Sarcofago
I.N.R.I

Antichrist: vocals
Incubus: bass
Butcher: guitars
D.D. Crazy: drums

Do you know those albums that, when listened to again after a long, long time, have a certain impact? That's what happened when I randomly rediscovered I.N.R.I. in my beloved Hard Disk, which now contains who knows how many Gigabytes of music. The Sarcofago were perhaps the very first Brazilian Metal band I ever listened to, which was about two and a half years ago. So, after going through various bands, getting used to more technical and refined Metal, listening again to an abominable creature such as this debut leaves quite an impression.

Considering the incredible impact this album had on much of the extreme music that would develop a few years later, I feel the need to provide a historical overview: The second half of the 80s, as many will know, is a more than prolific and fundamental period. Already in 1985, Possessed released Seven Churches, which in my view represents the very first ''Extreme Thrash'' album, as a departure from the pure Thrash Metal offered by Anthrax, Megadeth, Vio-lence, etc. An album that would begin a slow evolution from Thrash to Death, a process that involved myriad bands. The following year, Slayer released Reign In Blood, needless to say, the manifesto of extreme music, along with the equally important Pleasure To Kill and Darkness Descends from the same year. In '87, two new genres officially emerged, even heavier and more brutal than the works I mentioned earlier; Grindcore with Scum by Napalm Death, and Death Metal with Scream Bloody Gore by Death. But what was happening in Brazil? If it weren't for Sepultura, who eventually managed to establish themselves outside their homeland, the Brazilian scene would be practically unknown to most people, unaware that in those lands there were some of the most violent and brutal groups that Heavy Metal has ever had.

Already with Sepultura with Morbid Visions (1986), they demonstrated that they were not joking at all, presenting themselves as a group of furious kids, obsessed with Venom and Slayer, and thus lovers of those controversial, satanist-themed lyrics that distinctly separated them from the future Sepultura of Beneath The Remains and Arise. In their very first lineup, there was a certain Wagner ''Antichrist'' Lamounier, who founded Sarcofago just after leaving Sepultura. Wagner on vocals, along with ''Incubus'' on bass, ''Butcher'' on guitar, and D.D. Crazy on drums, bring to light in 1987 this I.N.R.I., a product of a more than perverse mind, which practically contains everything within; a near-perfect synthesis of every subgenre of Extreme Metal.

Starting from the cover, depicting the sinister group in ''Body Painting'' version, it becomes clear how this work, over time, has been considered an emblem of Black Metal, and why not, even one of the first of the genre, alongside, of course, the famous ''Deathcrush'' EP by the more famous Mayhem. I.N.R.I is certainly one of the most evil, infernal, rotten, and filthy things a band could ever produce, an album that would give even the most convinced Slayer fans of the Hell Awaits era chills. So explicit and extreme is this work that, despite the disdain from most of the public and the fear of moralists, it managed to, in a way, make people talk about the band, surrounding it with a certain mysterious aura, typical of those bands that managed to ''dare.''

The Satanist lyrics and deliberately offensive stance towards Christianity would have undoubtedly caused not a few distribution problems for the work. But putting aside the band's attitude and lyrics, let's focus on the ''music,'' something most people don't do, as they are more busy having prejudices about the artist's demeanor and attacking everything that is just appearance, thus not listening. If you've listened to the first full-length by Sodom, ''Obsessed By Cruelty'' (1986), you might have noticed the influence it had on I.N.R.I., which is not to be excluded at all.

Musically, the work in question might be configured as a sort of primordial Black Metal, but for the entire duration of the album, it spans the most varied extreme genres, exploring Thrash, Death, Hardcore Punk, but even hints of Grindcore and an early Brutal Death Metal still in its infancy, which is why I keep repeating that saying fundamental is an understatement in this case. Drafting a track-by-track review for this album seems rather pointless, as it is so swift and ''in your face'' that it feels like listening to a single track with a duration of almost 30 minutes, which reveals a slight repetitiveness that isn't noticed immediately, but with the continued listening.

''Desecration Of Virgin'' is the perfect example of all the features I mentioned before, and it tells the ''adventure''? of a girl who loses her virginity after being raped by Satan himself, which also reveals a certain underlying dark humor. D.D. Crazy's drumming is very similar to that employed in Grindcore, absolutely frantic, extremely fast, and almost perpetually in Blast Beat, a technique that had just been born and finds its origins with the Stormtroopers Of Death, with their Speak English Or Die, released in 1985, and pioneering Crossover Thrash. Hence, another reason that makes I.N.R.I one of the most influential albums in all Metal; the presence of a new drumming technique, even faster than before, also perfected by the great Mick Harris of Napalm Death in Scum that very year.

''Nightmare'' is perhaps the track that stands out the most from the others, the darkest, most rhythmic, and fascinating offered by our guys. It starts with a Sabbath-like riff to continue into an inexorable nightmare, enriched by Wagner's excruciating and rotten voice, which throughout the album shifts from piercing screams to very guttural growls, which is why I'm of the opinion that this album also anticipates Brutal Death. ''Christ's Death'' is perhaps the most blasphemous thing one could hear, initially making you think of a ballad, but nothing could be further from the truth, as indeed a gasping and bestial grunt introduces us to the sonic hell that this song represents. At the end of the piece, a high-pitched scream very similar to that of Araya in Angel Of Death precedes the phrases with ''highly Christian'' content: DIE JESUS, DIE JESUS CHRIST, I HATE YOU! Another song worth mentioning is Deaththrash, about a minute and a half of pure delirium, which almost automatically invites the most ferocious Headbanging.

I.N.R.I is, therefore, an undoubted masterpiece, both for its considerable historical importance and for the violence and speed unleashed. However, it's not my favorite, I am more attached to the more mature The Laws Of Scourge from 1991, where, equipped with superior production and a technical improvement, they venture into a well-crafted Thrash/Death, resulting a bit different from their debut. A downside to I.N.R.I is indeed the possibly intentionally poor production, (although it might suggest more a lack of means and money) and already burdened by the still evident immaturity of the guitarist, not yet able to perform solos independent of the Slayer-like style. But these flaws can be nuances for those who have passionately followed Metal for many years and know it in its endless facets, but they could prove catastrophic flaws for someone accustomed to listening only to Mainstream Metal.

Nothing more to add, if you haven't yet listened to this sonic hell get ready, it will be a ''pleasant torment''.