RATOS DE PORÃO – Homem Inimigo Do Homem

Ratos de Porão (aka Basement Rats) is a Hardcore band that hails from São Paolo of Brazil. The band was formed in November of ’81 by guitarist João Carlos Molina Esteves and his cousin and drummer Robert Massetti; the two musicians were deeply influenced by the uprising movement of Punk with legendary bands like the Ramones and, of course, the infamous Sex Pistols. Their discography adventure started in 1984 with the release of the full-length album entitled Crucificados Pelo Sistema. Prior to this release, the band made its first contact in the Punk scene with the split album named Sub in 1983. Since that day, Ratos de Porão released a dozen of full-length albums, steadily building their reputation and a faithful fan base.

The band celebrates their 25 years of Crossover activity with the release of Homem Inimigo Do Homem. The album is a fine example of the old traditional recipe that features Thrash Metal riffs and an in-your-face Punk attitude. The aggravating lyrics talk about the corruption and sex scandals in the Catholic Church the still-existing problem of slavery in the Brazilian countryside, and the latest mainstream Pop and Emo movements. The Hardcore screaming verbal assault fits perfectly into the Thrash Metal riffs and the solid rhythm section built by the a la Motörhead bass guitar and the relentless percussion. The songs follow the classic Punk/Hardcore pattern with short time duration and the straightforward riff attack.

Unfortunately, all the lyrics are written in Portuguese, depriving the listener of getting deeper into the band’s anti-conformistic philosophy. There are aggressive Thrash Metal guitar hooks that really stick into one’s mind like in “Pedofilia Santa,” “Expresso Da Escravidão” (driving bass guitar intro) or “H.I.D.H.” Even though there isn’t sophisticated guitar work or a fine drum arrangement, the album has an overflow of anger and energy that finds each way out through Ratos de Porão music. This results in an album that can be used to teach the new bands how genuine Crossover music is created.

Tracks like “Covardia De Plantão” or “O Equivocado” convince the listener that the long-lasting friendship with Sepultura has resulted in some serious Thrash Metal tunes reminding of D.R.I., S.O.D., and sometimes Max Cavalera’s old project band Nailbomb.

The fast tempo with less than 2-minute duration tracks “Otário Involuntário” and “Lucidez” comprising almost screaming vocals affirms that Ratos de Porão is among the most important Punk Rock bands out there.

The band have definitely succeeded to celebrate their 25th anniversary with a great old-school Punk CD that has an intense Thrash Metal atmosphere created by “dirty” guitar riffs and a solid-as-hell rhythm section. Additionally, the album helps the old to remember and the new to learn of a time when the Punk-meets-Metal genre was making its first steps, creating a really die hard fan base.