• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

It's not surprising that some bands change their sound drastically and sound like a whole different band after a few years. Brazilian cult Metal band Dorsal Atlântica is a band that started out playing pure Heavy Metal band (with some Speed Metal influences) but by the time they recorded their debut album, Antes do Fim, they became a wholly different band. Much like Slayer, Dorsal Atlântica evolved from a Heavy Metal band to a 100%, full-blooded Thrash Metal band on their debut.

Ultimatum was a split from Dorsal Atlântica and Metalmorphose and it contains Dorsal Atlântica's first official recordings. The band's Portuguese-sung Heavy Metal sounded almost virginal at this point. There was definitely more enthusiasm than anything else in their songs. They sounded energized, passionate and ready to take on the world with their raw and stripped down Heavy Metal on Ultimatum. Vocalist Carlos Vândalo didn't sound a bit like a talented Heavy Metal singer on this recording but he still managed to bring something of his own with his "spoken" vocal lines and some occasional high pitched screams that sort of reminded me of Tom Araya on the Show No Mercy record.

As part of the Depois do Fim (After the End) 3-CD set this re-release of Ultimatum contains live and rehearsal outtakes along with their 2-track demo from 1982. Let's say they are all good to have for curiosity's sake but they really don't offer any extra salt on your meal, so to speak. The booklet for this re-release is well done once again with a written history of the band (by Carlos Lopes), 1981-88 discography details, rare photos, etc. This is where it all started so by all means get this if you aren't familiar with Dorsal Atlântica yet.