Brazil was one of the first countries to breed bands in the so called Old School Metal ways in the second half of the 90s, and it created a School down here. On the other hand, since the days that KORZUS, CHAKAL, DORSAL ATLÂNTICA and others started the Brazilian Thrash Metal School, it was trying to blend elements of North American and German Thrash Metal with personal features of each band. And the mix between these two aspects is heard on many bands here, especially on the second album of the São Paulo’s based trio SACRIFIX’s, “Killing Machine”.

It’s a form of Old School Thrash Metal, blending elements of German and USA Thrash Metal (the influence of “Show No Mercy” and “Fistful of Metal” is clear in some moments), but with elements inherited from traditional Heavy Metal from NWOBHM (due the melodic care under the intense aggressiveness of the band), and a heavy dose of dirty Rock ‘n’ Roll as stated by MOTÖRHEAD’s gang. But hold your horses and don’t go taking wrong conclusions: the trio shows personality and guts to defy some models usual on the genre. The album shows energy and a catching appeal, as an evolution of the band’s first album, “World Decay 19”.

The guitarist/vocalist Frank Gasparotto is the producer of the album, and it was mixed and mastered by Marcos Nunes (bassist of CHAOSFEAR) at Tori Studios (SP). The main idea was to have something organic and in a 80s way, but consonant with the actual reality. And it works in an almost perfect way, with everything defined and aggressive in the due proportions. The artwork of the cover is another work of Alcides Burn (of Burn Artworks), creating something visually aggressive and nasty, but with careful traces and color contrasts. And to add a different flavor, the special guests are Marcos Nunes on the guitar intro for the second solo of “Guided by God”; and on “Raped Democracy” are Murillo Leite (guitarist/vocalist of GENOCÍDIO) on the vocals and Maurício Amaral (guitarist of ANTHARES) on the second guitar solo.

To be honest, the album was released by a ‘pool’ of many labels (Impaled Records, Sangue Underground Records, Gerunda Produções, Artes Negras, Rocketz Records, Cossoco Records and Gate of Doom Records), something usual in Brazil sometimes, and its worthy of such effort, because songs as “Killing Machine” (a Thrash Metal attack with excellent riffing and ‘lemmynian’ vocals), “Guided By God” (another fast song based on intense double bass parts sometimes, but with sinuous rhythms as well, where bass guitar shows its solid playing), “March to Kill” (where the speed decreases, showing in a better way the melodic arrangements of the guitars), “Raped Democracy” (fast guitars and some nasty arrangements are great, and what excellent contrasts between the vocals), “Dark Zone” (the beginning shows NWOBHM/US Power Metal elements before the song becomes a shrapnel of Thrash Metal intense riffs), the hymn “Thrash Again” and “Rotten” will turn your ears to shreds.

“Killing Machine” is a musical statement: SACRIFIX is here to stay, so love it or hate it (better love it, for it’s very good, indeed).