by Alex Henderson
When people think of Brazilian artists, they usually think of people who are highly melodic as well as highly rhythmic. This is true in Brazilian pop as well as Brazilian jazz; it is true in everything from tropicalismo and bossa nova to choro, sertaneja, and lambada. But there is nothing melodic about Mental Horror. Since the early '90s, the Brazilian band has specialized in ferocious, totally amelodic death metal, black metal, and grindcore. Some bands that play extreme metal like to change tempos frequently; Mental Horror, however, plays at one tempo: insanely fast. The Brazilians' tunes don't have real song structures -- they are simply loud, blistering bursts of noise -- and lead singer C. China favors the sort of choked, grunting, larynx-ripping vocals that are quite common in death metal, black metal, and grindcore. China's vocal styles render the lyrics difficult or impossible to understand, but song titles like "Tortured (Bleeding for the Plague)," "Burning Alive," and "Genocidal Inquisition" let you know that Mental Horror is, like many of its death metal, black metal, and grindcore colleagues, obsessed with the dark side. Some headbangers would call the band's approach limited and one-dimensional and those who don't care for extreme metal see Mental Horror and similar bands as noise for the sake of noise. But in Brazil's death metal/black metal underground, those who fancy this type of approach have applauded the band for being "uncompromising." Mental Horror was formed in Porto Allegre, Brazil, in 1993; after two years of live performances, the band recorded its first demo cassette. The tape didn't have widespread distribution, but copies were sold at Mental Horror's live gigs. Along the way, the band acquired a small underground cult following in Brazil; however, Mental Horror is far from mainstream in South America's largest country. Most of the Brazilian pop fans who will stand in line to buy tickets for a Daniela Mercury concert in Rio de Janerio or So Paolo would never attend a Mental Horror gig and that type of outsider status is exactly what Mental Horror's members are going for. In 1998, the headbangers recorded a demo cassette, titled Extreme Evolution Trauma, and by the end of the 20th century, they had been part of a split CD that came out on Mutilation Records (a small Brazilian label). In 2000, Mental Horror signed with Necropolis' Deathvomit label and recorded Proclaiming Vengeance, which came out in the United States in February 2002. Mental Horror has had its share of personnel changes since 1993. In the early 2000s, the band's power trio lineup consisted of C. China on lead vocals and electric bass, Adriano Martini on guitar, and Robles Dresch on drums.