Formed in nearly 11 years ago, this Brazilian Death/Thrash band has been treading the boards for a long time, and still they are a young band (with the original line up I might add too). Having shared the stage with some big names in the past, now on album number 4, they have managed to get the backing of the UK’s very own Candlelight Records for ‘I See Red’.
So what do we have – heavy thrash basically. Obviously these guys are going to be influenced by Sepultura, and they have a sound not that dissimilar to our very own unsigned West Country collective Seregon. But this is not a stumbling block being tarred with these brushes; there is a definitive air of quality in their music. This I feel is ever present on the second track ‘War Stomp’. With its thundering bass and drums, a down tuned thrashing vibe is released with a low-end snarl to the vocals, almost growling classically associated with ‘Root’s’ era-Sepultura. Bands from the southern hemisphere always manage to add a different twist to an often-stagnant genre. Whilst there are not many traditional Brazilian elements to their sound (apart from the acoustic intro to ‘Alarm’), there is definite aggression that is not often matched by European and US thrash bands. The death element of the vocals I suppose is the deciding factor. The almost drop-dead sound of the snare is also a different characteristic of this music. Compared to their earlier releases, the production better encapsulates their aggression, much of the improvement being the recording of the drum sound. The rapid burst of ‘Evil University’ makes for a good listen and gives the band a more groovy presentation; plenty of off-time changes etc give you the listener an experience that you cannot fail to be attentive for. An almost bluesy solo is a touch out of the norm but it also proves that you don’t need to blitz up and down the fretboard to get the message across. Ah yes, a classy song title ‘Raining Shit’, hmm, nice, but then the music certainly is not shit! ‘Don’t Kill the Future’ is an up-tempo number if ever I heard one, but there is a quality element of time change in the arrangement, a time for you to head bang without dislodging your brain from your skull and revel in the ripping riffs and solos on display.
Extensive European touring is scheduled for later this year, with plenty of slots left for UK shows. I hope they manage to get a show here; I will be dumbfounded if it’s not a massive intense experience. This album shows promise, even 4 albums into their career it just goes to show that quality comes to those who wait.
http://www.myspace.com/claustrofobia
http://www.minhacidadetem.com.br/sites/claustrofobia/
http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/
