Holocausto

Quite possibly the most controversial Brazilian heavy metal band ever (and that's saying something), Belo Horizonte's Holocausto was no different from contemporary compatriots like Sepultura, Sarcófago, or Vulcano when it came to their violent, crude amalgam of black and thrash metal. But where those groups merely courted controversy with lyrics marked by anti-Christian sentiment and demonic conjurations, Holocausto went a little too far with their overly literal descriptions of Nazi crimes against Jews on 1987's Campo de Extermínio (Extermination Camp) album — to the point that they too were accused of anti-Semitism. The quartet, which had been formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984, previously recorded an EP, and contributed a track to the 1986 Warfare Noise compilation, has always denied these accusations while maintaining that they were only trying to expose the horrors of the Holocaust in all its gruesome detail. But with given stage names like Rodrigo Führer (vocals), Valério Exterminator (guitar), Anderson Guerrilheiro (bass), and Armando Nuclear Soldier (drums), it hasn't been easy. It's also difficult to tell whether Holocausto's career, which continued via additional albums like 1988's Blocked Minds and 1991's Negatives, failed to take off because of their modest musical progress and late adoption of English lyrics (both crucial to Sepultura's climb toward world domination), or crippling musician turnover and lingering bad sentiment over their misunderstood first album. In any case, the group retains a necessary footnote within Brazil's first generation of metal bands and did reunite in 2004, recording a new, hardcore-tinged album called De Volta ao Front (Back to the Front) a couple of years later.