the first lp of the set is "morbid visions" from 1986. it is the band's debut full length released by brazilian label cogumelo records. it was recorded in belo horizonte during a seven day session. i never listened to any songs beforehand and wasn't expecting too much from this release. after a few spins i find myself rather enjoying it. of course, the production sounds a bit thin, max cavalera's vocal performance sounds quite untrained, the artwork is hilarious and the lyrics immature but the whole album is so full of energy.
you can really feel that they wanted to record some bad ass metal and hit as hard as possible. no fancy production, a small budget but the sheer enthusiasm of teenagers recording their first real album. this is probably what i like the most about this record. it's not really the music itself but the vibes it transports. one can tell these four brazilians had a strict slayer diet but a few death metal hints are to be heard as well. roadrunner actually re-released the album for the first time in 1990 on cd.
back then they were already part of the roadrunner roster for one year and "beneath the remains" had been released in 1989. as for the rest of this box set re-pressings rhino records stood absolutely true to the original editions, this one is the exception. everything is identical to the roadrunner vinyl re-pressing (out on the sub-label r/c records) from 1991 except of the centre labels. they seem to be the ones used for the polysom re-issue from 2013. strange because i couldn't find any explanation how this came to be. anyway, love the inclusion of "bestial devastation", the band's side of a split shared with overdose. it's pretty raw and i like it even a bit more than "morbid visions". clear red with black splatter vinyl. rhino records. 2017.
