Ratos de Por
Speaking of rats, Brazil’s Ratos de Porão (“basement rats”) began in 1981. In 1984, they released Crucificados Pelo Sistema, purportedly the first hardcore punk album in South America. You may recognize the name from Sepultura’s cover of the title track on 1993’s Refuse/Resist EP. Last year Metal Mind reissued RDP’s late-’80s/mid-’90s records on Roadrunner. 1989’s Brasil may be the best crossover thrash record I’ve ever heard – it’s raging.
Death of the KingRise and Fall
1990’s Anarkophobia was RDP’s second record for Roadrunner. Evidently the band caught flak for becoming “too thrash,” which is like complaining that sex is “too good.” But I can understand the gripe – the songs on Anarkophobia are slightly longer and more technical, and the record isn’t as direct and punchy as Brasil.
Still, I loves me some thrash, especially when it comes from a singer named Gordo and a drummer named Spaghetti. I’d bet that the band was listening to Anthrax, as the picking patterns are often Scott Ian-esque. “Death of the King” evokes early Prong, while some of the slinkier riffs recall Slayer.
But RDP didn’t ditch their punk roots. (Gordo once told me his favorite bands all began with “Dis”: Discharge, Disrupt, and Disfear.) “Born to Suffer” could almost be a Sex Pistols song, and the band turns the Ramones’ “Commando” into a gruff Bad Religion rave-up. Who doesn’t like Ramones songs in Brazilian accents?
In typical Metal Mind fashion, this reissue has a spiffy digipak with bonus live tracks, complete lyrics, historical photos, and biographical info. Metal Mind has scores of such reissues – how do they afford it?
Anarkophobia is available at CM Distro, Relapse, and Interpunk.
