FACADA - "O JOIO"

It's been a few years since the last full-length from Brazilian grinders Facada, but they're back in action with "O Joio" – released by Death Toll Records (which is sadly now defunct, due to an accident in which two members of one of their bands drowned), Gallery Productions, Kasamata Records, and Independência Records. Thankfully not a lot has changed. Perhaps there's a hint more of a churning death metal influence to some of the riffing these days, but the band generally keeps things ragingly fast and in your face (only one song tops the two-minute mark), so when all is said and done you'll get 14 tracks in a mere 21 minutes. Expect all the staples of the genre: Ripping tremolo picking runs and blasting percussion, surging breakdowns, high/low sneering/snarling/growling, sparse moments that suggest a hardcore/punk vibe, a few more chaotic bursts, and so on. They even close with two covers: "Satanist", by the Filthy Christians; and "Lucro é o Fim", by longstanding Brazilian crossover act D.F.C. Good stuff. The production's got a few little inconsistencies here and there (it sounds like there may have been two different recording sessions involved), but for the most part sounds really damn good. I don't know what else to say. As far as I'm concerned, this is exactly what grindcore should be, and I see no reason why fans of early Brutal Truth or mid-period Napalm Death wouldn't be all over this. I haven't been doing a good job of keeping up with a lot of these Brazilian bands, and it seems that many of 'em still deserve a lot more attention!