thehistoryofthrashpart18

   

PART XVIII.
THE SECOND WAVE OF THRASH METAL. SOUTH AMERICAN THRASH METAL.
(1987-1991)

SOUTH AMERICAN THRASH METAL (1987–1991)

Thrash in South America in the late eighties was rough. The political climate was volatile, the economy was rough and censorship was still a living memory in several countries. Metalheads were young, restless, and operating far outside any kind of industry structure. What emerged wasn’t a polished movement but a raw, improvised, and fiercely committed underground. Rehearsal rooms were garages, basements, or borrowed spaces. Shows were chaotic. Tape trading was the lifeline that connected distant cities and countries, and every new cassette felt like contraband knowledge.

The sound that came out of this environment was harsher than what most of the world called thrash. South American bands didn’t have the luxury of pristine studios or high‑end gear, so the music naturally leaned toward the extreme. Many groups blurred into proto‑death or proto‑black metal without consciously aiming for it. The aggression was instinctive, shaped by the reality around them. Lyrically, the themes were political repression, street violence, poverty, and the feeling of living on the edge of collapse. The scenes were small but intense, each one developing its own identity while still feeding off the same continental hunger.

BRAZIL

Brazil was the gravitational center on the South American thrash metal scene. By the late ’80s, Belo Horizonte had become a furnace of extremity. Cogumelo Records acted as the unofficial headquarters, releasing albums that sounded like they were recorded inside a bunker but carried an unmistakable sense of purpose. Bands like Sarcófago, Mutilator, Overdose, Chakal, Holocausto, and Vulcano pushed thrash into darker, more chaotic territory. São Paulo had a slightly more technical and structured approach, but the Belo Horizonte sound, filthy, fast, and hostile became the defining image of Brazilian extremity. It was a scene where bands tried to outdo each other in speed, blasphemy, and sheer intensity, and the competition created a creative explosion.

Vulcano - Bloody Vengeance (1986)

The Brazilian underground was wide. Attomica released their self‑titled debut in 1987 and Limits of Insanity in 1989. Korzus released Sonho Maníaco (1987) and the Pay for Your Lies EP (1989). MX released Simoniacal (1988) and Mental Slavery (1990). Executer released the Rotten Authorities demo (1987) and Rotten Authorities LP (1989). Taurus released Signo de Taurus (1986) and Trapped in Lies (1988). Azul Limão released Vingança (1986).

Metalmorphose released the Ultimatum EP (1984) and remained active into the late ’80s. Leviaethan released Smile! (1990). The Mist (ex‑Mayhem BH) released Phantasmagoria (1989). Witchhammer released Mirror, My Mirror (1988). Scars released early demos in the late ’80s. Necromancia released their 1987 demo and later EPs. Megathrash released demos in the second half of the decade. Acid Storm released their early material just before the ’90s. Flammea released Flammea (1988). Blasphemer (BH) released demos in the late ’80s. Insulter released the The Insult demo (1986). Sextrash released the XXX demo (1989) and Sexual Carnage (1990). Genocídio released The Grave EP (1988) and Depression (1990). Headhunter DC, though more death‑leaning, released their early demos in 1989–1990. Lobotomia, though crossover‑leaning, released their self‑titled LP in 1987. Ratos de Porão, while primarily hardcore/crossover, released thrash‑leaning material like Brasil (1989). Anthares released No Limite da Força (1987). Ação Direta and Armagedom released early crossover/thrash material in the late 80's.

Sepultura - Beneath the Remains (1989)

SEPULTURA (1987-1991)
And then there was Sepultura, the band that changed everything. Between 1987 and 1991, they went from local underground hopefuls to one of the most important extreme metal bands in the world. Schizophrenia in 1987 marked their transformation from raw blackened thrash into something sharper and more ambitious. The riffs became more intricate, the songwriting more focused, and the band’s identity more defined.

Beneath the Remains in 1989 was the breakthrough. Recorded in Brazil but mixed in Florida, it brought a level of clarity and precision that no other South American band had access to. Roadrunner Records’ support pushed Sepultura onto the global stage, and suddenly the world realized that South America wasn’t just producing cult curiosities, it was producing acts for the international stage.

By 1991, Arise showed a band operating at full power. It was fast, aggressive, and technically sharp, but also experimental, hinting at the tribal and industrial influences that would shape their future. Sepultura’s rise made labels, zines, and fans look southward, discovering the chaotic brilliance of the continent’s thrash explosion.

Sepultura

SARCÓFAGO (1987-1991)
Sarcófago, Formed by Wagner Antichrist in the mid eighties after leaving Sepultura. Sarcófago were pure, unfiltered extremity. I.N.R.I. exploded out of Belo Horizonte in 1987 with a sound so raw and hostile it became a cornerstone of early black metal. The band doubled down on chaos and blasphemy, pushing far past the boundaries of thrash while still carrying that frantic, underground energy. In 1991 they released The Laws of Scourge that leaned more towards death/thrash. Despite being a very extreme band they appeared on MTV. Maybe due to the success that Sepultura had at the time. Sarcófago was one of the most feared and influential bands in Brazil’s extreme metal scene.

Sarcófago - The Laws of Scourge (1991)

ARGENTINA

Argentina’s thrash scene grew in the aftermath of dictatorship, and the music carried that weight. Bands like Riff and V8 had already laid the foundation earlier in the decade, but by 1987 a new generation was taking over. Hermética emerged as a voice of working‑class anger, singing in Spanish and grounding their thrash in local realities. Horcas and Lethal pushed the sound toward a more technical and muscular direction. Argentine thrash had a strong sense of identity. less obsessed with extremity than Brazil, but more politically charged and lyrically articulate. It was a scene shaped by trauma and transition, and the music reflected that tension.

Horcas - Reinara La Tempestad (1990)

CHILE

Chile’s scene developed under the shadow of Pinochet, which gave it a uniquely dangerous edge. Metal was monitored, shows were restricted, and the underground operated with a sense of defiance. Pentagram’s demos from this era became legendary for their dark, death‑leaning thrash sound. Raw, violent, and ahead of their time. Necrosis added to the atmosphere of controlled chaos. Chilean thrash tended to be darker and more suffocating, shaped by the political climate and the sense that playing this music was itself an act of rebellion.

COLOMBIA

Colombia’s thrash and extreme metal scene grew in a country torn by internal conflict. The music was abrasive, anarchic, and deeply underground. Reencarnación and Parabellum created some of the most unhinged, proto‑black/thrash recordings of the era. Records that sounded like they were barely holding together but they were extreme to say the least. Colombian thrash wasn’t polished or structured; it was a reflection of a society in turmoil.

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