Hmmm.....
Can anyone really think of an 80's,
real Doom Metal band from South
America? No, me neither. Don't get all worked up here; CALVARIO were not
real Doom nor 80's, but I guess they were as close as you'd get. Closing
my eyes and pretending I've never got to see the credits, I'd bet "Ioxye"
was some obscure Minotauro-realease that'd somehow slipped through my
fingers. CALVARIO's dark and obscure Metal sound so typically Italian
and it's not only my inability to discern the italian language from spanish/portoguese
that's to blame. Fans of THE BLACK, PAUL CHAIN'S VIOLET THEATRE, RUN AFTER
TO,
DARK AGES and the likes should really take a peek across the Atlantic,
above the '89-horizon and check this one out.
Already with "Tola Odisséia" we are thrown into a
DARK QUARTERER/
OMEGA(UK)-like
maelstrom of black sludge. The quick jump to more generic HM and then
a seedy ballad on the tracks to come saves you from completely loosing
your breath. Unfortunately. The all-out Doom in "Jesus Aos.." should have
me rolling on the floor after this, but the awkward riffing takes plenty
of listenings to get into. Hm... I should love this. It's not too far
away from
BLACK HOLE's bleaker
moments. Next side: The instrumental title track shred! Suddenly they're
a galloping, melodic Epic Metal band! Yay! ...and then more Doom follows
in "Pacto", this time more straight-forward and pounding. Great shit.
"Passporte Ao Paraíso" starts out as an aucusting, medieval 'ballad' that
half-way into the song turns into yet another soaring Doom-rocker. Ending
with the heavy, epic headbanger "Tempos De Justica", CALVARIO prove themselves
to be one of Brazil's best hidden secrets.
"Ixoye" is a sure buy, but will take up plenty of turntable-time to prove
itself. I've probably had this album in my collection for more than half
a decade, and it still has plenty of secrets to unveil at every listening.
The vocals are fucking STRANGE! Kinda like Patrice le Calvez of frenchies
KILLERS... or U.D.O. on a Robert Plant-trip if my obscure references are
getting tiresome. Not to anyones surprise they were White Metal as fucking
hell (extra special thanx to STRYPER for X'ssake!), but plenty of morose
metallians has gotten away with it earlier, so why bother.