Band: Vulcano
Title: Tales From The Black Book
Label: I Hate Records
Distribution: Bertus
Release date: 10/12/2008
Review: re-release-CD

Vulcano, hailing from Brasilia, are without any doubt one of the oldest bands within the South-American, probably even within the international extreme Metal scene. This band’s history began in 1981 (!) and several of their recordings can be considered modest kult-releases (among which the legendary 1986 studio-debut Bloody Vengeance, Cogumelo Records). Throughout the years, Vulcano have been on hold during several years, but their comeback a few years ago gave me the impression this band had never been away completely. This has a double meaning. First of all, the interaction between the members is of a superb quality on this album, and secondly the sound and the approach is so eighties! Tales From The Black Book was recorded in 2004, yet it sounds as if it were done twenty years ago.
Indeed, the original release date was 2004, but Renegados Records couldn’t fulfil what was needed. That’s why the superb Swedish label I Hate did sign this band with the goal to release and re-release superior stuff.
For almost forty three minutes, Tales … brings excellent old school material. ‘Old school’, it goes for both the compositions, as for the sound. But with the latter I don’t mean that the sound is ‘passé’ or inferior; on the contrary. The production is dry and that’s the ideal approach in this case, believe me! And in subject to the compositions, well, this does sound as if it were written two decennia ago! These Death / Black / Thrash hymns do not need (fake) injections from modernism, not within the sound, nor within the song structures either. And I have to admit that ‘staying true to their roots’ can be very disastrous from time to time, yet that’s not the case here! ‘Old school’ isn’t unusual in South America, but almost never it was as convincing as in the case of Vulcano! Damn, this is burning, devastating beauty covered within a profound and occult obscurity.
Highly recommended to fans of ‘old stuff’ from, let’s say, Celtic Frost, Mutilator, early Kreator, Sarcofago, Possessed or Venom, to name but a few.
Oh yes, the album also includes some tracks that were originally written in the early years (and only released on their live-album).

90/100

Ivan Tibos.