The Strange World of Coffin Joe

1968, Brazil, Directed by José Mojica Marins
B&W, Running Time: 82 minutes
Review Source: DVD, R2, Anchor Bay; Video: 1.33:1, Audio: DD Mono

Adopting a portmanteou style The Strange World... (AKA O Estranho Mundo de Zé do Caixão) is not really a sequel to This Night I'll Possess... but it does feature 'Coffin Joe' opening the narration in a familiar pseudo philosophical fashion, and when he does finally appear within the film itself (in the final chapter) he's not really playing the same character. That's not to say that this film is without the sadistic edge that we've come to expect... The first chapter - The Dollmaker - sort of apes The Twilight Zone in tone. Three deadbeats listen in on a conversation down the pub where an ageing dollmaker is muttering about having a fortune in the house. Later on they follow him back to where he and his four nubile young daughters manufacture dolls (rather crap looking ones, but dolls nonetheless) for a living. They break in and, threatening the old artist, cause him to collapse clutching his heart. Then the young criminals spot the four daughters in bed in the next room; needless to say, in conjunction with a certain degree of salivation, they decide to head in there and have a bit more fun... The next story, Obsession or Perversion depending on where you get your translation, is pretty much a silent movie. A hunchbacked balloon-seller develops an infatuation with a woman who gets murdered at her own wedding by another, presumably jealous, knife-wielding female (talk about a big-day spoiler). Not letting a little thing like death get in the way of his desires he later breaks into her tomb, strips her off, and molests the body, probably acknowledging that this is the only way he's ever gonna get a hot (or cold in this case) babe. The final tale, Ideology, stars Marins as a professor who speaks about the godless world he believes in, and his theories on the reality of human existence. To make his point he captures a young couple where he subjects them first to horrors experienced by others, and then to horrors experienced by themselves (presumably this now having some context for them...), pushing the girl to a point where she reaches such a level of desperation she is driven by her own instincts to drink the blood of her dying partner.

As with the preceding films by Marins, there is an undeniable air of maliciousness and venom surrounding this film. Each tale becomes more uncompromising than the last, the first being the most - if one can use this word speaking about Joe - commercial of the three. Quite a creepy little tale with an atmosphere of doom as the soundtrack vibrates with constant thunderous noises of the winds and skies outside the morbid little house where most of the action takes place. The second tale must have been the most explicit suggestion of necrophilia ever seen in cinema at that point. It had been touched on before, the most enticing example being The Terror of Dr Hichcock (which I'd dearly love a Blu-ray of), but not quite as obviously as here in Strange World. Very slow and too long for its content (the 'seduction' scene goes on for a hell of a sleep-inducing time), the tale again has an unusual tone that compensates for its shortcomings, which is generally in the acting department. The third story brings us into more familar Coffin Joe territory, although his performance here is much more controlled and sedate. That doesn't mean to say it's much less horrific - the things the young couple, and we the viewers, witness are graphic and downright nasty (one scene had me in a state of surprise that it even got past the BBFC). A man is stretched on the rack before having his flesh devoured whilst still alive by a horde of lepers followed by a caged girl rejecting the advances of men before being burned with acid, the traumatic event causing her to kiss the feet of one of them. The torture of the couple concludes with such profundity it must have been on a Martyrs type plane of its day. Marins does raise some interesting ideas amidst his conquests to shock.

Like the film, the DVD (part of a Coffin Joe boxed set) is grimy and not nice to look at! It's arguably perversely satisfying to watch these oddities in this condition and, let's face it, who's going to spend thousands remastering them? The subtitles are again burned in, though not of great grammatical quality - the errors are, however, moderately amusing (think of watching Hong Kong films). Again, we can be thankful that this sort of thought-lost and buried weirdness can be exhumed and brought to us at all.

Upcoming Total Recall (1990) and The Boogens Blu-rays

The classic Arnie sci-fi action movie (one of my personal favourites) Total Recall is being re-released on Blu by Lionsgate in the US (obviously bump-started by the Colin Farrell remake), and it looks like it's at last getting the sort of disc it deserves this time too - this version is dubbed "Mind-Bending Edition" as they've already used up "Special Edition" and "Special Limited Edition" in the past...; the previous Blu-ray featured the ridiculous 'Beyond High Definition' slogan across the front, so I'm wondering if this will be 'Beyond Beyond High Definition'.  Includes commentary by Arnie and Paul Verhoeven (probably the one that was originally recorded for the special edition DVD, the same commentary that Arnie reportedly wanted $50K for...), plus an interview with the director, featurettes on the special effects etc, restoration comparison, trailers, gallery.  Release in the US: end of July.  Even better, I have suspicions that the UK may see a triple play steelbook of this one...

Also on its way from US company Olive Films is something I've heard of in the past but never seen: The Boogens.  A monster movie from 1981, this looks like a low budget B movie that could be some fun.  Being released by the same guys who are bringing the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers our way this could also turn out to be a lavish Blu-ray (it is apparently being struck from a 35mm print).

Demons 2

1988, Italy, Directed by Lamberto Bava
Colour, Running Time: 92 minutes
Review Source: Blu-ray, Region B, Arrow; Video: 1.66:1 1080p 24fps, Audio: LPCM Stereo

Rather than continue the story exactly where Demons left off, the writers of the sequel adopted the novel idea of retelling a very similar story that occurs elsewhere, and using a number of the same actors too. Instead of watching a movie in a theatre the eventual victims of the demon plague here inhabit a high-rise apartment block and whilst passing their time away with various inoffensive activities such has having parties, training in the onsite gym, and keeping the prostitution industry afloat, they have their TVs on in the background whereby an apparently fictitious film portrays the coming of a demon plague… Before long one of the creatures of the onscreen story has supernaturally escaped (almost Videodrome-style) from the TV of an apartment where a crazy party is underway and, as in the first movie, hell breaks loose and the slaughtered partygoers are soon transformed into the bloodthirsty undead. Thus a rampage through the apartment block takes place as its innocent dwellers fall victim to the relentlessly violent monsters.

I’m not sure if choosing to follow the path that the sequel does - almost remaking the first movie - is a good or bad idea. Demons 2 doesn’t work as well as its predecessor, that much is sure, but I don’t think its failings are specifically attributable to the notion of telling almost exactly the same story. It’s certainly fun spotting a couple of the original cast (who were horribly murdered in the first outing, but you can forget logic with these films) show up again to reprise different roles - amusingly with almost identical personalities - and the pace of the story is built up from relaxed to frantic levels, then maintained in a similar fashion. A number of the same crew are also present: Lamberto takes up directorial reins again, Dario Argento returns to produce and write (with Franco Ferrini and Dardano Sacchetti), Gianlorenzo Battaglia is once again responsible for functional cinematography, and special effects maestro Sergio Stivaletti helps out with prosthetics and mechanised creations as before. So why doesn’t Dèmoni 2: L’incubo Ritorna (the subheading translating as The Nightmare Returns) quite do the trick? On first seeing this film around 1991/2 I was fooled into thinking the film works just as well, but multiple viewings bring about the realisation that there are disadvanted areas: Simon Boswell replaces Claudio Simonetti in the music department and whilst his contributions are adequately executed the deliberately non-metal soundtrack choices don’t inject the proceedings with the same energy and chaotic drive (I remember reading an interview with Boswell where he stated that he wanted to move away from metal for the sequel; I think this was a misjudgement on his part personally though I know not all will agree with this point!). Next is the overall gruesomeness, which is substantially reduced compared to Demons. I understand that it was originally intended to be just as gory but was cut down prior to release - again this stripped down violence makes the film feel somewhat anaemic after sitting through the first film, particularly noticeable if watching them in the same evening. If a ‘special edition’ of some kind was to reinstate the excised footage we could be in for a more satisfactory thrill ride. Having said all that there is still a consistent flavour underlying the story that makes it watchable for fans of the first, the special effects that have remained are pretty visceral, and, despite the music itself not lending itself so well to the material, I love the way The Cult’s Rain plays as a backing track to the aftermath of the party massacre. Demons 2 is at least a little bit disappointing, but I guess I still wouldn't be without it (it does make a nice double bill with the first movie, usually as the alcohol has kicked in by the second one).

Whilst I never owned the Anchor Bay (2001) and Starz (2007) issues of Demons 2, the old UK Divid2000 DVD looked smooth enough despite a low bitrate and some digital problems but the audio was one of the worst transfer jobs I’ve ever heard: levels were all over the place and sounds frequently so muffled even a sudden and aggravated swivel of the volume knob barely helped - I don’t think the film sounded that bad on videotape. So aside from a surprisingly comprehensive presence of extras the presentation of the film itself was a major letdown. Thankfully Arrow have issued a new HD transfer blowing all this out of the stratosphere - resolution of detail and colour are way superior, while the audio tracks (English or Italian language, with English subtitles as an option) are much more balanced. Clearly the English track was not the best on a technical level (indeed, the Italian segment I sampled was a touch sharper), however, there is no rushing for the volume knob as was the case with the UK DVD. It does make the film somewhat more enjoyable. Extras on the new Blu-ray include an audio commentary of sorts, a history of Italian horror (with Luigi Cozzi - really quite limited if you know even a reasonable amount about the sub-genre, although a nice introduction for newcomers), and a featurette on the special effects magician Sergio Stivaletti. As with the first film, you can buy this in a beautiful steelbook containing both films on Blu-ray, a booklet, and a postcard, or you can buy them individually in standard packaging that contains a poster and mini comic. Either way it's an essential buy for Italian horror lovers.

Demons

1985, Italy, Directed by Lamberto Bava
Colour, Running Time: 88 minutes
Review Source: Blu-ray, Region B, Arrow; Video: 1.66:1 1080p 24fps, Audio: LPCM Stereo

If you want artistic intellectualism, cultured dialogue, or existential relevance in your movies, don’t come to Lamberto Bava. Despite his dad being a bit of an auteur in the cult genres, a flamboyant technician with a great sense of aesthetics along with the raw talent to innovate in his efforts in the creation of unique shots, Lamberto took up the directorial reigns to knock out bloodshed movies that would appeal almost exclusively to the lower cerebral functions. That’s not (necessarily) a bad thing. Demons begins with a young woman (who’s on her way home from work or university presumably) receiving a complementary ticket to see a movie. Tagging her friend along they both head off to the cinema where a reasonable size audience has gathered to watch the mysterious film, which turns out to be a horror story about Nostradamus’ apparent prediction of a demonic plague becoming a reality. Some of the viewers are perplexed when certain events in the movie begin to mirror what’s happening in the theatre and suddenly there is an outbreak of demonic possession outside of the film. All hell breaks loose in the cinema as people are ripped apart, subsequently transforming into the very monsters that killed them, while others flee in panic only to find that the exits have been blocked - as death and mayhem escalate it would appear that there is no escape for the dwindling survivors.

Young Bava had made a small but noticeable mark on the genre world already with the macabre Macabre and the moderately stylish (if overlong) modern giallo Blade in the Dark in the early eighties, and Demons (or Dèmoni in Italy) would pretty much sledgehammer his presence on the scene: whilst it is minimalist in terms of plot development and characterisations (though there are a few feeble attempts at the latter) the movie delivers profoundly on violence, gore, suitably ghastly demons, sheer ruthlessness, etc. Taking a good half hour to get going (where the spectators are generally sitting around watching the onscreen action unfold while telling each other to shut up, or attempting to mate), once the action does kick off it’s like the gates of Hell have opened up. What gives the scenario some impact is the setting: everyone being inexplicably trapped within in a labyrinthine cinema has a cool vibe about it, and one that brings a little bit of a sinister edge with it too - this aspect is underlined in a lovely manner when the viewers realise they are trapped, lose themselves in hysterics and a wide-angled lens camera drifts around the walls: the madness of the situation becomes apparent. Periodic injections of humour also elevate the darker elements of the story, usually in the form of some of the characters’ oddball lines (the black guy has some of the best of these). Of course the film’s crew did boast some respectable talent working alongside Lamberto: acclaimed director (at the time!) Dario Argento both produced the film and wrote the screenplay (with Lamberto and Franco Ferrini) based on a story by Dardano Sacchetti (writer of most of Lucio Fulci’s best films, amongst many others), and Claudio Simonetti wrote a significant portion of the soundtrack, he of course being famous as one of the collaborators and originators of Italian prog-instrumentalists Goblin. Aside from Simonetti’s typically distinctive contributions there’s a great choice of metal tracks granting the bloody action with an enhanced dose of energy, making the movie almost a cinematic celebration of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era that had reached its summit by the time Demons was released. Saxon’s Everybody Up and Accept’s Fast as a Shark are notable highlights though of course this choice of music won’t suit everyone, however I think it makes good accompaniment to some of the crazy antics of the characters. Stripping genre cinema down to its fundamental constituents Demons is basically a kick-ass, rock n’ roll, gory roller coaster ride.

Previously the ideal way to view the film (outside of a cinema) was via the Anchor Bay US disc, which was released some time around 1999. The dull, non-anamorphic transfer was reasonable for its time though was beginning to appear somewhat antiquated. The accurate aspect ratio was welcome while a dated attempt at creating a 5.1 surround track from old elements brought a touch of weight to the soundtrack, even if the audio was still a little centred at the front side of the soundstage. A commentary from the director (among other people), a featurette and trailer rounded out the DVD package. Jumping forward to 2012 and Arrow lavishly bring the film into the HD era with a seriously impressive Blu-ray. Again framed at 1.66:1 as it should be, image quality is a huge improvement all round - colour, brightness, detail, everything. The print used is an Italian one (i.e. Italian credits and even the original near-halfway break message that appears for about a second or two) and it looks sumptuous to be frank. Audio (choose from either English language, or Italian, with subtitles if desired) varies according to the quality of the recordings but is superior to previous home cinema incarnations. Music is very strong certainly, while the dubbed dialogue is clear enough. Notably there are a couple of small variations compared to the Anchor Bay disc, in particular the vocal dubbing of the perpetually annoyed husband. I also noticed a slight hitch in Billy Idol's White Wedding that I don't think is present in the other version. No real problems though, just be aware that this is a slight variation on what you may be used to. The disc also comes with two audio commentaries and a couple of featurettes, and can be purchased standalone with a comic and poster, or in a limited edition steelbook with Demons 2 present on a separate Blu-ray Disc. This pack also has the Calum Waddell booklet, a fairly readable piece on the two films with Lamberto Bava interview snippets throughout, plus - oddly - a postcard of Cat O' Nine Tails is also in the tin. The steelbook is the option I chose and it's a lovely set despite the couple of omissions noted above - feels like a real collector's item. Overall, Demons gets a release that makes this the worldwide definitive edition to go for, and pleasingly it's a UK release too.

Upcoming Twins of Evil Blu-ray

Those who were pleased with the Synapse double disc (i.e. Blu-ray/DVD) set of Vampire Circus a while ago should be just as happy to discover that similar treatment for the third film in Hammer's Carmilla trilogy, Twins of Evil, is on the horizon (early July) - again a dual format package, this one contains a feature length documentary on the movie, a featurette on props, gallery, deleted scene, trailer, and surprisingly an isolated music and effects audio track.  The film of course stars Peter Cushing as an uncompromising religious fanatic, and the infamous ex-Playboy Collinson twins (from clothed to very unclothed).  It's reported to be a new high definition transfer, region locked to A (which was out of the control of Synapse), and accurately framed at 1.66:1.  It's not a defining Hammer film by any stretch but this package looks really tempting (and not just because the Collinson twins will be in HD...).  Here's the product page at Synapse.  Synapse have also got the rights to put out Hands of the Ripper and Countess Dracula on Blu in the near future, so along with what's happening here in Britain with the current restoration project the future looks bright (red) for Hammer fans.

Awakening of the Beast

1970, Brazil, Directed by José Mojica Marins
B&W/Colour, Running Time: 93 minutes
Review Source: DVD, R2, Anchor Bay; Video: Letteboxed 1.55:1, Audio: DD Mono

Two scientists discuss the effects of drug use on the mind, body, and life of the consuming individual, considering multiple stories as they argue about the various factors involved. Later one of the scientists puts his ideas to test by setting up an experiment to simulate the effect of drugs on the mind.

Awakening of the Beast utilises the 'Coffin Joe' character (actually, 'Zé do Caixão' in the native tongue) primarily in the sequence depicting the scientist's prolonged experiment that makes up most of the final third of the film; here though his being is acknowledged within the film to be fictitious, a recreation of the fears of society. This results in the odd criss-crossing of film worlds as the sub-reality of this film recognises the previous Coffin Joe films to be the actual sub-reality, thereby rendering itself as reality itself, even though it's not (if you see what I mean). The synopsis above is meagre because there is little plot to speak of, and there are no characters to particularly like - even Marins' presence is mere illusion in effect. Drug use is analysed though I'm unsure if there is supposed to be a moral message in there, though making itself known is Marins' usual dwelling on ideas of instinctive man opposed to spiritual ideal - drugs here reduce people to horny twits with no room for any divine essence. After an hour or so the lack of real narrative begins to wear at the patience, however, the film saves itself quite significantly with the arrival of the experiment. As with This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse the film switches from black and white to colour at a key moment, lending potency at the most relevant point. The experiment is pretty much a drug trip on screen (think 2001 x 10), well executed, acutely edited in many respects, and swamped with vibrantly insane sound design. People are beaten, they teleport from place to place, colours flash vividly, there are screams and wails, faces made from bums, uncanny creatures crawling along, etc. Going on for in excess of twenty minutes there is not much like it elsewhere in cinema - this is pretty much fine art film-making on a feature length level. As with the preceding movies by José Mojica Marins the storyteller/director demonstrates towering levels of imagination (evident from the nature of the opening credits onwards) that are frequently out of control. This factor is one of the things that makes his work so distinctive and occasionally fascinating, even if it's not consistently enjoyable.

Presented in non-anamorphic widescreen the image of Awakening... in Anchor Bay's Coffin Joe Collection is quite soft with plenty of print damage. Burned-in English subtitles contain occasional errors (probably originally translated by someone whose English was their second language) whilst revealing digital compression artefacts (visible around the lettering). Mondo Macabro have previously released this film in the UK (plus I remember a screening on terrestrial TV around 11 years ago) with superior results both visually and with regard to the subtitles (the disc also included a documentary about Coffin Joe/Marins). Fantoma released the film across the ocean in a wonderful coffin shaped box (kind of like the fantastic Blind Dead set from Blue Underground), again with better results in A/V departments, plus the disc contained a short interview with the director. As part of the Anchor Bay set the film does admittedly come very cheap so complaints can be put aside.

Upcoming Invasion of the Body Snatchers Blu-ray

Great news: one of the all time classic sci-fi movies, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, is on its way to US Blu-ray, courtesy of Olive Films.  I'm talking about the 1956 Don Siegel directed original with Kevin McCarthy of course, a stupendous paranoia-drenched science fiction tale of alien invasion which has never been especially well treated even on DVD (the 70s remake is already available on Blu-ray in US territories - not sure why the UK has been neglected).  This new disc apparently comes from a fresh HD master from 35mm elements and is presented in the 2:1 aspect ratio ('Superscope', which I believe is how it was projected and how it was it intended to be seen, although it was filmed at 1.85:1) so hopefully will look significantly better than the old either non-anamorphic widescreen or heavily cropped fullscreen DVDs that have been available in the past.  The disc is expected on July 17th.

Update: Review here.

This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse

1967, Brazil, Directed by José Mojica Marins
B&W/Colour, Running Time: 109 minutes
Review Source: DVD, R2, Anchor Bay; Video: 1.33:1, Audio: DD Mono

Zé do Caixão is saved from his demise at the end of the first film (At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul) and the lucky recipient of a stellar plastic surgery job at the hands of Brazillian doctors, before being brought to trial for his crimes. Found not guilty due to lack of evidence (!) he's let back into the community (kind of sounds like the British justice system actually...), much to the chagrin of the local population, members of which haven't yet forgotten about his dastardly behaviour. Still committed to continuing his blood line at all costs he kidnaps a number of females who he considers to be potentially suitable partners (they seem to remain remarkably calm about this whilst in captivity) and subjects them to tests to determine who is 'superior'. Selecting his mate he impregnates her and soon the child, the new son of mankind to be driven by instinct and not God, is on its way, but not before Zé is running into more problems with the locals as a result of his rebellious behaviour.

Running much longer than the first film, This Night... (AKA Esta Noite Encarnarei no Teu Cadáver) does not appear to be quite as horrific, possibly this being partly as a result of the slightly desensitized impact of Zé's activities after we've already witnessed his malicious actions in At Midnight... The lengthier duration maybe stretches things out a little too much, leaving the tormenting of the main character more space to breathe whilst diminishing its intensity. This film does introduce some nudity, and arachnophobes who found the infamous spider scene in the first film to be an issue will be rather horrified to find another sequence in this film, but with crawlies multiplied by around a hundred (again, very large and very real spiders - the actresses in this scene had some bottle!). Hinted at in the first film, Zé's one redeeming characteristic is his respect for children in the sense that he sees their blank canvas purity as something to be savioured before they are mutated by society into the undesriables that largely make up the population. The film's dropkick show piece takes place when the disturbed Zé falls asleep with his mate, and has a nightmare of entering Hell: the film switches to colour, this itself being quite profound in impact, as Zé wonders through the caverns of Hell as souls are tortured everywhere he looks, possibly a reflection of the state of his mind or his fears of where he might end up if God did exist (something he persistently denies). This riveting sequence has unexpected power, and reminds me of a similar segment in Dante's Inferno, which you may remember contained a stunning fear-driven nightmare where the protagonist visits Hell. I personally really like Marins' emphatic and venemous approach to acting out this character, his uncontrollable passion spilling forth and keeping this second film in the series very watchable despite the inflated running time.

Contained in the same set as At Midnight... the second film is presented in the same ratio with a rough appearance that suits the material well. Audio is again Portugese with burned-in English subtitles. Problems with interlacing are occasional, and shouldn't really be there at all, but the very fact that these rare films have been made available in the UK is cause for commendation.

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul

1964, Brazil, Directed by José Mojica Marins
B&W, Running Time: 83 minutes
Review Source: DVD, R2, Anchor Bay; Video: 1.33:1, Audio: DD Mono

Zé do Caixão is a funeral director beginning to question the religious formula and foundations that have shaped the basis for everything he does and is surrounded by on a day to day basis. Losing control through a compulsion towards atheism his desire to continue the bloodline begins to take precedence over everything else - his partner is 'impotent' and cannot produce a child, therefore he kills her. The woman he chooses in her place is attached to another, so he dispatches of him too, before attempting to beguile the woman - after rejecting his advances he severely beats (and presumably rapes) her, this traumatic event triggering her suicide. The locals are all scared of him as his sadism and cruelty pushes beyond boundaries, but the spiralling madness and violence are about to come head to head with the very spirit world he rejects.

Made in 1964 At Midnight... is an unbelievably brutal film for its time. Reminding the viewer of Mr Hyde in a real bad mood, José Mojica Marins in the lead role throws his character in the face of everything his Brazilian culture is based on, repelling morality, God and associated religions, citizenship and the apparent weakness of others (reflected in their inability to stand up against the system). He becomes a rebel of the darkest kind as he tramples on everything in his path, primarily in effort to spawn a child, thereby living forever, at least on a genetic level - this itself is of course a scientific rejection of the literal ideas presented from biblical texts, although it could be argued that these texts were merely explaining life and its workings in the only way that mankind could understand. Zé do Caixão violently clashes with almost everyone in the story, pushing one person's eyes into their skull, dropping a horrifically large poisonous spider on to his bound spouse (this is no The Beyond type model, my friends!), slashing a man in the face with a crown of thorns (as if his general verbal blasphemy wasn't enough), beating a woman who dares say 'no' so badly it would have feminist nutters in spasms, etc. Considering at the time mainstream audiences were just about getting accustomed to the bloody vampire stakings at Hammer Studios, this must have been akin to a vision of Hell in comparison, and to be fair it hasn't lost a huge amount of power half a century later. The darkness of the character still 'shines' through and his actions speak at least as loud as his scornful words; strangely, given his innately abhorrent nature, he is watchable and fascinating to study, hence I guess part of the appeal that has brought forth the cult of 'Coffin Joe' over the years (this name essentially being an Americanisation if the South American character's less pronounceable screen name). Stepping as far from the mainstream cinema, and cultures, of the era, At Midnight... stampedes into existence with a sledge hammer, although modern audiences may find the emphatic thespian tendencies difficult to put up with.

After reading a lot about terrible image quality on this Coffin Joe Collection from Anchor Bay, At Midnight... is not as bad as expected. The source looks like 16mm and there are scratches/marks throughout, but in my opinion this rough presentation very much suits the content of the film itself. Hardly sharp and distinct, the fullscreen B&W image has a fairly natural low budget film-like quality, though there are annoying moments of visible interlacing that are thankfully not too frequent. Similarly the mono soundtrack is not stellar but functional - note that the language is Portuguese with burned-in English subtitles helping us along.  Zé do Caixão was to continue his exploits in This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse.

Testament - Complete Studio Albums Review

Hailing from the famed Bay Area of California in the mid eighties, Testament originally spawned from Hell's depths as 'The Legacy' before the superior name was selected. They also had a couple of different vocalists before Chuck Billy joined - one being Steve Souza, who later went on to grace most of the Exodus albums with his Bon-Scott-Meets-Thrash take on vocals. Of course Billy's voice has become a symbol of the band having been present on every album, and one of the most distinctive in metal - I haven't heard anyone else who sounds like him, whether he's yelling, growling, or singing (depening on which track you're listening to). The other consistent factor in Testament has been Eric Peterson, who I feel is somewhat underrated despite being one of the best riff-writers on the scene, someone who can write powerful metal whilst periodically and selectively combining elements of great melody (he's also been the driving force behind black metal/thrash band DragonLord). Having established themselves within a few albums as one of the most respected bands in thrash, the band survived the difficult nineties period as thrash effectively died (albeit temporarily) by exploring various horizons within the 'confines' (term used very loosely) of metal. There was a painfully long break from studio recording between 1999 until 2008 (although they remained hard workers on the live circuits), bouts of people coming and going from the group, and cancer (which Billy thankfully survived), but - with a new album (Dark Roots of Earth) on the way in the next few months - on they battle carrying the flag of thrash on deservedly proud shoulders.

The Legacy (1987) Opting for a reflection of their origins in the album's title, their debut is a great example of thrash in its peak - aggressive, almost messy riffing accompanied by Chuck Billy's near yelling style creates a maelstrom of violent aural pleasure. Relatively short and sweet (unlike many of today's mammoth running times) the album has a consistent quality that makes it a great listen. Aside from the inherent aggression though was a notable level of occasionally surprising melody injected here and there, adding a little variety and suggesting there was more to the band than many thrash acts at the time. Testament had announced their arrival on the scene and their debut disc remains an enjoyable listen to this day, and a fine example of what was happening in metal at the time (i.e. thrash ruled). Highlights include the immortal 'Apocalyptic City', and the explosive opener 'Over The Wall'.

The New Order (1988) Sparing little time to relax the second album follows neatly in the pawprints of the first, boasting a similar sound though possibly more refined this time around. Again the disc grants listeners a consistent thrash assault, with breathers in periodic instrumental sections that celebrate the weird, though these bits don't entirely work in my opinion. Nevertheless, The New Order again gave us many bonafide Testament classic tracks and another great album. By this point their reputation was cemented and if I recall correctly I think this also may have been the era when the press considered the band to be a contender for expanding the 'Big Four' to 'Five', something that never officially happened for whatever that's worth (well they could have been on that recent Big Four tour for one thing, but that's another story). One surprising cover appearing on the CD that was not on the original vinyl is a groovy version of 'Nobody's Fault' originally penned by Aerosmith. Highlights of the second album include almost every track, but if I had to pick it would be 'Trial By Fire', the no-sh*t stormer 'Into The Pit', and the double attack of 'Disciples of the Watch' and 'The Preacher'. One can't f**k with stuff this good.

Practice What You Preach (1989) Shifting gear somewhat the third album is generally quite slower than the preceding two, with a quieter guitar sound and groove replacing aggression. I still have mixed feelings about this approach to this day, but admittedly it's a fairly enjoyable listen. It also introduced the idea of Testament expanding the boundaries of thrash metal (as had Metallica) with softer material, most notably 'The Ballad': corny title but nice combination of melody and mounting pace nonetheless. Testament were clearly not a band who were going to leave the goal posts in the same place for every release. Highlights include the aforementioned 'The Ballad', the title track, and 'Envy Life'.

Souls of Black (1990) Refusing to reduce their non-stop work ethic (four albums in four years in unheard of nowadays) the band pumped out their fourth outing just as they were supporting the now legendary 'Clash of the Titans' tour with Slayer and Megadeth (plus Suicidal Tendencies opening the show), a spectacle I had the privilege of witnessing at Birmingham's NEC at the time. Ironically as thrash had reached its peak, the show also unwittingly symbolised the end of an era as the whole scene began a slide into decline. Souls of Black seems to divide fans - I personally love the loud, raw guitar sound, however, the material is admittedly less consistent than before (probably a symptom of them having to push this release out too quickly for its own good). Great tracks are broken up with misfires such as the title track, the album intro, and 'Absence of Light', but there is worthy material here even if the album has possibly not worn as well as the first few. Highlights include 'Seven Days of May', 'The Legacy' and 'Falling Fast'.

The Ritual (1992) At last giving themselves a bit more a break I think the band had time to reflect on direction as thrash was dying in the early nineties. What they returned with was a metal album less agressive, more polished, and possibly more skillfully executed. Many of the tracks have a great drum pace and the production overall is pleasing. Continuing with the idea of putting 'ballads' on their albums there is also the stellar 'Return to Serenity', which works well. The Ritual is a great album that often gets forgotten about as people are more inclined to remember the first few, and arguably this is one of their best. Highlights include 'Electric Crown', 'Return to Serenity', the pounding 'Agony', and the head-banging 'Let Go of My World'.

Low (1994) Hardening the music up a notch Low is a lovely album of well produced metal with an awesome guitar sound and some brilliant slices of music, again one of their best albums in my opinion. Testament managed to keep their 'legacy' (sorry) alive during the nineties with quality metal that kept their fanbase interested, proving that they didn't need 'thrash' itself (as a sub-genre) to be particularly thriving for them to survive. Ending with the unnecessary 'Last Call' there are plenty of pounding tracks to delight in on Low including the brash opening title piece, the sharp riff machine that is 'Hail Mary', 'P.C.' and the face ripping 'Ride'.

Demonic (1997) Unpredictably their '97 album opened with the near death metal-sounding 'Demonic Refusal', with growling vocals from Chuck Billy as if he was getting some long term hatred out of his system. However, the more downbeat direction of the album is less convincing and it seemed as if they were trying to be something else, possibly tapping into other metal territories in a bid to maintain credibility. It wasn't necessary for a band such as this, and whilst Demonic isn't a bad record it is, in my opinion, the least satisfying of everything the band have done to date - this is the album I'm least likely to revisit when picking a Testament CD to indulge. Highlights would include the aforementioned opener, along with 'Hatreds Rise'.

The Gathering (1999) Back to the Testament we know from the Low era though having the traces of occasional death metal leanings left in their blood, The Gathering featured a few personnel changes that resulted in a tight thrash offering, this being in no small measure due to the presence of one Dave Lombardo on drums, probably the best drummer in thrash. Having seemingly found solid ground and the sound which suits them most, it would unfortunately be a very long time before Testament were back in the studio for a proper album, though they did re-record some of their earlier tracks for a minor release (First Strike Still Deadly) to break up the time. Aside from a bit of a dull lag during the second half this is another strong disc from the Bay Area lads. Highlights of The Gathering include 'True Believer' and the brutal monster that is 'Legions of the Dead'.

The Formation of Damnation (2008) After the longest break of their career (though they were still touring as noted above) I thought we had seen the last of Testament studio albums, hypothesising that the band had used up all of their worthwhile ideas over the course of their first eight albums. Then Formation... appeared and all was well with the world again. Almost something of a reunion album it picked up most of the 'classic' members of the band from the earlier years to create the traditional Testament that we came to love; Formation... doesn't disappoint, though it certainly doesn't surprise either. What we get is a solid album of formidable, well executed thrash metal, not outstaying its welcome while proving that this band are still relevant and unique in sound. Highlights include the triple attack of 'More Than Meets The Eye', 'The Evil Has Landed' and the title track. Hopes are high for their next outing.