Review of the Album "Sick and Insane" by Brazilian Thrash Metal Band Mofo

Brazil is slowly becoming a hotbed of thrash metal in South America and for those of you that have enjoyed the bands such as Violator and Attomica, you will enjoy the band called MOFO. Yes, that is how this band's name is spelled and their debut album called Sick and Insane is what is being reviewed here. Even though the feel of this album is like early “The Haunted” it is melodic and entertaining and it sounds new not in the sense of dates but it just feels so modern.

What is being offered on this album may be the most melodic kind of thrash metal that we hear from a Brazilian thrash metal band. I will not say that Brazil is a better nation for thrash metal than the United States because there is no certain way to know this for sure and thrash metal may be a genre that may not be as well developed a genre in Brazil but Brazil is one of those nations that has the potential to grow in this genre.

Cynic is the song that starts off this album and this one is a really good acoustic song and this sounds kind of cheesy to mention because so many bands have started their albums in this fashion but in a way it is good that these guys start out good and soft because it gives your ears a pleasant listen before all the heaviness starts. Adrenaline starts out like the album Enemy of God with the melodic intro and it is a pleasant influence. There is a second melodic part after all the vocals that really adds to this song in a productive manner.

Are you addicted to thrash metal yet? In the times that we are in with the situation that the world is in, music in all its forms serves as a wonderful opportunity to check out the immense catalog of thrash metal bands which are present in pretty much the entire world, even in India and Argentina. Two listens through the album Sick and Insane shows that not only are these guys off to a great start in their career but THIS is the way to write a thrash metal album from start to finish!

From the well written acoustic song Cynic and then the melody driven and then hard hitting song Adrenaline, you will be a witness to some of the best written thrash metal in our lifetime. Is anyone from Metallica listening to this? Metallica may have been one of the early bands to popularize the thrash metal genre but bands such as MOFO take it an extra step by adding melody to the thrash songs. Then there is a dramatic ending as there is the shout of “this is adrenaline!”

“Brothers of Death” in terms of its riffing style resembles early to mid 1990s death metal such as the band Death. Once again, there are traces of Chuck Schuldiner's influence that he left behind since his death in 2001. If he was still alive today, he would be so impressed with the growth of the metal genre. Time for War is a song that the lyrics pretty much are self-explanatory. This is one of those songs that has the typical get ready and mobilize for war type of lyrics. The bass lines in the title track further add to the brilliance that you hear in this album. Some of these sentiments may have a touch of bias in them but for people that are really familiar with the thrash metal genre, they will spot what is terrific thrash metal. Let Them Fall is a song that lyrically is about the consequences that unbelievers will ultimately go through. Although Christians will say that life began when GOD created Adam and Eve and then they committed the biggest sin that caused them to be banished, there are also many that will oppose such views. The song is also in a way about the flaws of human nature. Frank is a song that is about a person that wakes up at 5AM to get to work and deal with a very demanding boss. Meanwhile, his wife cheats on him with a friend of his and this drives him into a rage. The song can be about how there are situations and circumstances in life that we have to deal with and that other times, events happen that may be out of our control.

Sick and Insane is not a flawless work of thrash metal but the first half of the album is a demonstration of how to write a great modern work of thrash metal. The strongest songs are Cynic, the title track, Adrenaline, Brothers of Death, and Time for War. If you enjoy the music of Kreator but you don't want to sit through a 65 minute album, this album is just for you to enjoy.