Pandemmy: Review of 'Subversive Need' by The Headbanging Moose

A violent and primeval feast of Death and Thrash Metal by one of the most promising names of the Brazilian Northeastern metal scene.

Transitioning between the realms of Death and Thrash Metal just like several Brazilian bands from the 2000’s, Recife, Pernambuco-based act Pandemmy have recently released their third full-length album, titled Subversive Need, recommended for fans of the aggressive and primeval sound blasted by renowned bands like Kreator, Sepultura, Carcass and Hypocrisy. Produced by the band’s own vocalist and guitarist Guilherme Silva and guitarist Pedro Valença, and featuring a classic artwork by Deafbird Design Lab, Subversive Need showcases an evolution in the sound of Pandemmy since their inception in 2009, offering the listener the same level of violence and heaviness while exhibiting a much more polished and professional overall production when compared to the previous efforts by Guilherme and Pedro together with their bandmates Marcelo Santa Fé on bass and Vitor Alves on drums, therefore positioning Pandemmy as one of the most promising names of the Brazilian Northeastern metal scene.

Raw and putrid from the very first second, the opening track Deforestation is an old school Death Metal tune led by the deep guttural roars by Guilherme, while Vitor alternates between doomed and visceral beats, setting the stage for the vicious Neohate and its in-your-face lyrics (“New legions ignore words of insanity / Blind hordes of prejudice and hypocrisy / Christians are enemies of their own god / Rotten rich and stupid elite who hates the poor / Your vote repeats the past / Your choice are lies that hurt / Neohate, old hate! / Generations alienate / Neohate, old hate! / We will fight, you shall fall”) while the band delivers sheer violence from their sonic weapons, with Guilherme and Pedro being on fire with their dirty Thrash Metal riffage. And they keep smashing our heads with their old school sonority in Free Mumia (A Panther In The Cage), where Guilherme, Pedro and guest Danilo Coimbra bring forth berserk riffs and solos while Vitor doesn’t stop crushing his drums in a solid fusion of Death and Thrash Metal.

Then eerie guitars are boosted by the rumbling bass by Marcelo in the heavy-as-hell Webchaos, a great option for slamming into the circle pit while the band generates a menacing atmosphere, also featuring the gruesome roars by guest Lohy Fabiano, whereas investing in a more frantic, thrashing sound the quartet pulverizes our ears in Xenophobia, showcasing an excellent job done by both guitarists while at the same time reminding me of some of the creations by bands like Slayer, Testament and Exodus. After such demented song, a somber intro morphs into the melodic, mid-tempo I Choose My Blood, where the guitars by Guilherme and Pedro sound truly lancinating, always supported by Marcelo and his menacing bass punches, and getting closer to the Melodic Death Metal played by Arch Enemy but with the band’s own Brazilian twist.

Terror Paranoia offers our avid ears another blast of their straightforward Death and Thrash Metal, with Vitor taking the lead with his vicious beats while Guilherme’s deep roars are nicely supported by his bandmates’ classic backing vocals. On the other hand, I’m not sure what their intention was in The Illusion Of Suffering, as they undoubtedly failed in their experiment to mix harsh vocals with acoustic passages, sounding like a big mess in the end despite the fact their guitar lines are quite decent. Fortunately for all of us, Pandemmy get back to their boisterous mode in Charlottesville, bringing forward a demented sonority showcasing venomous growls, slashing riffs and pounding beats, clearly inspired by the horrible neo-Nazi movement that sadly put the city in the worldwide map of racism, with a final sinister and progressive jamming putting an end to such meaningful composition.

You can enjoy this feast of Thrash and Death Metal made in Brazil in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to show your true support to the underground scene you can purchase Subversive Need from Pandemmy’s own BandCamp page, from Apple Music or from Amazon, and also follow the band on Facebook, on Instagram and on YouTube. Guilherme, Pedro, Marcelo and Vitor still have a long road ahead of them to reach stardom in the world of heavy music, but we must admit they’re working hard and developing their own sound with each one of their releases, with Subversive Need giving us all a very good idea of what to expect from those Brazilian metallers from now on.

Link: https://theheadbangingmoose.wordpress.com/2020/08/12/album-review-pandemmy-subversive-need-2020/

By Gustavo Scuderi.