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Rotten Church (1987)
Released in 1987, Rotten Church is the debut album from Panic, one of the lesser-known bands from the Brazilian scene. This record offers a solid dose of death/thrash that shares similarities with early Sepultura, Possessed, and Vulcano. The raw production is reminiscent of Mutilator's Immortal Force. Much like that album, the vocals here are less growled and more shouted, which is a weak point. At least they're somewhat buried in the mix. The rough sound suits the primitive and forceful material quite well.
The band does well to blend violent thrash riffs with dark tremolo passages, as found on "Seeds of Hate" and the title track. The former is one of the best of the entire record and creates an ominous feeling. Some of the chromatic death metal riffing almost sounds ahead of its time, hinting at an approach that would dominate much of the underground within a few years. The lead guitar solos, while often blending into the chaotic maelstrom, show a good sense of melody that adds depth to the music. The songwriting is fairly good, though you might get the sense of having heard this before, even on a first listen. It doesn’t really explore new territory compared to others in the Brazilian scene, but with that said, it’s reliable and solid in a way that should appeal to those who don’t want any unnecessary surprises.
There are moments that show real potential, and if the band hadn’t rushed into recording their first album so soon after forming, and had spent more time developing some of the songs, this could have been even better. What Panic accomplished here may not be as iconic as I.N.R.I. or Morbid Visions, but they captured some of the same vicious, evil spirit. Rotten Church is a good album and well worth a listen for those into late '80s death/thrash.
The band does well to blend violent thrash riffs with dark tremolo passages, as found on "Seeds of Hate" and the title track. The former is one of the best of the entire record and creates an ominous feeling. Some of the chromatic death metal riffing almost sounds ahead of its time, hinting at an approach that would dominate much of the underground within a few years. The lead guitar solos, while often blending into the chaotic maelstrom, show a good sense of melody that adds depth to the music. The songwriting is fairly good, though you might get the sense of having heard this before, even on a first listen. It doesn’t really explore new territory compared to others in the Brazilian scene, but with that said, it’s reliable and solid in a way that should appeal to those who don’t want any unnecessary surprises.
There are moments that show real potential, and if the band hadn’t rushed into recording their first album so soon after forming, and had spent more time developing some of the songs, this could have been even better. What Panic accomplished here may not be as iconic as I.N.R.I. or Morbid Visions, but they captured some of the same vicious, evil spirit. Rotten Church is a good album and well worth a listen for those into late '80s death/thrash.
(1 July 2025)
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