As tenuous links go, this is a big one. The World Cup is here, it's in Brazil, so what better reason to explore the Brazilian Metal Scene? Your usual suspects are of course here, Roots anyone? But there is also so much more. Whilst the scene now may not be thriving as much as it has in the past, there are some truly killer bands that definitely deserve to be checked out.

Sepultura

Ok we said there is other stuff away from the usual suspects, but writing a piece about Brazilian Metal and not including Sepultura is like writing about the history of British music and not including The Beatles. As far as exporting music goes, Sepultura put Brazil on the map. Their meteoric rise happened quickly and sharply, as the band went from aggressive Thrash in their early days to the Groove Metal which became their signature sound across Chaos A.D. and Roots. Even with the significant line up changes which seen the Cavalera brothers depart, the band continue to wreak havoc globally with Andreas Kisser leading the charge.



Soulfly

Another of the usual suspects, Soulfly was the creation of Max Cavalera after his departure from Sepultura. Whilst never quite making the same impact, Soulfly have released some absolutely killer albums since it's inception in 1997. The first four in fact seen Cavalera extract everything from himself in the aftermath of the fall of Sepultura. Much of Cavalera's best work is hidden amongst the Soulfly discography, making it essential listening for any Metal fan.



Mutilator

A band which sat quite closely with the Sepultura camp, Mutilator only actually recorded two full length albums brimming with intense Thrash and Death Metal. The band formed in 1985, but only truly took shape in 1987 when a roadie for Sepultura, Silvio SDN, joined on vocals. Their music is limited, but raw and proves to be a real snapshot for what the Metal scene in Brazil was all about at this time, completely intense.



Holocausto

Pre-dating Sepultura slightly, Holocausto were one of the earliest Thrash/Death Metal bands to emerge. Their early material proved to be controversial due its subject matter, but they argued that their music was a tool to expose and highlight atrocities committed by the Nazi regime rather than support it. Some of the Thrash riffs were frighteningly powerful, with the vast majority of their lyrics across their discography in Portuguese. They have often been described as one of the most controversial Brazilian bands of all time, so their place in the Brazilian Metal Scene does carry importance.



Violator

One of the more recent bands flying the flag for Brazilian Metal, Violator only last year released their fourth album Scenarios Of Brutality. Picking up the bits and pieces from the earlier Thrash scene in the country, Violator have pieced together their own blend of intense and driven music whilst not being afraid to show respect to all the bands that have influenced them much like Municipal Waste have been able to do in recent years. The band have been able to tour across various parts of the world as their stock continues to grow so keep an eye out.



Sarcófago

Sarcófago were formed in 1985 by the former (and original) vocalist of Sepultua, Wagner Lamounier. They are in many ways perceived as the Megadeth to Metallica as for several years Lamounier and co. stirred an intense rivalry with Sepultura. Whilst never getting as big as them, the band were still highly influential, not only to emerging Brazilian bands but their breed of Death Metal paved the way for so many European Black Metal bands, even if Lamounier has been guilty of having a bit of a dig at that scene. Sarcófago released five full length albums, with the most important being their debut I.N.R.I..



Overdose

Where better to finish than with the Godfathers of Brazilian Metal? Cited as the first Metal band to emerge from Belo Horizonte (where the vast majority of the bands later came from), Overdose started out as Heavy/Power Metal band. As time passed their music style changed, becoming more aggressive with their album Circus Of Death giving birth to the Thrash sound they are now so synonymous with. Their career spanned right up to the mid-nineties, so there is plenty to get your teeth stuck into across their discography.