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Album Review – Grog / Sphere Of Atrocities (2025)

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After 34 years pushing their creation forward with the precision of a scalpel, this cult Portuguese Death Metal and Grindcore beast is back once again with another chapter of extremeness and gore in their undisputed career.

After 34 years doing what they’ve always done to perfection, pushing their creation forward with the precision of a scalpel, in the most raw, brutal and sharp form imaginable, Oeiras, Lisbon, Portugal-based Death Metal/Grindcore cult entity Grog is back once again with another chapter of extremeness and gore in their undisputed career, titled Sphere of Atrocities, a deadly album that will make you bleed for speed, push you to the corner, and beat you relentlessly. Recorded, produced and mastered by the band’s drummer Rolando Barros at Undergrind Studios, with cover concept by the band’s vocalist Pedro Pedra, and illustration and final art by Victor Costa, the new bestial opus by the aforementioned Pedro Pedra and Rolando Barros alongside guitarist Ivo Martins and bassist Alexandre Ribeiro offers bass lines that will melt your face, a wall of exorcizing guitar riffs and a voice directly coming from down under, turning it into a must-listen for worldwide Death Metal and Grindcore fanatics.

The band needs less than two seconds to kick off their metallic extravaganza in E.xit G.lobal O.bliteration, pulverizing everything and everyone that dares to cross their path led by Pedro’s inhumane growling, whereas Rolando crushes his drums with endless fury in Vegetative Techuman, a visceral display of Death Metal infused with Grindcore madness. Ivo and Alexandre sound utterly rabid in Inborn Sickness, with their riffs and bass transpiring Death Metal while Pedro keeps vomiting unfriendly words nonstop; and Alexandre pounds his bass in absolute darkness in Heart Of Darkness, a lecture in violence by Grog that will leave you completely disoriented after all is said and done. After that, Ivo continues to fire his scathing riffs in Cosmic Placenta, while his bandmates showcase an avalanche of gore and insanity.

Pineal Turmoil brings to our avid ears two and a half minutes of pure, unfiltered Grindcore led by the demolishing beats and fills by Rolando; and there’s no sign of peace or hope in their music, as it’s a blast of annihilating sounds in Reproductive Extinction, with Ivo once again sounding ruthless on the guitar, which is also the case in Phantom Anihilation, bringing forward their trademark riffs, rumbling bass and pounding drums. NecroEarth nicely depicts the band’s strength, essence and passion for extreme music, with Pedro barking viciously until the very end, and I have no idea how they managed to sound even heavier in Lucidity, most probably due to another demented performance by Rolando behind his drums. Finally, we’re treated to Grog’s last three minutes of absurdly heavy and evil sounds in the form of Terrorithm, with the strings by Ivo and Alexandre reverberating in great fashion.

After listening to the unrelenting Sphere Of Atrocities, you’ll quickly acknowledge Grog are still one of the greatest names in the underground, putting their musical effort at the top of the highest mountain and continuing to be a fearless and ruthless monster avalanche for your senses, elevating their legacy to a new level of severe musical brilliance. Having said that, it’s time to “pulverize yourself” to the sound of Sphere Of Atrocities by purchasing a copy of the album from the Hellprod Records’ BandCamp or webstore, as well as by following the band on Facebook and on Instagram. Because Grog are out for blood armed with Sphere Of Atrocities, and you will most definitely want to be their next victim.

Best moments of the album: E.xit G.lobal O.bliteration, Heart Of Darkness and NecroEarth.

Worst moments of the album: Phantom Anihilation.

Released in 2025 Helldprod Records/Murder Records

Track listing
1. E.xit G.lobal O.bliteration 3:01
2. Vegetative Techuman 3:08
3. Inborn Sickness 2:49
4. Heart Of Darkness 3:39
5. Cosmic Placenta 2:14
6. Pineal Turmoil 2:41
7. Reproductive Extinction 2:42
8. Phantom Anihilation 2:28
9. NecroEarth 3:09
10. Lucidity 3:22
11. Terrorithm 3:09

Band members
Pedro Pedra – vocals
Ivo Martins – guitars, backing vocals
Alexandre Ribeiro – bass, backing vocals
Rolando Barros – drums, backing vocals

Album Review – Obscure Relic / First Black Communion EP (2020)

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A violent Black Metal declaration dripping obscurity and impiety from its essence, blasted by an evil horde hailing from the hot and steamy Brazilian labyrinths.

The hot and steamy Brazilian labyrinths keep on oozing the blackest secrets from the all hellish flaming arts, with guitarist Deoarsprofanum and drummer Thiago Splatter, also known from bands like Power From Hell, Velho and Pombajira, summoning the darkest powers on the day of the dead in 2019 to create a bestial revelation by the name of Obscure Relic in Duque de Caxias, a city on Guanabara Bay and part of Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area, playing the meanest and most devilish version of Black Metal you can think of. Now in 2020 Deoarsprofanum and Thiago Splatter, together with vocalist Thiago Caronte, guitarist and keyboardist Død and bassist Hellmaniac are unleashing upon humanity their debut EP titled First Black Communion, the follow-up to their 2020 demo Sons of Evil Power and, above all, a violent Black Metal declaration dripping obscurity and impiety from its essence, or if you prefer, the ultimate aggression statement for all non-believers which will nail you to everlasting joy for pain and suffering.

Stygian guitars form the depths of the underworld rev up the band’s demonic engines in the intro Descending… before they begin crushing our minds and souls with the title-track The First Black Communion, where Thiago Splatter demolishes his drums accompanied by the scorching riffs by Deoarsprofanum and Død, all spearheaded by the infernal, high-pitched gnarls by Thiago Caronte, resulting in a lecture in old school and primeval Black Metal. And we’re treated to more of their melodic but absolutely perturbing Black Metal in Master of All Forms, showcasing razor-edged riffs and a sense of despair permeating the air from start to finish, while Thiago Splatter sounds even more pulverizing on drums, and if you think they couldn’t sound more visceral and aggressive you need to take a listen at Enter the Infernal Realms, a putrid display of traditional Black Metal bringing forward Thiago Caronte’s satanic roars and the ass-kicking, rumbling bass punches by Hellmaniac. The last track of the album, For Blackerubins, offers the listener another round of demented screams, blast beats and slashing guitars, with both Deoarsprofanum and Død living up to the legacy of Scandinavian Black Metal with their wicked shredding, all flowing into the atmospheric outro Rising…, which puts a melancholic and eerie end to such short but heavy-as-hell EP of Black Metal.

You can give a shout to this talented horde hailing from Brazil through their official Facebook page, and of course purchase a copy of First Black Communion from the Hellprod Records’ BandCamp page or from their webstore in CD and tape formats, as well as from the Cianeto Discos’ BandCamp page or webstore. As aforementioned, First Black Communion is utterly violent and obscure, or in other words, it reeks of pure Black Metal, and if this is just the debut album by Obscure Relic I wonder how much evil and darkness this insane Brazilian horde can spread all over the world with their future releases.

Best moments of the album: The First Black Communion and Enter the Infernal Realms.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Hellprod Records/Cianeto Discos

Track listing
1. Descending… 1:03
2. The First Black Communion 3:58
3. Master of All Forms 4:00
4. Enter the Infernal Realms 3:37
5. For Blackerubins 3:25
6. Rising… 1:43

Band members
Thiago Caronte – vocals
Deoarsprofanum – guitars
Død – guitars, keyboards
Hellmaniac – bass
Thiago Splatter – drums