Review by Felix on December 16, 2020.

It may be that some metalheads are permanently looking for innovation, but honestly speaking, metal is a very conservative genre. It is still dominated by white men (not to say old white men), the musical frame hasn’t much changed since the eighties of the last millennium and many young bands pay tribute to traditional sounds. Blackevil is one of these units that worship yesterday. Their speed metal seems to originate from a time long gone, but further legions, for example Diabolic Night, another gang from Germany, have already proven evidence that this kind of metal still has its right of existence.

The lead vocals add a blackened touch, the rhythm section plays together tightly and the comparatively light lead guitar gives the album its most characterising moment. Blackevil’s compositions are swift as an arrow, they have a restless nature and all of them possess a melodic element, not intrusive, but remarkable. The material can rely on its energetic vibes. Of course, these are the vibes from 1985, but they still have an impact. 'Black Fire Tornado' – the title shows impressively that the Teutonic fighters are not willing to miss a stereotype – is a fine, typical torpedo. Its fast verses are seamlessly combined with a less rapid chorus. Here the guys demonstrate their core competency, the creation of concise speedsters. On the other hand, two songs cross the eight minutes mark and yes, that’s rather less exciting. These tracks are not bad and feature more or less the same details like the shorter songs. Nevertheless, due to their variety (or heterogeneity) they nearly appear to me like a violation of the band’s tradition-conscious approach.

The mix is clear and avoids an overly modern sound successfully. Just like the music itself, it is based on precise and solid handicraft. Indeed, the songs do not lack substance and especially those who always wanted to know the sound of a bastard that connects Annihilator, Living Death with the second lead vocalist and old Blind Guardian (not only the artwork reminds me of “Battalions of Fear”) will love the album. I am less fascinated. Blackevil do a good job, they have penned lively songs and they score with musical integrity. Yet the final kick is missing from my point of view and a few elements like the squeaky guitar solo in 'Pestkarren' or the overlong intro of the closer are pretty annoying. So this is a full-length for two target groups. Either you belong to those dudes who fight the establishment and don’t care about the opinion of an old white man like me or you must be a convinced conservative – at least in terms of metal.

Rating: 6.7 out of 10

Review by Alex on January 12, 2019.

Rasgo is one of those bands that almost got swept under the golden rug of 2017. The music on Ecos da Selva Urbana which means "Echoes of the Urban Forest" is everything I would want from a modern thrash metal release. 

Rasgo composes very good hooks by using crossover, melodic and progressive influences to give their debut full-length release a lift from the thrashing. It's to be expected of thrash metal bands in particular to bring the riffs and there is no problem at all in this area of Rasgo’s Ecos da Selva Urbana; most songs display a strong understanding of how and where solos and catchy leads are to be, along with how to incorporate and transition from thrash to melodic, progressive and back. Yes there are some moments in which you get the traditional way of just fun blasting like on the opening self-titled track which is arguably the weakest song on the record and “Existe”; apart from those, the rest of Ecos da Selva Urbana is a melodic-groove grappling hook. “Homens Ao Mar” which translates to “Men To the Sea” has a very strong Lamb of God overtone, it’s mostly mid-paced and uses 2 guitar solos that perform well at bringing the song to a heightening climax. And with “Propaganda Suicidia” being a stronger follow up by using befitting soloing and a sudden drift in speed that veers into melodic/progressive metal territory, Rasgo sets up the listener for a wild and soothing journey. 

The more I listen to the record is the more I appreciate the effort that was utilized in its creation. As if “Propaganda Suicida” was not good enough, it was followed by the melodic and blistering “Faca Romba” that I think translates to “Rambo Knife” after receiving multiple conflicting answers online. The shift from an opening dragging groove to a mid-paced trod then a speed-laced levitating melodic blast towards the mid section was phenomenal. The guitars again are the highlight of this one leading-up to a sweet melody with an elegant solo just brings the music to a new apex. With that zenith was not high enough for the listener, “Vulgo Vuloto” comes along and mixes viking/folk metal influenced guitars that added a greater touch of diversity and in doing so further lifted my impression of the band and record. The musical unity through disciplined coordination shun brightly on this track, which at times rendered me unable to stop hitting the playback button. And the verse + verse-break combination properly aggregated via another spectacular guitar solo performance. It’s unfair how the guitars totally stole the show on Ecos da Selva Urbana because the drum and vocal offerings were modest.

Every track is filled with solos that sound like they were written under the supervision of master musicians. This is Rasgo’s debut, but it’s so inundating with excellent songs, it feels like a “greatest hits” compilation release. The tracks situated on the b-side refuse to weaken or falter. Instead they grow stronger with longer sections of thrashing that are still masterfully intertwined with seductive guitar soloing and a flirtatious sway with melody and groove. Pedro Ataíde and Rui Costa really claimed Ecos da Selva Urbana as their own. I feel almost sorry for the other members involved in the recording, as they are outwitted by that gifted combo. After hearing Ecos da Selva Urbana I think it will be a very difficult offering to outdo by Rasgo (I hope I’m wrong).

Rating: 8.5 out of 10