Sarcófago
Encyclopedia
Sarcófago was an influential Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...

 band. They were fronted by Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...

's original singer, Wagner Lamounier
Wagner Lamounier
Wagner Moura Lamounier is a Brazilian economist and musician who achieved fame for having been a former vocalist of Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, and for having created and led the extreme metal band Sarcófago from 1985 until it disbanded in 2000....

, and Geraldo Minelli. They have been described as Brazil's most controversial metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band.

The front cover of the band's debut album, I.N.R.I., is regarded as the single greatest influence on black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....

's image, especially over the corpse paint
Corpse paint
Corpse paint or corpsepaint is a style of black-and-white makeup, used mainly by black metal bands during live concerts and photo shoots. The makeup is used to intensify the bands' imagery of evil, inhumanity, and corpse-like decay. It is most commonly used just on the face, but also on arms and...

 style make-up. That record is also considered one of the "first wave" albums that helped shape the genre. Their third LP, The Laws of Scourge
The Laws of Scourge
-Sarcofago:*Wagner Lamounier - vocals, rhythm guitar*Fabio "Jhasko" - lead guitar*Geraldo Minelli - bass, backing vocals on Midnight Queen, Screeches from the Silence and Crush, Kill, Destroy, acoustic guitars*Lucio Oliver - drums...

, was one of the first technical death metal
Technical death metal
Technical death metal is a musical subgenre of death metal that focuses on complex rhythms, riffs and song structures. Technical experimentation in death metal began in the late '80s and early '90s by bands such as Death, Atheist and Cynic...

 records to be released.

The band broke up in 2000, after releasing the Crust EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

. Former members, minus Wagner, played throughout Brazil in 2006 under the moniker "Tributo ao Sarcófago"(Tribute to Sarcófago). In 2009, rumors surfaced that the original I.N.R.I. line-up were reuniting for a small, high-profile tour, but proved to be false.

Early days (1985–1986)

Sarcófago (Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

 and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 for "sarcophagus") was formed in 1985 in Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...

, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...

, Brazil. Equally indebted to early extreme metal groups such as Bathory
Bathory (band)
Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004...

, Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost was a metal band from Zürich, Switzerland. They are known for their heavy influence on the extreme metal genres. The group was first active from 1984 to 1993, and re-formed in 2001. Following Tom Gabriel Fischer's departure in 2008, Celtic Frost decided to break up again...

, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...

, and Finnish hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

, Sarcófago's goal was to create the most aggressive music ever. Wagner Lamounier, who parted acrimoniously from Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...

 in March of that same year, was invited to join the band. Although Sepultura never recorded anything with Lamounier, he contributed the lyrics to the song "Antichrist" on their Bestial Devastation
Bestial Devastation
Bestial Devastation is an EP by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released in 1985 through Cogumelo Records. It is their first official release, and originally appeared alongside Overdose's Século XX as a split album...

EP.

Sarcófago's vinyl debut was on the Cogumelo Produções
Cogumelo Records
Cogumelo Records is a Brazilian record label that concentrates on heavy metal bands.Cogumelo Records first began as a record store in Belo Horizonte in 1980 and in 1985 became a record label...

 split album
Split album
A split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...

 Warfare Noise, originally released in 1986. Sarcófago contributed the three tracks "Recrucify", "The Black Vomit" and "Satanas". Their music and lyrics were considered shocking at the time, something that brought them a considerable amount of attention. The band's line-up at that point consisted of "Butcher" (guitars), "Antichrist" (Lamounier; vocals), "Incubus" (Geraldo Minelli; bass) and "Leprous" (Armando Sampaio; drums).

I.N.R.I. (1987–1988)

With new drummer "D.D. Crazy" —hailed as a pioneer in the metal world for his extensive use of blast beat
Blast beat
A blast beat is a drum beat often associated with extreme metal and grindcore, although its usage predates the genres, and is utilised by many different styles of metal...

s on this album— Sarcófago released I.N.R.I in July 1987. The band's attire on the album's cover —corpsepaint, leather jackets, and bullet belts— is considered the first definite statement of black metal's visual presentation and style. The music has been equally influential, a milestone in the development of the genre. Despite the record's now-legendary status, Lamounier was unsatisfied with the end results, voicing complaints over the quality of the recording sessions and the band being plagued by inner strife.

After the release of I.N.R.I., Sarcófago briefly disbanded. Lamounier moved to Uberlândia
Uberlândia
Uberlândia is the main town in the Triangle region, west of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. With a population of 604,013 inhabitants, according to 2010 estimates, the city is the second largest in the state second only to Belo Horizonte...

 to study economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 on the Federal University of Uberlândia
Federal University of Uberlândia
The Federal University of Uberlândia is an institution in the southwest of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is a public university located in Uberlândia...

 (UFU), while Butcher and his brother D.D. Crazy left the group. The latter would play drums on Sextrash's debut, 1989's Sexual Carnage.

Rotting (1989–1990)

When Rotting
Rotting (album)
Rotting is the second album by the Brazilian extreme metal band Sarcófago. It was released in August 1989. Prior to recording, drummer D. D. Crazy left the band to join Sextrash, and M. Joker took over on drums. After a short tour, the band headed for the studios. The LP was licensed to Music for...

first came out it stirred a huge amount of controversy due to its cover art — a traditional grim reaper
Death (personification)
The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...

 figure licking what appears to be Jesus Christ's face. It was based upon a medieval painting. The cover art
Cover art
Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...

ist himself, Kelson Frost, refused to paint a crown of thorns
Crown of Thorns
In Christianity, the Crown of Thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was woven of thorn branches and placed on Jesus Christ before his crucifixion...

 over the man's head, which would readily identify him as the Christian messiah.

Rotting musically differs from the raw, hyper-speed black metal of I.N.R.I. Session drummer "Joker" brought a different set of influences to the band (such as crossover thrash
Crossover thrash
__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and punk rock...

); Wagner also learned to play guitar in record time, and contributed many of the album's guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....

s. Rotting also marked their first change of aliases: the group's core duo renamed themselves "Wagner Antichrist" and "Gerald Incubus". Their visual department went through changes as well — they dropped the arm and leg spikes because they made playing live difficult.

Rotting was Sarcófago's first release to have international distribution, handled in Europe by British label Music for Nations
Music For Nations
Music For Nations was a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. They were a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records who in turn is owned by BMG....

, and by Maze/Kraze in America. Maze Records released a censored version of Rotting, blacking out the original cover and adding a sticker which read "Featuring the Original Lead Singer of Sepultura" without consulting the band. Infuriated by the label's actions, Sarcófago sued them.

The Laws of Scourge (1991–1993)

Next came The Laws of Scourge
The Laws of Scourge
-Sarcofago:*Wagner Lamounier - vocals, rhythm guitar*Fabio "Jhasko" - lead guitar*Geraldo Minelli - bass, backing vocals on Midnight Queen, Screeches from the Silence and Crush, Kill, Destroy, acoustic guitars*Lucio Oliver - drums...

(1991), considered a "revolution" in the band's career. A combination of better musicianship, improved production values, and more sophisticated songwriting landed them into technical death metal
Technical death metal
Technical death metal is a musical subgenre of death metal that focuses on complex rhythms, riffs and song structures. Technical experimentation in death metal began in the late '80s and early '90s by bands such as Death, Atheist and Cynic...

 territory. Sarcófago's new direction in music was partly influenced by new members Fábio "Jhasko" (guitar) and Lúcio Olliver (drums), and inspired by a newer crop of extreme metal bands such as Godflesh
Godflesh
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham, England. Originally known as Fall of Because, they formed in 1988 by Justin K. Broadrick and G.C. Green and disbanded in 2002. Godflesh's innovative music is widely regarded as a foundational influence on industrial metal and post-metal...

, Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost (band)
Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England.-History:Their first three full-length albums are examples of the death/doom style, although the latter two incorporated some melodic and gothic elements...

, Bolt Thrower, Deicide
Deicide (band)
Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, are ranked second and third place in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era.-As Amon/Carnage :...

, and Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...

.

The Laws of Scourge became Sarcófago's best selling record, and responsible for their most extensive touring schedule to this date. Their tour trek also included their first international dates: they visited South American countries such as Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

 and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 they played shows in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. In Brazil, their most important gig
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...

 was to open for Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 hardcore punk pioneers the Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from the United States that formed in Houston, in 1982. The band currently comprises founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as drummer Rob Rampy and bassist Harald Oimoen.D.R.I...

 in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...

.

Hate (1994–1996)

Musically speaking, Hate
Hate (Sarcófago album)
-Line up:* Wagner Lamounier - guitars, vocals* Gerald Minelli - bass & backing vocals* Eugênio "Dead Zone" - electronic and live drums, all keyboards-Further reading:...

is notable for its stripped-down, straightforward approach and the use of a drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...

, the latter sparking some controversy. Lamounier claimed to have no qualms about using this device, on the basis that most death metal drummers use trigger pads for recording purposes, which in the end produces the same homogenized sound as that of a drum machine.

The band cut their hair short, in protest of the masculine long hair
Long hair
Long hair is a hairstyle. Exactly what constitutes long hair can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length hair in some cultures may be said to have short hair, while a man with the same length of hair in some of the same cultures would be said...

 style becoming popular due to the massive success of grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...

 in the early 1990s. Men sporting long hair has traditionally been associated with counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...

 groups, and it is especially present in the metalhead subculture. Wagner declared:
In late 1996, Sarcófago released the Decade of Decay compilation which, amongst other things, featured demo versions of their early songs and rare backstage
Backstage
Backstage may refer to:* Backstage , by Cher* Backstage , an Australian drama* Back Stage , a silent film starring Oliver Hardy* Back Stage , a silent film starring Buster Keaton...

 photographs. The band described the CD as a "gift" to their fans.

The Worst (1997–2000)

Sarcófago's fifth and final album, The Worst (1997), sees the band slowing down in relation to the speed-oriented Hate, and having a better grasp of drum programming. Minelli and Lamounier saw this record as a "summation" of their career.

With the turn of the millennium came the Crust EP, Sarcófago's swansong release. It was meant to be a preview of an upcoming album, but the band's core duo parted ways before commencing its recording.

Sarcófago Tribute tour (2006–2009)

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Warfare Noise split album, Cogumelo Records and Gerald Incubus organized a comeback show with Sarcófago in Belo Horizonte. Along with Minelli, the line-up for that event was Fábio Jhasko on guitars, Manu Joker and old-time friend Juarez "Tibanha" on vocals. That performance was recorded and there are plans to release it in DVD format. Lamounier opted not to join this "Sarcófago Tribute" band for the lack in desire to play professionally. However, Wagner still pursues his musical interests — he plays in the crust punk
Crust punk
Crust punk is a form of music influenced by anarcho-punk, hardcore punk and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the mid-1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills...

 band Commando Kaos.

In October 2007, Sarcófago flew to Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

 to play in the Black Shadows Festival, alongside death metal pioneers Possessed
Possessed (band)
Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre...

.

In March 2009, Wagner supposedly announced that Sarcofago would reunite, and their tour itinerary would include appearances at the Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...

and Hole in the Sky
Hole in the Sky
Hole in the Sky was a metal festival located in Bergen, Norway that was arranged in the end of August each year from 2000 to 2011.It was arranged for the first time in 2000, in honor of the then recently deceased Erik "Grim" Brødreskift - ex-member of Borknagar, Gorgoroth and Immortal...

festivals, as well as dates in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

. He stated it will be the original I.N.R.I. line-up, but this is the only tour they will be doing and there will be no new material. A couple of days later, Lamounier himself wrote to the music press exposing this news report as a hoax.

Lyrical approach

Inspired by Venom
Venom (band)
Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...

 and Hellhammer
Hellhammer
Hellhammer was an influential extreme metal band from Switzerland, active during 1982–1984. They are regarded as being one of the first extreme metal bands and are a key influence on later black metal and death metal bands.-Biography:...

, Sarcófago's early lyrics were openly Satanic. These lyrics frequently employed curse words and crude, obscene scenarios, such as in the case of "Desecration of (the) Virgin", a blasphemous take on Mother Mary's virgin birth.
Whilst still polemical, by 1989's Rotting the band's stance on Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 was more agnostic than Satanic. The original vinyl release came with a lengthy manifesto written by Lamounier, in which he criticized the alienating
Social alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...

 effect that Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

 had on Brazilian society. The band also questioned the divine nature
Hypostatic union
Hypostatic union is a technical term in Christian theology employed in mainstream Christology to describe the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one hypostasis.The First Council of Ephesus recognised this doctrine and affirmed its importance, stating that the...

 of Christ, declaring he was just a regular man who died for his ideas. On a less serious note the album featured "Sex, Drinks and Metal", a hedonistic ode to the headbanger lifestyle.

Their next album, The Laws of Scourge, continued their new-found focus on more "reality-based" themes, with lyrics generally covering such death-related topics as suicide and homicide. The band had trouble again with American censors, with the lyrics of the re-recorded version of "The Black Vomit" being forcibly omitted from the CD booklet as well as the entire "Prelude to Suicide" track.

Legacy

The band left a widespread influence on black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....

 circles worldwide, particularly among the Scandinavian portion of the so-called "second wave" of the genre. "It is sobering," claimed Terrorizer magazine, "to think of what wouldn't have happened had 'I.N.R.I.' not been released."

Fenriz
Fenriz
Leif Gylve Nagell , better known as Fenriz, is the drummer and lyricist of the Norwegian black metal duo Darkthrone...

, drummer of Darkthrone
Darkthrone
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...

, included a Sarcófago track ("Satanic Lust") in his The Best of Old-School Black Metal
Fenriz Presents... The Best of Old-School Black Metal
Fenriz Presents... The Best of Old-School Black Metal is a compilation album by Fenriz featuring bands that have been highly influential for, and pioneers of the black metal genre; Nattefrost and Aura Noir being the only newer bands...

compilation, released by Peaceville Records
Peaceville Records
Peaceville Records is a British independent metal-oriented record label. The label was founded by Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw in 1987, in Dewsbury, England...

. Of Sarcófago's I.N.R.I., he said it was an "album" that "you buy or die." Euronymous
Euronymous
Øystein Aarseth , who went by the pseudonym Euronymous, was a Norwegian guitarist and co-founder of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem...

, the deceased guitarist of Mayhem
Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...

 and erstwhile leader of the so-called "Inner Circle", traded correspondence with Lamounier in the early days of Norway's scene. According to the Lords of Chaos book, Euronymous was "obsessed" with Sarcófago's image, and wanted all black metal to be like them. Satyricon
Satyricon (band)
Satyricon is a Norwegian black metal band, and the first one in the genre to join a multi-national record label .-Biography:Satyricon was formed in 1990 by Czral and Wargod. Ulver and Satyr soon joined them...

 covered Sarcófago's "I.N.R.I." on their Intermezzo II
Intermezzo II
Intermezzo II is an EP by the Norwegian black metal band Satyricon.-Track listing:#"A Moment of Clarity" – 6:40#"I.N.R.I." – 2:10 #"Nemesis Divina" – 5:15...

EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

, also featured on the Tribute to Sarcófago album, released by Cogumelo Records in 2001. Key Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. Formed in 1992 by Infernus , the band is named after the dead plateau of evil and darkness in the land of Mordor from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The group is currently signed to Regain Records and have released...

 members Infernus and King
King ov Hell
Tom Cato Visnes , better known as King ov Hell or simply King, is a Norwegian musician and ex-teacher. He is best known as the former bassist of black metal band Gorgoroth, but he is also the co-founder of Ov Hell, God Seed, Jotunspor, Sahg and I...

 were also influenced by Sarcófago.

Notable black metal groups from neighbouring Finland were also affected by Sarcófago's early output. Beherit
Beherit (band)
Beherit is a black metal band from Finland. The band was formed in 1989 by Nuclear Holocausto , Black Jesus and Sodomatic Slaughter , with the purpose of performing "the most primitive, savage, hell-obsessed black metal imaginable." "Beherit" is the Syriac word for Satan...

 founder Nuclear Holocausto said Sarcófago was one of "the greatest influences" for the band; Mika Luttinen
Mika Luttinen
Mika Luttinen was born in Oulu, Finland, in 1971. In 1990, he formed the Finnish black metal band Impaled Nazarene, where he is the singer and main lyricist. After numerous line-up changes, he remains the only original member. Besides his main project, he has been in the death/black metal band...

 from Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene is a Finnish black metal band that incorporates elements of grindcore in their sound and punk rock in their aesthetics. The band is currently signed to Osmose Productions of France....

 said that "nothing tops Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...

´s Reign In Blood
Reign in Blood
Reign in Blood is the third studio album and the major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve...

or Sarcofago's I.N.R.I., you know." Their version of "The Black Vomit" was included in Tribute to Sarcófago.

Lamounier, however, has been critical of several of the bands influenced by Sarcófago, especially bands from the Norwegian black metal scene, wondering how one of the wealthiest countries in the world could have produced such a scene. Although he liked Immortal
Immortal (band)
Immortal is a black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1990 by current frontman/guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta and former guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta...

, Wagner dubbed Euronymous a "nutcase" and considered Burzum
Burzum
Burzum is a musical project by Varg Vikernes . It began during 1991 in Bergen, Norway and quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene...

 "shit". He also criticized black metal's purposely lo-fi recording aesthetic; Lamounier said that Burzum's guitar timbre
Timbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...

 "sounded like it was recorded through a transistor radio
Transistor radio
A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver using transistor-based circuitry. Following their development in 1954 they became the most popular electronic communication device in history, with billions manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s...

."

Conflict with Sepultura

An oft-cited aspect of Sarcófago's history is their long-lasting feud with Sepultura. Although former Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera
Igor Cavalera
Igor Graziano Cavalera is a Brazilian musician. He is best known as the former drummer for Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura.-Biography:...

 eventually dismissed the entire affair as "child's play", the music press fuelled their bitter rivalry for many years. Their conflict partially contributed to Sarcofágo's fame as the perennial "black sheep
Black sheep
In the English language, black sheep is an idiom used to describe an odd or disreputable member of a group, especially within a family. The term has typically been given negative implications, implying waywardness...

" of Brazilian heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

.

Tensions started after Lamounier parted ways with Sepultura, which led to a temporarily awkward situation. In Minelli's assessment, "everybody had forgotten it" until two years later, when D.D. Crazy smashed a bottle over Andreas Kisser
Andreas Kisser
Andreas Rudolf Kisser is the lead guitarist for the metal band Sepultura as well as the rock supergroup HAIL!-Biography:...

's head, who had been recently recruited as Sepultura's new lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...

ist. Kisser was being "too much of a douchebag". Sílvio "Bibica" Gomes, Sepultura roadie and co-author of the band's Toda a História biography, was one of the prime instigators of that fight. From then on, the Sarcófago/Sepultura feud became a hotly debated topic in the Brazilian underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...

 metal scene.

During an interview from The Worst era, Lamounier was asked to comment on Sepultura's well-publicized break-up, when Max Cavalera
Max Cavalera
Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band Sepultura, before forming Soulfly in the late 1990s...

 left the band in January 1997. Lamounier declared he was not surprised that things turned out the way they did as, in his words, "with what I knew of them, I think its quite normal that one brother should betray another in that family, they don't measure the consequences to get what they want. So, a brother backstabbing the other, deceiving their mother, cheating a friend... For money, I'll bet they're capable of anything."

Annoyed by Lamounier meddling on "private family business", Max Cavalera's answer came through "Bumbklaatt", a song on Soulfly
Soulfly
Soulfly is a heavy metal band formed in 1997 based in Phoenix, Arizona. The original lyrical content revolved around spirituality and religious themes, with later albums encompassing other themes including war, violence, aggression, hatred and anger. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max...

's debut album
Soulfly (album)
-Digipak Edition released on October 19, 1999 bonus disc track listing:-Roadrunner Records 25th Anniversary Reissue bonus disc track listing:The album was also released on August 30, 2005 as part of the Roadrunner Records 25th Anniversary Reissues with the Limited Edition bonus tracks and a new one...

.
Max explained that, in Jamaican patois, "Bumbklatt" means "blood clot" and it is also "a big insult... It means motherfucker or a piece of shit in Jamaica".

The animosity between the two groups eventually reached another major Brazilian band, crossover thrash act Ratos de Porão
Ratos de Porão
Ratos de Porão is a Brazilian hardcore punk band from São Paulo. They were formed in 1980, toured South America, North America, and Europe and still continue to play today...

. The band got involved in the affair after a 1987 Belo Horizonte gig, when a portion of the audience kept jeering at the band. One version of that story states that Lamounier and Ratos de Porão singer João Gordo
João Gordo
João Gordo is the vocalist of the Brazilian hardcore punk band Ratos de Porão, also known as simply RxDxPx...

 were antagonizing each other during the show. Another one tells us that when Gordo asked Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera who was "gobbing
Spitting
Spitting or expectoration is the act of forcibly ejecting saliva or other substances from the mouth. It is currently considered rude and a social taboo in many parts of the world including the West, while in some other parts of the world it is considered more acceptable...

" at his band, Max accused Sarcófago.

Tensions flared up once again five years later when Sarcófago, instead of Ratos de Porão, were picked up to be the opening band of DRI
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from the United States that formed in Houston, in 1982. The band currently comprises founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as drummer Rob Rampy and bassist Harald Oimoen.D.R.I...

's first Brazilian shows. Ratos de Porão and friends from São Paulo thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...

 group Korzus
Korzus
Korzus is a Brazilian thrash metal band, formed in 1983 in São Paulo. They are one of the oldest and most important bands of the Brazilian thrash metal scene, along with bands like Sarcófago and Sepultura...

 invaded Sarcófago's backstage area; João Gordo then proceeded to sucker-punch Lamounier while he was lying drunk on the floor, and Gordo's friends attacked the rest with motorcycle chain
Roller chain
Roller chain or bush roller chain is the type of chain drive most commonly used for transmission of mechanical power on many kinds of domestic, industrial and agricultural machinery, including conveyors, wire and tube drawing machines, printing presses, cars, motorcycles, and simple machines like...

s. A massive brawl ensued, with a member of DRI's road crew
Road crew
The road crew are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians...

 getting his arm broken.

Discography

Studio albums
  • I.N.R.I (1987)
  • Rotting
    Rotting (album)
    Rotting is the second album by the Brazilian extreme metal band Sarcófago. It was released in August 1989. Prior to recording, drummer D. D. Crazy left the band to join Sextrash, and M. Joker took over on drums. After a short tour, the band headed for the studios. The LP was licensed to Music for...

    (1989)
  • The Laws of Scourge
    The Laws of Scourge
    -Sarcofago:*Wagner Lamounier - vocals, rhythm guitar*Fabio "Jhasko" - lead guitar*Geraldo Minelli - bass, backing vocals on Midnight Queen, Screeches from the Silence and Crush, Kill, Destroy, acoustic guitars*Lucio Oliver - drums...

    (1991)
  • Hate
    Hate (Sarcófago album)
    -Line up:* Wagner Lamounier - guitars, vocals* Gerald Minelli - bass & backing vocals* Eugênio "Dead Zone" - electronic and live drums, all keyboards-Further reading:...

    (1994)
  • The Worst (1997)

Compilation albums
  • Decade of Decay (1996)

Demos
  • Satanic Lust (1986)
  • The Black Vomit (1986)
  • Sepultado (1987)
  • Christ's Death (1987)


EPs
  • Crush, Kill, Destroy
    Crush, Kill, Destroy
    Crush, Kill, Destroy was the first EP released by Brazilian extreme metal band, Sarcófago. The EP was released in Brazil alone. All the tracks on this EP can be found on The Laws of Scourge.-Track listing:...

    (1992)
  • Crust (2000)

Split albums
  • Warfare Noise (1986); with Chakal, Holocausto and Mutilator

Compilation appearances
  • The Lost Tapes of Cogumelo
    The Lost Tapes of Cogumelo
    The Lost Tapes of Cogumelo is a seminal compilation released by the Brazilian label Cogumelo Records in 1990 which includes the following bands: Sepultura, Sarcófago, Overdose, Holocausto, Chakal, and Mutilator....

    (1990)
  • Masters of Brutality II (1992)
  • Speed Kills 6: Violence of the Slams (1992)
  • Roadkill, Vol. 2 (1999)
  • Cogumelo Records Compilation (2001)
  • Warzone XXVI (2001)
  • Fenriz Presents... The Best of Old-School Black Metal
    Fenriz Presents... The Best of Old-School Black Metal
    Fenriz Presents... The Best of Old-School Black Metal is a compilation album by Fenriz featuring bands that have been highly influential for, and pioneers of the black metal genre; Nattefrost and Aura Noir being the only newer bands...

    (2004)


Members

Last known line-up
  • Wagner "Antichrist" Lamounier
    Wagner Lamounier
    Wagner Moura Lamounier is a Brazilian economist and musician who achieved fame for having been a former vocalist of Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, and for having created and led the extreme metal band Sarcófago from 1985 until it disbanded in 2000....

     - vocal
    Singer (disambiguation)
    A singer is a person who sings.Singer may refer also to:* Singer Corporation, major manufacturer of sewing machines* Singer Building, in which the Singer Corporation was based in New York City...

    s, guitar
    Electric guitar
    An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...

     (1985–2000)
  • Geraldo "Gerald Incubus" Minelli - bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

    , backing vocal
    Backing vocalist
    A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

    s (1986–2000)


Session
  • Manoel "Joker" - drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

    , backing vocals (1989–1991)
  • Eugênio "Dead Zone" - drum programming, keyboards
    Keyboard instrument
    A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

    (1994–2000)


Former
  • Armando "Leprous" Sampaio - drums (1985–1986)
  • Juninho "Pussy Fucker" - bass guitar (1985–1986)
  • Zeber "Butcher" - guitar (1985–1987)
  • Eduardo "D.D. Crazy" - drums (1986–1987)
  • Fabio "Jhasko" - guitar (1991–1993)
  • Lucio Olliver - drums (1991–1993)

External links

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