Sarcofagos Die Hard Review

Sarcofagos

Die…Hard

Greyhaze Records

Sarcofago are legends, and also unsung. Standing in the shadows of another late 1980’s Brazilian metal band, Sarcofago released a genre defining album, INRI, in 1987. Through the next ten years, and a few member swaps, they released four more albums. INRI remains the Satanic monolith that you might not have heard. Admittedly, though, for Die…Hard, when I see “1985” and “demos” in the description, I get a little worried about sound quality and repetition.

Repetition is unavoidable when compiling these types of projects. Greyhaze, via Brazil’s Cogumelo Records, treats us to two early demos, and some random tracks off of single release demos. The treasure here is the two demos, Satanic Lust and Christ’s Death. Yes, some tracks here appear two or three times. So, maybe only a true die hard will appreciate the incremental progression. But, in the days of digital libraries, one can always only keep what they want.

As the album starts, the production is a little tough here. This is the first demo. The drums sound like a hammering construction project executed in the next room. The poor man’s King Diamond wail in the beginning of “Satanas” is jostling. But, then, every other vocal is gruff and evil. The guitar sounds great. The guitar tone on “Nightmare” is treacherous. The drums fit better, plodding and menacing. Even the roughest demos here are still killer; never too muddy or quiet. The production increases in quality as the CD goes forward. “Satanas” third appearance is tight as hell, with even production.

The demo exposes the mastery and influence of Sarcofago. This is the sound black metal purists would kill Christian babies for. I personally like more thickness in the production, a little more chunk in the guitar. But the sound and brutality of this A side cannot be debated.  The listener can make rapid connections to bands like Hellhammer and Mayhem hearing this. The miscellaneous demo tracks are hit or miss. Some tracks can be skipped (“Alcoholic Coma” for one); but when “Black Vomit” kick in, it does so with a feral delivery and blistering tempo.

Christ’s Death demo sounds a little worn from the original tape. But, the playing and recording come with more balls and relentless fury. The tracks are fast. By this time, Sarcofago had a vision and were not meandering in sound. “Desecration of Virgin” is brutal as hell, with a few leads, and a present bass line. The demonic growls and bullet driven drums remind the listener to Sarcofago’s learned status in extreme metal. Again, by the time we get to this, we have heard some tracks multiple times. But this version of “Satanic Lust”, whoo! Finally, a bass!

This is a damn fine record. I do not think you have to be a diehard fan to appreciate this. You can pick and choose which versions you like best. All are sinister. This is savage metal. These dudes do not always come up when talking the history of metal. That’s a shame. Greyhaze gives us a chance to explore the beginnings and foundations of legendary tracks.