Brazilian death metal supergroup, The Troops Of Doom, has finally revealed the first details about their forthcoming, sophomore studio offering! A Mass To The Grotesque will be unleashed as limited LP Vinyl edition and CD Digipack on May 31, 2024 via Alma Mater Records, the Portuguese label run by Moonspell singer Fernando Ribeiro!
“Imagine a death metal world unaltered and pure since the nineties, a musical style so dear to the fans, that time, business and trend, could never hurt,“ death metal fan Ribeiro recommends. “Go back to the glorious time where death metal reigned supreme, thanks to some bands, artists, studios and an untamable will of progressing and delivering extreme music to its finest shape, like occult jewellery, filigree , brutal yet elegant in its overwhelming task of splitting your ears. The new Troops of Doom album A Mass to the Grotesque, which Alma Mater Records is brutally proud to present, rescues this long forgotten death metal class. They are the flag carriers of the authentic Morrisound sound (the legendary Florida studio where this album was mixed and mastered) and they leave no stones unturned on this one. Brace yourself for the best and most authentic death metal album in ages!”
The band was formed in 2020, during the pandemic, by the original Sepultura guitarist Jairo “Tormentor” Guedz. He recorded the albums Bestial Devastation (1985) and Morbid Visions (1986). Jairo left the band in 1987, making way for Andreas Kisser, who continues with the band to this day. The Troops Of Doom’s lineup also includes other significant figures from the Brazilian metal scene, such as guitarist Marcelo Vasco (Patria, Mysteriis), a globally renowned graphic artist known for his work with bands like Slayer, Dee Snider, Kreator, Machine Head, Soulfly and many others. The vocalist and bassist is Alex Kafer, former live guitarist for Matanza, whilst drummer Alexandre Oliveira, a former member of the band Tianastácia, completes the lineup.
Acclaimed by specialised media as a supergroup, The Troops Of Doom emerged to revive the classic death metal of the eighties, inspired by Sepultura’s early era with Jairo and other influential bands such as Slayer, Celtic Frost, Kreator, and Possessed. It serves as a time machine for those nostalgic for the golden age of death metal. In just two years since its formation, the band has released three EPs: The Rise of Heresy (2020), The Absence of Light (2021), and Prelude to Blasphemy (2023), along with their debut album, Antichrist Reborn, which was released in 2022 on CD, LP, and Cassette by Alma Mater Records and lauded by both fans and music press alike.
Now, the band is gearing up for the release of their highly anticipated second album, A Mass To The Grotesque, produced by André Moraes, a multi-talented musician known for his work on Sepultura’s Dante XXI and the soundtrack of the film Lisbela e o Prisioneiro, at Audio Porto studio in Porto Alegre. The mixing and mastering of the album were done by Jim Morris at the legendary Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida, known for producing some of the greatest death metal classics of the eighties and nineties.
“The entire production and recording of the album were done in Brazil, while the mixing and mastering were handled by the great Jim Morris at the legendary Morrisound Recording in Florida. It’s a production that completely diverges from today’s standard productions. We are very proud of it.“ Jairo Guedz comments.
“Every aspect of this album was chosen meticulously,“ Marcelo Vasco adds. “What could be more intense than having the record mixed in the studio where the greatest death metal classics of the eightiess and nineties were mixed? Our idea was to take the production of this album to another level. The sound breaths, it’s organic and lo-fi, old school as hell. It’s an experience!”
The cover art was painted by the acclaimed artist Dan Seagrave, responsible for numerous classic death metal album covers. Guedz reveals: “The title A Mass To The Grotesque carries the symbolism of a true ode to the ugly, the evil, the feared. It encompasses everything and everyone that doesn’t fit into the molds of a so-called ‘evolved’ society, choosing to live in the shadows. A dark liturgy to the rejected and their followers, who find shelter and comfort in the absence of light and in the supposed dictatorship of the divine word, whatever it may be. The grotesque is resistance, where nothing is sacred!”
“There wouldn’t be a more perfect artist to paint the album cover than the master Dan Seagrave, whose distinctive style is deeply rooted in the genre and has created numerous album covers for death metal bands that have become iconic and, of course, a great inspiration in The Troops of Doom’s music. We are huge fans of his work,“ Vasco admits, “and it is a giant honour to have him as the cover artist of this new album. It’s a dream come true.”
Tracklist:
Solve Et Coagula – Introduction
Chapels Of The Unholy
Dawn of Mephisto
Denied Divinity
The Impostor King
Faithless Requiem
Psalm 78 – God of Bizarre
Terror Inheritance
The Grotesque
Blood Upon The Throne
Venomous Creed
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