Força Macabra - "25 Anos Na Estrada Mas por Favor Não Feche o Tùmulo Ainda" (Svart Records, 2016)

Band: Força Macabra
Title: 25 Anos Na Estrada Mas por Favor Não Feche o Tùmulo Ainda
Genre: Thrashcore
Time: 57 min
Year: 9th December 2016
Rating: 82/100












Once upon a time, few years ago, a Japanese punk/HC band named Isterismo that used to sing in...or better, pretended to sing in Italian with the terrible result to create involuntary non-sense lyrics, but this was only a tribute to seminal Italian bands like Wretched. A band with a similar attitude are the Finnish Força Macabra ("Macabre Force" in Portuguese), real veterans that were formed even in 1991 to honor the long tradition of the Brazilian crossover/thrash metal (also known as "thrashcore") in the vein of Ratos de Porão, Lobotomia, Armagedom and the likes, so Força Macabra sings (very well, I think) in Portuguese since their very early days realizing 3 full-lenght albums until now. But considering that they didn't release something new even since the 2008 album, these 4 guys have recently wanted to re-record many their old songs for a 57 minutes' compilation that represent a true sum of their long career with the addition of two new songs. In fact, "25 Anos Na Estrada Mas por Favor Não Feche o Tùmulo Ainda" (translatable as "25 years on the road but please don't still close the tomb"), originally conceived in 2011 to celebrate the first 20 years of the band, is comprised of old songs of Força Macabra, re-recorded for this occasion also to give to them a better production, even coming from their very first 1991 demo. Hence, here you are this good compilation released by the Finnish label Svart Records!

As first thing, I have to say that this compilation is incredibly various so to engage the listeners until its end, despite its exorbitant lenght. This means that the band is able to offer constantly interesting variations to their thrashcore so to go far beyond maniacal assaults like the Slayer-ish "Fora da Lei", the apocalyptic in Discharge-style "Trilogia de Guerra" or the more HC/punkish "Em Nome da Liberdade", also if following, in any case, an approach fast but, at the same time, rich of interesting dynamics. I am saying all this also because, compared with some younger bands like Iron Reagan, Força Macabra vomits often very good guitar solos while Taurus, their singer, unleash his fury with loudmouthed and bestial vocals.

To name some examples about the great inventiveness of this Finnish band, I have absolutely to mention the Slayer-ish "Miseria", a song with a very dark aura especially into its menacing intro where there are even haunted vocals while the drummer Deadbrain spews here and there some very rare patterns focused on tom-toms. Instead, the more melodic "Medo do Amanhecer" is so anthemic to has some raw heavy metal choruses. Again, there is need to mention also the mid-tempo with crazy screams titled "Medo Pesado" (please, see its videoclip below) or the very unpredictable "O Chamado do Esqueletos" with its dramatic aura due to the unusual harmonics of the lead guitar containing also a bass finally protagonist in some moments. The same "Trilogia de Guerra" and "Fora da Lei" are worthy of an additional mention because the first one is very furious and uncontrollable throughout its 4 minutes of lenght (!) while the latter one has a slow and dark intro...and don't forget that both the songs have an incredible bestial intensity! Moreover, there is also a strange and interminable intermezzo titled "Psiconauta", full of space and alien sounds.

Obviously, there are also some cover songs into this compilation. I am talking about the crushing "Sua Vida" of Psykóze (rich of ultra-violent noise outburst), the limp "Sobreviver" of Armagedom (a bit static but effective at the same time due to its self-destruction atmosphere) and, finally, "Cabeca Metal" of Salário Minimo, a true mid-tempo anthem where Força Macabra  unleash completely their heavy metal instincts, also if Taurus sings with a melodic and raucous way very close to the Oi!-style.

Curiously, this album ends with the demented 9 minutes of "Helena de Troia", that is before a "normal" rocking mid-tempo song but then it becomes a total madness in which the band plays, among the others, that HC/punk shrapnel known as "Em Nome da Liberdade"!

Mmmh...I think I said everything about this compilation of  Força Macabra, so stop this fuckin' review and start  to bang your head with their music until death! But, fortunately...I was supposed to name only "some examples about the great inventiveness of" Força Macabra haha!!!

Tracklist:

1 - Revolucao
2 - Vida Agonizanda
3 - Pescador de Almas
4 - Medo Pesado
5 - Sua Vida
6 - Trilogia de Guerra
7 - Miseria
8 - Sobreviver
9 - Medo do Amanhecer
10 - Espiral Descendente
11 - Fora da Lei
12 - Em Nome da Liberdade
13 - Estúpidos do Metal Infernal
14 - Cabeca Metal
15 - Psiconauta
16 - Os Quatro Cavaleiros
17 - O Chamado do Esqueletos
18 - Vida Morta
19 - Tu Pagas - Bandeira Negra
20 - Helena de Troia

Line-up:

Oswaldo "Taurus" Extermínio - vocals
Abutre E. Hate - guitars
Pedro "Porco" Anthares - bass
Oscar "Deadbrain" Antítese - drums

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Svart Records:  http://www.svartrecords.com/