(written by Islander)
Helldprod Records has marked June 18th as the release date for Mortalha Negra‘s debut EP, Necromante. While Mortalha Negra is a new name, the person behind it is well-known: Armando Exekutor has led Flagedör for more than two decades and is also a fixture in Gravedancer, whose debut album was released in 2023 (and those are just two aspects of an extensive musical resume within the Brazilian scene, and elsewhere).
Under the banner of Mortalha Negra, A. Exekutor has joined forces with drummer J. Ferrante to create sulfurous black thrash with a powerfully occult atmosphere. Helldprod previews the EP with these words:
Totally vomited in Brazilian, these four new freshly rotten songs invoke pestilence and curse, they drain the light of your soul and possess your corpse beyond the unholy bestial realms. With sharp riffs, a primitive and gloomy atmosphere, a fiery and sibilant tongue, and ritualistic drumming, Necromante gathers the best of the classics alongside the maniacal exuberance of a fresh blooded pact.
Of course, we have our own thoughts about these four compact tracks in advance of their premiere.
The EP’s opener, “Os Ventos Trazem Maldição“, begins with slow, sharp beats and a slowly writhing riff that creates a dismal and haunted mood, backed by a heavily murmuring bass. But with momentous booms and a burst of frenzied fretwork, the song leaps forward as A. Exekutör‘s malignant growls and maniac howls make their appearance. The drums furiously gallop; the riffing boils, whines, and slashes; the bass vividly throbs; and a shrill, screaming guitar solo turns up the heat even more.
“Insurreição de Forças Infernais” keeps the heat dialed high with a wild and immediately infectious riff and riotous drumwork. The vocals are again viciously deranged, and both the riffing and the drums rapidly change in electrifying ways, but the song remains hellishly ecstatic straight through to the end.
“Sob O Signo Da Podridão” surges in the fast lane, too, but the mood of the riffing is both more fiendishly cruel and more anguished, though the song’s shrieking guitar solo, Exekutör‘s ravenous vocals, and Ferrante‘s thrilling drum-fills still sound insane.
This first Mortalha Negra demo closes with the title song “Necromante“. It opens like an infernal procession, solemn and insidiously haughty, but spins up into racing speed, delivering sizzling and rapidly swirling fretwork. The pace also slows, just in time to bring forward a fierce, jolting riff, but another crazed, flame-throwing guitar solo punches the adrenaline one last time.
Necromante was produced, mixed, and mastered by Eric Cavalcante. Drums and vocals were recorded at Capitão Caverna Studio (Suzano/SP). It features eye-catching cover art by Marcio Blasphemator, a logo by Jean Antunes, and layout by Allefer Rocha.
Helldprod will release it on a limited edition of tapes (50 copies, likely to sell quickly) and digitally.
PRE-ORDER:
https://helldprod.bandcamp.com/album/mortalha-negra-necromante
https://helldprod.com/shop/
MORTALHA NEGRA:
https://www.instagram.com/mortalhanegra.deathmetal