Brazil, in addition to bossa nova, baile funk, and tropicalia, has also given the world some of the heaviest ish it has ever heard. Legendary death metal quartet Sepultura opened the floodgates in the early ’80s and groups like grindcore crushers Desalmado carry the anti-social banner to this day. In between, there have been many other soldiers in Brazil’s metal army. Today, we honor the influential and truly terrifying Sarcófago. Founded in 1985 in Bello Horizonte by Sepultura’s original singer Wagner “Antichrist” Lamounier, the band raged until 2000, leaving an indelible imprint on black metal that can be heard to this day.

A Decade of Decay, a vinyl compilation originally released in 1996, which documents their career in black/death/thrash terrorism, is available for pre-order through the Greyhaze Records website, where, incidentally, you can also stream the entire thing. Bless their putrefying hearts.

“The Black Vomit,” Laws of The Scourge (1991)