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Brazilian thrash metal is a musical movement that originated in the 1980s. Though not as large or well known as the North American or Europeanthrash metal movements, it bridged the gap of the mid-1980s and thedeath metal scene later in the decade and thefirst-wave of black metal. Brazilian thrash metal grew from a blend of thrash, progressive, and death metal influences from around the world, expressing resistance, opposition, and rage. Brazilian metal became a way to express frustrations of young individuals longing for change in the system in a country experiencing political and social hardships. The lack of resources led bands to self-release their music, rather than turning to a label. This style of thrash metal includes fast-paced rhythms and vocals that encapsulate the feelings of Brazil's people. Although some bands, likeSepultura andNervosa, have become mainstream, the scene remains anunderground icon.[1][2][3]
During the early 80s, bands from the United States, Germany and Canada, such asMetallica andSlayer (U.S.),Destruction andKreator (Germany), andVoivod andExciter (Canada) appeared. During this time, Brazil experienced a shift from dictatorship to democracy, while also facing economic instability.[4] At the same time, Brazil had a growing metal and rock scene and was influenced by the same music subgenres as their European and North American counterparts: New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) andhardcore punk.
Brazilian rock has its roots in the 1960s, developing from the movement calledJovem Guarda, which evolved intoprogressive rock andheavy metal. In 1982, the first Brazilian heavy metalLP was released by the bandStress, who is from the northern cityBelém. The European and North American heavy metal and hardcore scenes influenced a majority of Brazilian bands, The firstthrash metal (orspeed metal) album released officially in Brazil in 1984 was asplit album between two bands calledUltimatum, byDorsal Atlântica and Metalmorphose. The album came out around the same time asKill 'Em All byMetallica,War and Pain byVoivod, andSentence of Death byDestruction.
In the late 1980s, Sepultura achieved success outside of Brazil. The last thrash metal albums to represent the "old-school" style of thrash in Brazil wereMass Illusion byKorzus (1991),Arise by Sepultura (1991),Rotten Authorities byExecuter (1991), andThe Laws of Scourge bySarcófago (1991).[citation needed]
Entering the 90s, thrash was mixed withalternative metal,grunge,industrial music, and Brazilian traditional music.The combination of thrash and Brazilian traditional music is sometimes labelled astribal metal.Sepultura and Overdose are credited to be the first and most important acts that mixed thrash withtribal sounds. Bands that did not simply disappear from the scene had to adapt their sound to new genres that were appearing in order to succeed.[5]
Korzus brought theNew York hardcore influences to their sound with their album,KZS. A band fromBelo Horizonte named The Mist became an "industrial-thrash" band andDorsal Atlântica turned into ahardcore/crust variant.Ratos de Porão experimented with alternative metal before returning to a more punk-influenced sound.
During the 1990s, the most important bands to appear in the decade wereScars, Distraught and Zero Vision. However, their sound had a greater influence fromgroove metal ofMachine Head than thrash metal.
In the 2000s, Brazilian metal expanded into a plethora of subgenres, includingsymphonic,progressive, and death metal. Additionally, newer urban cities in Brazil, such asAracaju, sought inspiration from cities likeSão Paulo and Brasilia by adapting their own unique metal scene.[6] A lot of these bands used Afro-Brazilian culture and rhythms to turn their music into something that piqued global interest. Metal soon turned into a resistance movement against political and social injustice.
There are a lot of new thrash metal bands coexisting with the old ones who returned. Since the year 2000, new bands have been releasing albums onindependent record labels. Bands such asTorture Squad andNervosa have been frequently touring across South America and Europe. The bandsExecuter andHolocausto returned.Soulfly's VocalistMax Cavalera released an album that is combines "old-school" thrash with a blend of new and old styles.
Brazilianthrash metal originated in primarily the cities of Belo Horizonte, São Paulo andRio de Janeiro. The most prominent of the three scenes was in Belo Horizonte, where the bandSepultura originated.
In Belo Horizonte, the scene had some of the more extreme bands, who had sounds similar todeath metal. Bands such as Sepultura,Sarcófago and Mutilator continued further and were more extreme than the German thrash metal bands, as they were influenced by European extreme metal bands likeSodom andHellhammer and had a very raw and primitive production, which "added to the atmosphere" according to their fans. Others would claim they "sounded 'worse' than their European counterparts".[7] This was because the sound was not something Brazilian fans were used to at the time. The band Sarcófago wore an early form ofcorpse paint and their first albumI.N.R.I. "was huge amongNorwegian black metalers".[7] Sarcófago, as well as Sepultura, were also important for a chaotic, non-Norwegian black metal style calledwar metal, characterized as an aggressive and fast genre.[8][9] The first prominent band of the scene were Overdose, a traditional heavy metal act that became increasingly progressive and more aggressive over time.Jairo Guedz, the original guitarist of Sepultura, joined Overdose for a short period as a bass player. After disbanding, the lead guitarist of Overdose, Cláudio David, formed Elektra, and the drummer, André "Zé Baleia" Márcio, formed Eminence, in which Jairo joined as a bass player.
As Brazil's most populated city, São Paulo is the host of many music-related events. Here, the scene was closer tocrossover thrash, which is more commonly known asAmerican thrash. Bands such asRatos de Porão andLobotomia, played a style more akin to hardcore. The original thrash metal bands includedKorzus andMX. The bandKrisiun serves as a staple to death metal in São Paulo, resembling bands like Metallica and Death Angel. On the other side of the metal spectrum,Angra presents a more toned down, powerful, and emotional side to the genre.[10] In the 1980s,Metal SP was released, comprising music from many São Paulo metal bands and predating the Rock in Rio Festival by just a few months.[11] This compilation was so significant to the music scene that it encouraged American metal bands to take part in the festival. São Paulo is known for its unique variety of venues, in which metalheads come together to appreciate the blend of thrash, death, and punk metal. These include Manifesto Bar, Hangar 110, and The Carioca Club.
In Rio de Janeiro, metal does not have as big of a following. Genres like hip hop and funk have grown to be more popular in this city due to the socioeconomic complexities.[11] Metal bands from Rio soudned similar to European bands of the time. Important bands from this time period were Taurus, Metrallion, and Antitese. In the 1985, the firstRock in Rio festival occurred, which was a 10 day long rock and metal festival, which attracted almost 1.4 million people from around the world.[4][12] This event was a main contributor to the national spread of metal outside Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The festival has become such a big event, that it has expanded to other locations, such as Madrid, Las Vegas, and Lisbon. American singers and bands have also brought attention and fans to the festival. Today in Rio, Brazilian metal culture remains strong in the areas where they first flourished. The bandDorsal Atlântica has gained the respect of the city's people, proving to be a staple in the metal community.[4] This band releases music only in Portuguese, which separates it from other Brazilian metal bands that either sing in only English or a hybrid of English and Portuguese.[11] Sepultura's albumBeneath the Remains was recognized as one of the best metal albums of 1989, which brought more attention to the growing metal scene in Rio.[11]
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Brazil has a history of colonization and slavery, which resulted in deeply-racialized modern social inequality, which has led to a sentiment to ignore racial and class structures in the Brazilian music scene.[13] Additionally, metal in Brazil faces backlash because of its loudness and violent lyrics that come off as anti-religious and anti-government.[4] Critics argue that these factors challenge Brazil's traditionally conservative social norms, which are influenced by religious and political ideologies. Despite this, Brazilian metal serves as a platform for expressing resistance and emotion, confronting the country's historical trauma.[14]
Sepultura is a prime example of a metal band that initially had a more Western sound, but progressed to an anti-racist and traditionally Brazilian style of metal. They began incorporating Afro-Brazilian musical elements that resonated with their fans,[13] such as tribal chants and drumming. Their goal was to challenge cultural hegemony within the region through strong sound and emotion. The bandBlack Pantera also addresses social and racial injustices in their music.[15] The band's name is a tribute to theBlack Panther Party, which was a civil rights group in the United States that's mission was to combat racism in the Americas.
The global reach of metal bands in Brazil demonstrates the power that music has on international borders, resonating with audiences facing similar struggles worldwide.
