According to the story of Cain and Abel, Cain killed his brother Abel out of envy, and thus became the first murder committed by man. Humans have followed a similar path ever since, leaving a trail of destruction behind as we consume everything within our grasp. This is our past, present, and evitable future. It's our legacy. This is where Brazilian Thrash Metal band LEGACY OF KAIN gets their name. Their newest release "Paralelo XI" (Parallel 11), tells a grim true story of genocide on an indigenous people, that makes no apologies in its indignation of how evil humans can be. Despite the dark waters the album treads however, there is a surprising amount of fun to be had even as you start to feel some fatigue set in near the end.

Since their last release I.N.V.E.R.S.O turned heads in 2017, LEGACY OF KAIN have seen some lineup changes, losing one founding member after another before ultimately settling on just 3 musicians. Paralelo XI features: Karim Serri on guitar, Tiago Rodrigues on drums, and vocalist Markos Franzmann. However, don't let the lack of a second guitarist or bassist dissuade you, these guys produce a lot of sound. Their style at its core is good old-fashioned Thrash Metal. Unpretentious and simple, fast with plenty of breakdowns and double base pedal. Deep, deathly growls fill out much of the vocals and the instruments blast with ferocity. Each song varies, distinguishable by small idiosyncratic rhythms and riffs.  "Silent Ground" gallops along in quick strides. "Indigenous Pride" bends guitar strings will catchy effect. "Beneath the Mud" jabs with left and right hooks stopping only to juggle interludes of scratchy guitar strings. The amount of variety on display gives this album plenty of color and makes the marathon worth the distance.

However, this is not to say there aren't some tracks that unnecessarily prolong the experience, and along the way you may start to feel some blending between tracks take place. The production can seem a bit hollow at times, but I'm sure this has to do more with the lack of bass backing the guitar work. It's because of these reasons, that at a runtime of roughly 45 minutes the album feels surprisingly long. The only real pallet cleanser you get is around "The Genocide", a horrifying auditory reenactment of the Massacre at Parellel 11, in which 30 indigenous people of the Amazon were slaughtered by men hired by a rubber company. Understandably, this is an important piece of the album; however, I only need to hear children being shot with machines guns once in my headphones before skipping onward to the next track. Its nothing against the art or the message, its everything to do with my sanity.

Still, what LEGACY OF KAIN have produced with "Paralelo XI" is pretty good. While the overall production could've used a bit more polish in some areas, the song writing cannot be denied. The album is a story of genocide, and it presents its story with gun metal realism.  If you can stomach some of the bloodshed, there may be something here for you. More than likely the album isn't going to pull too many outsiders to the genre, but even still, the song variety and creative quirks implemented in most of the tracks is enough to keep any fan of Thrash Metal satisfied at least for a little while.