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| Origin | Belo Horizonte, Brazil |
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Sarcófago was a Brazilianextreme metal band formed in 1985. They were fronted bySepultura's original singer,Wagner Lamounier, and Geraldo Minelli.
The cover art of the band's debut album,I.N.R.I., is regarded as a great influence onblack metal'scorpse paint imagery.[2] That record is also considered one of the "first wave" albums that helped shape the genre.
The band broke up in 2000, after releasing theCrustEP. Former members, minus Wagner, played throughout Brazil in 2006 under the moniker Tributo ao Sarcófago (Tribute to Sarcófago). In 2009, rumors surfaced that the originalI.N.R.I. line-up were reuniting for a small, high-profile tour, but proved to be false.[3] A reissue of their back catalogue is in the works, a joint effort between Cogumelo Records and American label Greyhaze.[4]
Sarcófago (Portuguese for 'sarcophagus'[5]) was formed in 1985 inBelo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.[5] Equally indebted to Finnishhardcore punk and early extreme metal groups such asBathory,Celtic Frost, andSlayer,[6] Sarcófago's goal was to create the most aggressive music ever.[7] Wagner Lamounier, who parted acrimoniously fromSepultura in March 1985,[8] was invited to join the band.[9] Although Sepultura never recorded anything with Lamounier, he contributed the lyrics to the song "Antichrist" on theirBestial Devastation EP.[10] Sarcófago's vinyl debut was on theCogumelo Produçõessplit albumWarfare Noise I, originally released in 1986. Sarcófago contributed the three tracks "Recrucify", "The Black Vomit" and "Satanas". Their music and lyrics were considered shocking at the time, something which brought them a considerable amount of attention.[11] The band's line-up at that point consisted of "Butcher" (guitars), "Antichrist" (Lamounier; vocals), "Incubus" (Geraldo Minelli; bass) and "Leprous" (Armando Sampaio; drums).[12]
With new drummer "D.D. Crazy"[13] —hailed as a pioneer in the metal world for his extensive use ofblast beats on this album[14]— Sarcófago releasedI.N.R.I in July 1987.[5] The band's attire on the album's cover —corpsepaint, leather jackets, and bullet belts— is considered the first definite statement of black metal's visual presentation and style.[15] The music has been equally influential, a milestone in the development of the genre.[16] Despite the record's now-legendary status, Lamounier was unsatisfied with the end results, voicing complaints over the quality of the recording sessions and the band being plagued by inner strife.[6] After the release ofI.N.R.I., Sarcófago briefly disbanded. Lamounier moved toUberlândia to study economics at theFederal University of Uberlândia (UFU), while Butcher and his brother D.D. Crazy left the group.[7] The latter would play drums onSextrash's debut, 1990'sSexual Carnage.[9]
WhenRotting first came out it stirred a huge amount of controversy due to its cover art — a traditionalgrim reaper figure licking what appears to beJesus Christ's face.[17] It was based upon a medieval painting. Thecover artist himself, Kelson Frost, refused to paint acrown of thorns over the man's head, which would readily identify him as the Christian messiah.[18]
Rotting musically differs from the raw, hyper-speed black metal ofI.N.R.I. Session drummer "Joker" brought a different set of influences to the band (such ascrossover thrash); Wagner also quickly learned to play guitar, and contributed many of the album's guitarriffs.[18]Rotting also marked their first change of aliases: the group's core duo renamed themselves "Wagner Antichrist" and "Gerald Incubus". Their visual department went through changes as well — they dropped the arm and leg spikes because they made playing live difficult.[19]
Rotting was Sarcófago's first release to have international distribution, handled in Europe by British labelMusic for Nations,[19] and by Maze/Kraze in America.[20] Maze Records released a censored version ofRotting, blacking out the original cover and adding a sticker which read "Featuring the Original Lead Singer of Sepultura" without consulting the band. Infuriated by the label's actions, Sarcófago sued them.[7]
Next cameThe Laws of Scourge (1991), considered a "revolution" in the band's career.[11] A combination of better musicianship,[21] improved production values,[11] and more sophisticated songwriting[21] landed them intotechnical death metal territory.[9] Sarcófago's new direction in music was partly influenced by new members Fábio "Jhasko" (guitar) and Lúcio Olliver (drums),[22] and inspired by a newer crop of extreme metal bands such asGodflesh,Paradise Lost,Bolt Thrower,Deicide, andMorbid Angel.[23]
The Laws of Scourge became Sarcófago's best selling record, and responsible for their most extensive touring schedule to this date.[22] Their tour trek also included their first international dates: they visitedSouth American countries such asPeru andChile, and in Europe they played shows inPortugal and Spain.[7] In Brazil, their most important gig was to open for Texascrossover thrash pioneers theDirty Rotten Imbeciles in São Paulo.[18]
Musically speaking,Hate is notable for its stripped-down, straightforward approach and the use of adrum machine,[22] the latter sparking some controversy.[24] Lamounier claimed to have no qualms about using this device, on the basis that most death metal drummers usetrigger pads for recording purposes, which in the end produces the same homogenized sound as that of a drum machine.[22]
The band cut their hair short, in protest of the masculinelong hair style becoming popular due to the massive success ofgrunge in the early 1990s.[7] Men sporting long hair has traditionally been associated withcounterculture groups,[25] and it is especially present in themetalhead subculture.[26] Wagner declared:
Everydouchebag around is wearing long hair,Nirvana andPearl Jam T-shirts, etc. We have nothing against these bands, but we have againstjumping the bandwagon. It's not right when it becomes atrend, because massification dumbs people down.[27]
In late 1995, Sarcófago released theDecade of Decay compilation which, amongst other things, featureddemo versions of their early songs and rarebackstage photographs. The band described the CD as a "gift" to their fans.[28]
Sarcófago's fourth and final album,The Worst (1996), sees the band slowing down in relation to the speed-orientedHate, and having a better grasp ofdrum programming. Minelli and Lamounier saw this record as a "summation" of their career.[24]
With the turn of the millennium came theCrust EP, Sarcófago's swansong release. It was meant to be a preview of an upcoming album, but the band's core duo parted ways before commencing its recording.[9]
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of theWarfare Noise split album, Cogumelo Records and Gerald Incubus organized a comeback show with Sarcófago in Belo Horizonte.[18] Along with Minelli, the line-up for that event was Fábio Jhasko on guitars, Manu Joker and old-time friend Juarez "Tibanha" on vocals.[29] That performance was recorded and there are plans to release it in DVD format. Lamounier opted not to join this "Sarcófago Tribute" band for the lack in desire to play professionally.[18] However, Wagner still pursues his musical interests — he plays in thecrust punk band Commando Kaos.[14]
In October 2007,[29] Sarcófago flew toSantiago, Chile to play in the Black Shadows Festival,[14] alongside death metal pioneersPossessed.[29]
In March 2009, Wagner supposedly announced that Sarcófago would reunite, and their tour itinerary would include appearances at theWacken Open Air andHole in the Sky festivals, as well as dates in London, New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo. He stated it would be the originalI.N.R.I. line-up, but that this would be the only tour they would be doing and there would be no new material.[30] A couple of days later, Lamounier himself wrote to the music press exposing this news report as a hoax.[3]
Sarcófago were an extreme metal band, and performed what is now consideredthrash metal,death metal andblack metal. Inspired byVenom andHellhammer, Sarcófago's early lyrics were openlySatanic.[23] These lyrics frequently employed curse words and crude, obscene scenarios, such as in the case of "Desecration of (the) Virgin", a blasphemous take onMother Mary'svirgin birth.[31] The band's lyrics included a mixture ofPortuguese andEnglish. One of their English lyrics: "If you are a false don't entry", has been described as the catchphrase of cult black metal.[32]
Whilst still polemical, by 1989'sRotting the band's stance on Christianity was moreagnostic than Satanic. The original vinyl release came with a lengthy manifesto written by Lamounier, in which he criticized thealienating effect that Catholicism had on Brazilian society.[6] The band also questioned thedivine nature of Christ, declaring he was just a regular man who died for his ideas.[7] On a less serious note the album featured "Sex, Drinks and Metal", a hedonistic ode to theheadbanger lifestyle.[33]
Their next album,The Laws of Scourge, continued their new-found focus on more "reality-based" themes,[23] with lyrics generally covering suchdeath-related topics assuicide andhomicide.[7] The band had trouble again with American censors, with the lyrics of the re-recorded version of "The Black Vomit" being forcibly omitted from the CD booklet as well as the entire "Prelude to Suicide" track.[7]
Sacrófago is commonly cited as influence on the emergingblack metal genre, particularly among the Scandinavian portion of the so-called "second wave" of the genre. "It is sobering", claimedTerrorizer magazine, "to think of what wouldn't have happened had 'I.N.R.I.' not been released".[16] Eduardio Rivadavia ofAllMusic conferred the title of "the most extreme and inaccessible members of the first wave of Brazil's early death metal champions" on Sarcófago. He also noted elements ofpunk rock present in the band's sound, which according to him, was "at odds" withinextreme metal at the time. He was quoted saying: "Though thecountry's metal scene was understandably small and close-knit at the time, from the very start Sarcófago were committed to doing things differently. [...] Even though this radical approach ultimately didn't spell a recipe for widespread success, it certainly made Sarcófago impossible to ignore."[34]
Fenriz, drummer ofDarkthrone, included a Sarcófago track ("Satanic Lust") in hisThe Best of Old-School Black Metal compilation, released byPeaceville Records.[35] Of Sarcófago'sI.N.R.I., he said it was an "album" that "you buy or die".[36]Euronymous, the deceased guitarist ofMayhem and erstwhile leader of the so-called "Inner Circle", traded correspondence with Lamounier in the early days ofNorway's scene.[28] In theLords of Chaos book, Metalion (Slayer fanzine, ex-Head Not Found) stated that Euronymous was "obsessed with them because wore lots of spikes and corpsepaint. He said he wanted every band to be like this […]."[37]Satyricon covered Sarcófago's "I.N.R.I." on theirIntermezzo IIEP,[38] also featured on theTribute to Sarcófago album, released by Cogumelo Records in 2001.[39] KeyGorgoroth membersInfernus andKing were also influenced by Sarcófago.[40]
Notable black metal groups from neighbouring Finland were also affected by Sarcófago's early output.Beherit founder Nuclear Holocausto said Sarcófago was one of "the greatest influences" for the band;[41]Mika Luttinen fromImpaled Nazarene said that "nothing topsSlayer'sReign in Blood or Sarcofago'sI.N.R.I., you know".[42] Their version of "The Black Vomit" was included inTribute to Sarcófago.[43]
Lamounier, however, has been critical of several of the bands influenced by Sarcófago, especially bands from the Norwegian black metal scene, wondering how one of the wealthiest countries in the world could have produced such a scene. Although he likedImmortal, Wagner dubbed Euronymous a "nutcase" and consideredBurzum "shit".[28] He also criticized black metal's purposelylo-fi recording aesthetic;[44] Lamounier said that Burzum's guitartimbre "sounded like it was recorded through atransistor radio".[28]
They are also considered highly influential on the development ofwar metal.[45]
An oft-cited aspect of Sarcófago's history is their long-lasting feud with Sepultura.[9][5][46][14][8][18][47] Although former Sepultura drummerIgor Cavalera eventually dismissed the entire affair as "child's play",[48] the music press fuelled their bitter rivalry for many years. Their conflict partially contributed to Sarcofágo's fame as the perennial "black sheep" of Brazilianheavy metal.[47]
Tensions started after Lamounier parted ways with Sepultura, which led to a temporarily awkward situation. In Minelli's assessment, "everybody had forgotten it" until two years later, when D.D. Crazy smashed a bottle overAndreas Kisser's head,[47] who had been recently recruited as Sepultura's new lead guitarist.[49] Kisser was being "too much of a douchebag".[47] Sílvio "Bibica" Gomes, Sepulturaroadie and co-author of the band'sToda a História biography, was one of the prime instigators of that fight.[14]
During an interview fromThe Worst era, Lamounier was asked to comment on Sepultura's well-publicized break-up,[47] whenMax Cavalera left the band in January 1997.[50] Lamounier declared he was not surprised that things turned out the way they did as, in his words, "with what I knew of them, I think it's quite normal that one brother should betray another in that family, they don't measure the consequences to get what they want. So, a brother backstabbing the other, deceiving their mother, cheating a friend... For money, I'll bet they're capable of anything."[51]
Cavelera responded to Lamounier with the song "Bumbklaatt", a track that was included onSoulfly'sdebut album.[52] The animosity between the two groups eventually reached another major Brazilian band, crossover thrash actRatos de Porão. The band got involved in the affair after a 1987 Belo Horizonte gig, when a portion of the audience kept jeering at the band.[23] One version of that story states that Lamounier and Ratos de Porão singerJoão Gordo were antagonizing each other during the show.[18] Another one tells that when Gordo asked Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera who was "gobbing" at his band, Max accused Sarcófago.[23]
Tensions flared up once again five years later when Sarcófago, instead of Ratos de Porão, were picked up to be the opening band ofDirty Rotten Imbeciles' first Brazilian shows.[47] Ratos de Porão and friends from São Paulothrash metal groupKorzus invaded Sarcófago's backstage area; João Gordo then proceeded tosucker-punch Lamounier while he was lying drunk on the floor,[53] and Gordo's friends attacked the rest withmotorcycle chains.[47] A massive brawl ensued, with a member of Dirty Rotten Imbeciles'road crew getting his arm broken.[citation needed]
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