Black Metal Commando

Brasil is known more for relentless death metal along the lines of Krisiun, but apparently there is black metal out there as well. Unearthly are the first Brasilian black metal band I've heard, and they're not half bad, actually. As opposed to the typical Satanic drivel, their lyrics deal more with stamping out hypocrisy in the form of organized religion, and from what little I can understand of guitarist Lord Thoth's thickly-accented, glass-gargling snarls and screams, the lyrics sound decent enough.

Musically, you can tell they're a Brasilian band due to the ever-present "typewriter" triggered drum sound typical of bands from this country, for one thing, and the overall relentless nature of the music. Unearthly actually do let up with the furious blast beat assault pretty often, as the slower and more dynamic parts of their tunes really set them apart from the hordes of grinding clones out there. In fact, they remind me a lot of newer Dimmu Borgir musically, which is not necessarily a bad thing. They range from ultra fast blasting as per usual to mid paced moments and standard thrash beats, rhythmic double kick parts that invite headbanging, and even a nice little ambient instrumental with a Portuguese title ("Hino A Devocao Aos Deuses A Guerra", or "Hymn of Devotion to the Gods of War", roughly). They leyboards are not that loud or overbearing in the very nice and clear production and mix, too, a common fault that too many black metal bands fall prey to--they provide just the right amount of atmosphere.

This band has a lot of potential to explode outside of Brasil, and a good US tour with a strong package may well help this to happen. They are not perfect, but give them time and we'll see how they progress.