Grave Desecrator

I make a habit of only reviewing new releases, but since I recently received a promo copy of Insult  by Grave Desecrator, I figured I'd at least talk briefly about it. These Brazilians have evidently been together since 1998, though it was not until ten years later that they released a full-length album. Insult, from 2010, is the second and most recent full-length.

The band plays an ever-so-slightly-blackened style of death metal that sounds very '80s, largely due to the thrashy remnants lingering in several tracks. Having heard all that, and keeping in mind their nation of origin, it will come as no surprise when I say that this album reminds me of old Sepultura. I'm still not totally sure if this sounds like a natural continuation and extension of their better known countrymen, or if it's just a knock-off. Since it's all well executed and it sounds pretty good, I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt here and just say that they really draw a lot of influence from Sepultura and chose to create a kind of hypothetical alternative path for their compatriots' later career.

In short, if you liked Arise, it might be worth your time to give this a whirl.