one of the best from Manowar. There's no filler here, but tracks like Thor (The Powerhead), Mountains and the instrumental Thunderpick are my personal highlights. Check it out!

ENTOMBED Morning Star

Album · 2001 · Death 'n' Roll
Cover art 4.34 | 22 ratings
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Tupan
Riffs, riffs everywhere!

One of the creators of the death'n'roll subgenre (the kind of music I need to listen more), Entombed shows in this Morning Star why they were the masters of their game. In this album one can listen an almost perfect blend of death, thrash and stoner/doom metal, with exciting riffs, great production and the awesome vocals of the late Lars Göran Petrov. I just can imagine now how these songs would sound alive - and I am not talking about seeing mere live videos!

I don't know what the long term fans thinks about Morning Star, but for me it's a class A album with no fillers. It helps the facts it's short, the listener will always return to this release wanting more. I can't recommend enough!

IRON MAIDEN Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

Album · 1988 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 4.42 | 218 ratings
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Tupan
I think this is their best album. Iron Maiden always flirted with prog rock, and Seventh Son... is the best example of how to make a prog metal album with mass appeal without being over indulgent or losing its edge. There are short and anthemic songs (Can I Play With Madness, The Evil That Men Do, The Clairvoyant), and most complex but catchy tracks (Infinite Dreams, the eponymous epic song).

After this album, they changed the direction and tried to make something more simple, a nod to the two first albums (I believe), but the music sounded a bit forced and the results weren't that great. Seventh Son is still the pinnacle of Maiden music in the 80's, and possibly their best album ever. Check it out!

SURRA Virou Brasil

EP · 2019 · Crossover Thrash
Cover art 4.00 | 1 rating
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Tupan
Yep, another EP from the brazilian hardcore/crossover thrash band Surra. Despite its short length (not even four minutes), this release shows a much varied sound: the first track is a genuine samba (no bullshit!) with anti-fascist lyrics. The second song is a straightforward hardcore. The very short "Não Entendi" is pure grindcore, no more no less. And, finally, "Caso Isolado" is a fast crossover track.

"Virou Brasil" is another strong EP from these guys, with a hilarious cover art, and works as an appetizer for their next full length, named "Escorrendo Pelo Ralo" (which already have a single). Go on, check it out!

RORCAL La Femme Sans Tête

EP · 2015 · Drone Metal
Cover art 4.00 | 1 rating
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Tupan
My first drone album - and it was a pleasant experience!

Rorcal is a doom/drone/experimental band from Switzerland, specialized in huge tracks mixing atmospheric passages and crushing riffs. La Femme sans Tête is an EP (despite its half-hour lenght) containing one song divided in three movements.

The first track is calm and minimalist, with sparse sounds of electronics and some drumming. The second one brings noise and that marvellous crushing riffs. It's more varied than one can imagine, I even banged my head at some point! The third track follows this trend and end the album in a high note.

Good album, indeed. Recommended for fans of drone doom and experimental sounds.

SURRA Somos Todos Culpados

EP · 2015 · Crossover Thrash
Cover art 4.00 | 1 rating
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Tupan
"Somos Todos Culpados" (We Are All Guilty) is an EP from the brazilian hardcore band Surra.

Their sound is basically a blend of hardcore, crossover thrash and grindcore/powerviolence - the latter influences are more noticeable in the songs "Xerifão" (Big Sheriff) and Fim de Festa (End Of Party). It's also pretty evident the influence from other brazilian bands, like RATOS DE PORÃO and DFC.

It's a short release with only four songs, working more like an appetizer to the rest of their catalog. Bottom line, the music is pretty good and catchy, sometimes great, and, despite the language (all their releases are sung in portuguese), it's recommended to everyone who likes some violent hardcore with thrash influences.

SLEEP The Clarity

Single · 2014 · Stoner Metal
Cover art 3.92 | 2 ratings
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Tupan
Against all the probabilities, Sleep returned after a hiatus of 16 years, releasing a new song through the 2014 Adult Swim Singles – remembering that is free for download. Many acts return years after disbanding, and we all know that most of these returns weren't worth the wait...

But rejoice, fans of Sleep, you all can get high again! The line-up is not the same, since the original drummer left the band. Some people felt this loss, but I couldn't see the difference, really! The musicianship shown in this song, named The Clarity, is excellent. Many nods to Black Sabbath and the 70's hard rock/proto-doom bands, with a generous dose of psychedelia in the last half.

This song is recommendded for the stoner/doom metal fans. Check it out!

CLAUSTROFOBIA Peste

Album · 2012 · Thrash Metal
Cover art 4.08 | 2 ratings
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Tupan
Peste, the most recent album of Claustrofobia bring some surprises: the first is the track Nota 6.66. This is an instrumental 7 minute song, where Claustrofobia mix thrash metal with the brazilian percussion traditionally used on samba music! They were helped by the guys from Batuque de Corda, a group of percussion. The results are great, this track is all that Sepultura ever tried to do since Roots! There's even a cuíca solo! Don't expect any prog or avant-garde here, it's fast and violent thrash perfectly blended with samba.

Another surprise are the lyrics, all sung in portuguese. This is a welcomed to me, but don't worry if you are from a non-lusofone country: the songs in this album have enough brutality to delight all the thrashers around the world.

The drumming of Caio D'Angelo has improved greatly since their debut. The addition of a second guitar is also welcomed, bringing some subtleties to their sound. Sure, it's needed some listens to note these subtleties below the virulence of the sound!

The lyrics deal with personal and social struggles, a common theme in thrash metal. Peste is probably the best album of Claustrofobia. Check it out!

TORTURE DIVISION Satan, Sprit och Våld

Demo · 2012 · Death Metal
Cover art 3.77 | 3 ratings
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Tupan
Music – like almost everything in the world – can be selled. And generated a business tha moves million of dollars. But, some musicians remember us that music is an work of art, and therefore can be made only for passion and pleasure, without commercial motivation.

Let's see the case of Lord K. Philipson. He has a commercial band - Project Hate MCMXCIX -, whose albums are released by a big metal label. He is malso the leader of Torture Division, an excellent band of death metal. All the releases of TD are free for download, and the quality of their music are so good that most of the people must think they (the guys of TD) are crazy for do this without expecting to receive (much) money. But they do, and we must praise them for this!

But... and the music of Torture Division? It's brutal death metal, pure and simply! Their songs are varied, with crushing riffs – a very nice work with the bass and guitars. The drumming is relentless, but don't focusing in blasting beats all the time – showing that the drummer is a skilled guy. But don't worry, there's enough blasting beats to desatroy all the bones of your middle ear! The vocals are unidimensional (growls, growls, growls), but hey, it's death metal! In this release, the lyrics are sung in swedish, and it's a bonus to me! It's always good to listen metal bands singing in their native language!

So, in a nutshell: this demo (EP?) is killer, and the death metal fans will like! Remember, it's free (with a donation option)!

TORTURE SQUAD Hellbound

Album · 2008 · Thrash Metal
Cover art 4.00 | 1 rating
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Tupan
In an interview to a brazilian magazine, the members of Torture Squad said that Hellbound is "our '...And Justice For All'".

I can not disagree. This album shows a high level of maturity, both in the musicianship and in the lyrical content. The songs are longer than the normal (for Torture Squad's standards) with more intricate arrangements, and less emphasis on chorus.

There's also the inclusion of more keyboards and acoustic passages than on their previous releases, and we even can hear a sitar on the last song, the epic Hellbound. The sitar is played by Fabio Golfetti, musician from the brazilian progressive band Violeta de Outono.

But the brutality still reigns in the Torture Squad sound. This albums is really a killer release, and a must-have for the fans of crushing thrash metal. Recommended!

AUCKENROSE Physis

EP · 2011 · Deathcore
Cover art 3.45 | 9 ratings
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Tupan
Auckenrose is a new band, playing what we could call progressive metalcore, with “djent” riffs, many tempo changes and odd times signatures. But is not brutality all the time, there's some melodic passages too, and some avant-garde leanings, mainly in the long song Cognitive Dissonance. Unfortunately, the production is not very good, being noisy sometimes. Although, the listening experience is not totally ruined. The vocalist tries to varies his techniques, from clean to death metal growls, and the instrumentalists are skilled. They only need a better production to record a full length. This EP is free for download at http://auckenrose.bandcamp.com. There's no excuse to not listen!

MESHUGGAH I

EP · 2004 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 4.45 | 49 ratings
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Tupan
This is my first review. So, the english here can be... well, poor... Complex. Brutal. Technical. And sometimes atmospheric. Meshuggah is one of the most creative and original bands of the metal genre, expanding the boundaries of their sound to something that is inimitable (well, ALMOST inimitable, just listen to Coprofago...). This huge twenty-minutes song sounds like the lost soundtrack for a cult horror movie - like the japanese Tetsuo - The Iron Man. Must be an interesting experiment, to listen this movie with "I" as soundtrack... I will not give 5, because the vocals could be less repetitive (and even melodic). Recommended for all the Tech/Death/Thrash progressive fans.

METALLICA St. Anger

Album · 2003 · Alternative Metal
Cover art 1.82 | 144 ratings
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Tupan
Oh my f***** god.... this is one of worst albuns I have ever heard in my life. Surely, this is the worst metal album I ever heard. The production is amateurish, the drums seems to have a metallic industrial sound. There is no guitar solos, the vocals remind me some rap-style vocals utilized in nu metal. In fact, all in this album smells like nu metal, in a bad way, ever. There are some hints of good music, in the tracks The Unnamed Feeling and Dirty Window, but in general ST. Anger was a failure atempt to please both metal and alt metal fans. Avoid this like the plage.

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