The legendary SARCOFAGO are a full speed ahead engine of destruction on this reissue of their 1989 EP, "Rotting", and it's a treat for any Extreme Metal fan.  If you want to know where the roots of Black Metal are, then SARCOFAGO is the band you need to be listening to.  Although they have always had a thrashy vibe to their music, similar to fellow Brazilians SEPULTURA, it really shines through here on this release.  Rather than take away from their Black Metal sound, it really adds to it, combining the sinister sounds of Black with the head banging of Thrash. The beginning of the album is a little...strange to say the least.  It's an intro but it features the moaning of women and the growls of what are assumed to be demons. Thankfully the rest of the album takes itself a little more seriously, at least on the musical side of things. As far as their lyrics go, it's the typical Black Metal stuff for the most part.  But you aren't going to be listening to this type of sound for the lyrics.  You want to rock and this EP will definitely give that to you in spades.

The opening track, "Alcoholic Coma" is a sterling example of their sound.  It opens with intense Black Metal riffs and some truly insane drumming by M. JOKER, who plays some of the fastest drumming I've heard.   The song throws out whiplash bullets into your face until it slows down into some chopping riffs that really let the bass (provided by MINELLI) through, just before it slows even further into a blackened dirge of doom.  When your neck is finally about to heal, it goes into an all-out metal jam that is some of the most intense music of the era. "Rotting" is one of the most complete and mature sounding songs the band ever did.  It has a strong old school METALLICA vibe to the riffs.  With those riffs playing while the vocalist, LAMOUNIER shrieks his head off, it creatures such a brutal yet sinister sound that it's easy to see why the band is so revered.  At over seven minutes in length, it never gets boring.  Instead it takes the listener through a metal journey covering black, death, thrash, old school metal, and even a little doom. If SARCOFAGO had kept writing along the lines of this song, then I bet people who don't even like extreme metal could get into it.

"Sex, Drink, & Metal" is one of the most intense songs I've heard.  The super-fast, it clear and clean, bass is a highlight of the song that is a pure audio pile driver.  It's under four minutes in length, probably because anything more would kill you.  The highlight of the song is the bridge after the two minute mark where it's some groovy Thrash with a  slight hint of Prog in it.   As with anything the band did, this EP is essential listening for any metalhead.