Original second Sepultura guitarist, Jairo “Tormentor”, returns with the follow-up to the 2022 debut album, Antichrist Reborn, with The Troops of Doom new 11-song offering, A Mass to the Grotesque.  I reviewed the last album and there other EP’s and the entire line-up, since the 2020 band’s inception remains intact.  This provides continuity in the band’s sound. While not so much far removed from their previous awesome efforts, A Mass to the Grotesque, seems intent on establishing some newer exciting elements to their death/thrash hybrid form of metal.

From Brazil and with Jairo leading the charge, this band will forever be linked to classic Sepultura, when they were in their infancy.  However, with the band deciding not to re-record an old Sepultura classic tune, like on their previous releases, the band is wanting to cement themselves as a stand-alone band.  And they very much are.  The batterings and sounds, definitely have that mid-80’s-beginning of the 90’s classic death thrashing approach, but we see the band lean into some doomier moments, as well as faster passages, not quite realized on their earlier efforts.

“Solve Et Coagula – Introduction” leads the charge as a brief, but quite good instrumental, before “Chapels of the Unholy” comes out the starting gates.  Classic Brazilian-styled 80’s death thrashing erupts as the band takes on a deliberate pace throughout the song.  The band ushering in a new level of tightness and there is a doomy passage early on.  Alex Kafer, bass/vox, really crushes it again and in some ways he does have that classic Max Cavalera delivery down, think Sepultura 1985-1987.  Throaty, gruff, yet angry sounding.  This is a damn fine song.  The band follows it up with “Dawn of Mephisto”, which has catchy vocal lines and a chorus you will be singing alongside the band.  There are galloping moments, some slower moments, and seeing the band unafraid to embrace other tempos, this time around shows a more mature band.  The songs are even more interesting than before.

Other tempo shifts, are not just of the doomier, atmospheric and or galloping moments, either folks.  We see the band keeping with the times, which is always good, and throwing in some well-placed blast beats.  “The Impostor King” is the perfect example of such an offering.  Beginning with an excellent guitar and drum intro and the song gets going with a classic galloping speed, before the blast beat kicks things up a notch.  The song gets back into the gallop, then back into that blast, back into the gallop with the vocals eventually entering into the music realm.  The galloping towards the end then morphing into the blast beat, with the vocals over the blasting, ushers in a new level of intensity for The Troops of Doom.  This is a banger of a song, and must be played live, so it can cause sinkholes!!!!!

“Psalm 7:8 – God of Bizarre”, at over eight minutes, is the longest song the band has ever crafted.  Beginning with some atmospheric and guitar melody build-ups, the song gallops, then back into that slower melodic groove.  Many slower tempos shifts until a bit after the 3-minute mark the song decides to settle in with a mid-paced crunchy riff.  Catchy and the vocals finally come in after three and a half minutes.  The double-pounding speed erupts, then back into that mid-paced excellently played riff.  Very good use of the double bass drums.  The band gets into their unbridled death thrash fury a little later on, then settling in to that groovy riff once again.  A very expansive song, with many ideas flirting and flitting around.  I foresee the band continuing this aspect of songwriting on their next release.

A Mass to the Grotesque is a most excellent release by The Troops of Doom.  They keep the old godz happy with representing a true respect for the 80’s Brazilian death and thrash metal scene, as well as bringing in new elements, showing a true progression.  The production, like past efforts, is warm and organic, the types of production values I most respect.  The album cover has a Dan Seagrave appeal and the usage of yellow around the band logo and other areas makes this sucker pop!!  Get this now or be thrown in the trash!

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments