During the turn between the first and the second half of the 80s, many things happened in the underground, and it’s the reason you all can check between a band’s release and its successor. As an example, the Brazilian legend VULCANO (of Santos, SP) had many shifts between their EP “Om Pushne Namah” (that was a Heavy Metal/Hard Rock release) release on 1983, and “Live!” (their live album release on 1985 that has a 80’s Black Metal outfit). The band’s inner idea was to evolve its musical formula, always adding new influences to it (as stated by Zhema on an old interview on 1986 to Rock Brigade mag), and it explains why “Blood Vengeance” was slightly different from its predecessor. Having such idea in mind, dealing with “Anthropophagy” becomes easier, and this reissue is a fine opportunity for older and new fans of the band.

The first thing that will astonish the fans is that the band’s lineup had severe changes: only Angel (on the vocals) and Zhema (who changed from bass guitar to the guitars) were left from the member who recorded “Bloody Vengeance”. Fernando (the new bass player) and Arthur (of HAMMER, on the drums) are the new members. So the quintet became a quartet and recorded this album, released originally on 1987, shifting slightly from Black/Death Metal into Black/Thrash Metal with clear influences from Death Metal and Hardcore/Crossover in many parts, so the fury and musical aggressiveness decreased a bit, but the band became more technically skilled, with many excellent arrangements. And even the lyrics became matured, because the foul satanism of the previous releases started to give space to other themes, mainly social and political themes (as saw on “Brainwashed” and “F.T.W. (Fuck The War)”). On those days, such shifts caused problems between the band and the Metalheads on Brazil (the radicalism in Brazilian Metal scene was immense and shifts were rarely accepted), but opened the ways for international tours (they were one of the first Brazilian acts to play on Chile), and it can be said that VULCANO took a refreshment for its music.

The recordings were done at Studio Guidon, São Paulo, in 1987, with Zhema taking care of the production, with Edy Bianch and Sidney Ferreira working on the sound engineering. The feeling of something ‘hollow’ is usual for Brazilian recording on those days, because the lack of a deeper knowledge on Metal’s recordings was something usual to deal with (the band had problems to record “Bloody Vengeance” due the religious beliefs of some technicians on the studio back then), and such ‘filthy’ appeal is a consequence as well. But it’s not extremely hard to understand what the band is playing. As guest, here is the band’s former guitarist Johnny Hansen (who passed away on 2017) playing the lead guitars on “Fallen Angel” (one of the songs released on “Live!”). And J. Alberto Torquato (back then a famous design designer) did the cover art and design, here preserved (and presented on a fine slipcase on the CD version, with vinyl version bringing some surprises). And as the word ‘preserved’ is used, applauses to the transfer, audio restoration and mastering done by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony in July 2024, who really breathed a new life on the original sonority.

“Red Death” (a fine mix between Black/Thrash Metal and Crossover influences in a time when such thing did not exist, and what very good arrangements), “Death Angel’s Armies” (where the older influences from “Blood Vengeance” echoes strong on the rhythms, with a very good and technical work on bass guitar and drums), “Brainwash” (a mature song with very good arrangements with such mix between Crossover and Black/Thrash Metal, with very good screams from the vocals), “F.T.W. (Fuck the War)”, “Anthropophagy” (what a great set of guitar riffs), “Anyone Can Kill” (very good slow tempos and technical outfit, indeed), “Stirring” (an ode to Metalheads with sharp guitars), “(Am I Crazy?)” (an instrumental song, or better saying, a solo of the drums), “Megathrash” (beware of the ears) and “Upright” are songs that time did not erode and still shines as on those days. “Fallen Angel”, on the other hand, is extremely different, focused on slow tempos and a somber ambience, and it’s not a sin to say that the influence of BLACK SABBATH is clear on its rhythms, with excellent instrumental parts and great singing, and it’s one of the band’s greater classics (and what very good solos, focused on melodies).

Once again: this reissue of “Anthropophagy” is a fine opportunity for the older fans (due the improvements of the recovering and transferring) and to new ones (because it’s a classic) to know and understand that Brazil isn’t made only of SEPULTURA.