Vulcano - The Man, the Key, the Beast
Back in the late ’80s, I heard about Vulcano through a friend of mine who was a tape trader. In those days, there weren’t too many brutal Thrash (proto-Death/Thrash) bands out there, and Vulcano was one of them. They were quite possibly the only one out of Brazil at the time. Remember, these guys were around pre-Sepultura and Sarcofago. While they were decidedly second-tier underneath bands like Slayer and Exodus, they still caused enough havoc to gain a cult status, especially amongst the developing Death and Black Metal scenes in Europe and North America. Fast forward to 2013. Vulcano is back again with a new album, and while things sound cleaner, the music is definitely old-school. This is some fire-breathing, high-velocity Thrash Metal that doesn’t dwell on technicality but just exists to kick your ass and snap your neck. It still sounds lower-tier, though. Even after almost thirty years, they still lag behind the legendary bands. This isn’t to say that the music on The Man, the Key, the Beast doesn’t get your head banging. It does. It just doesn’t hold a candle to Reign in Blood, Infernal Overkill, Kill ‘em All or Bonded by Blood. It sort of has the same appeal that bands like Dekapitator or Nocturnal Breed have. It pays homage to the greats, but as hard as they try, they can’t best the legends. I would love to see Vulcano live, though. The music on this LP is sure to cause some serious carnage at any venue they happen to be playing at. It’s the kind of Thrash that is sure to whip a crowd into a frenzy and damage necks and skulls all over the place. It isn’t horribly original or different, but it does get the blood moving and the adrenaline burning in your veins the way good Thrash should.
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