Barbarie y sangre en memoria de Cristo

What sets this 1993 ep from Colombian death masters Masacre is the infusion of a very palpable doom metal presence throughout the 4 tracks that make up this rarity. Rather than bombarding the listener with their trademark death metal assault of blast beats and machine gun drumming, we have a very atmospheric and dense work of art.

The songs really showcase that the band took their time to compose and make these songs powerful and solid throughout. If you are familiar with Masacre’s other albums, you will definitely notice a change in the overall sound and vibe that sets this apart from anything before or since in Masacre’s musical catalog.

The first 2 songs, “Sarcasmo Divino” (Divine Sarcasm) and “Camino al Calvario” (On The Road to Torture) are close to 7 minutes long and showcase the vocalists change in style, the death metal growl has been laid to rest, replaced with a high pitched shriek, a voice that seems to be in physical agony, almost a sad wailing. There still are death metal elements in these songs, but only during brief periods of time that usually dissolve into slower melodies.

Track 3 “Imperio Del Terror” (Empire of Terror) is a standout track and makes the ep worth purchasing. A mid paced death metal song, with a strong drum and bass section that sets the foundation for riff after riff of death metal, the vocals here are absolutely brutal.

The ultra slow and dense “Una flor sobre mi tumba” (A Flower over my Grave) rounds out this solid piece of work. On this song the band goes totally doom metal but does have its trademark blast beat section; it wouldn’t be Masacre without it!!

The ep is definitely worth trying to obtain, as most of Masacre’s albums, the art work is very interesting; it also showcases another dimension to Masacre’s music, a breather if you will from their trademark death metal assault.