Colosso – Apocalypse (Transcending Obscurity)
Friday, 14th February 2020
Max Tomé is a man with a plan. Name your 4-song EP Apocalypse? Check. Each track alludes to a Horseman from the Book of Revelations a.k.a. the World’s Longest Acid Trip? Check. Utilize different vocalists on every track to give each their own character? Absolutely. And don’t even get me started on that cover artwork.
“Pestilence” leads the barrage with, aptly enough, flies buzzing before the death metal pummeling commences. Guilherme Henriques (of OAK) personifies the wanton destruction of a disease ravaged land, his vocals conveying this bleak landscape down to a T. The double-bass kicks in and it just drives you further down the muck. Grinding, dueling guitars abound for that onset of dread that stays with you and consumes your war torn corpse. The song ends with the sound of gunfire because, you guessed it, “War” is up next. The riffs slice and dice you into cubes while the 100-mile-per-hour double bass drumming pulverizes you into nothingness. It’s Sergio Alfonso’s turn to scare the living daylights out of you with his growls evil enough to make Satan proud. Blistering, all-out berserker barrage of drums and guitars ensure this track gets played the most. Far be it from me to rob the rhythm section of Robin Stone and Alexandre Ribeiro on bass and drums, respectively. Their locked-in synchronicity is tighter than a nun’s ass. Max makes his only vocal contribution on “Death”, and it’s an ethereal, somber howl meant to evoke the long-dead spirits of a decaying village. The abrasive riffs sound delicious to these ears and the track overall simply kills any attempts at usurping Colosso’s throne in the metal underworld of Portugal. And if you’re hungry for more, there’s the ironically titled “Famine” to satiate your need for more corporal punishment.
Colosso has undoubtedly reached new heights with this release, definitely a must-have record for the end of days.
