My friend Russ, who’s en expat now living in Santiago, Chile, tells me that his adopted country is a hotbed of heavy metal bands. I’ve come to realise this myself from the number of albums by Chilean bands which have been reviewed on this site. Right up there are death metal band Thornafire who have released six albums including this one in their 25 years of existence, and have shared a stage with many a big name, not least Death Angel and Vader.

The album starts with a technical whirlwind before adopting battering ram mode and pumping out debris and everything in front of them. “El Coro de los Hambrientosen tus oidos conchetumadre!” shows the band’s ability to switch tempo and line of attack. This makes it vibrant and exciting. The deathly whirl remains but becomes more downtrodden as we head into the title song. A simple guitar provides the backdrop for the narration of a female, followed by a haunting operatic vocal solo. The mood has changed to one of mysticism. The drum then beats thunderously. Darkness has returned. If it ever went away “The Great Deceiver” has pungency. After a quirky break, the invigorating onslaught resumes with further venom and energy, working itself up in pace and rising to fever pitch. “Saturno” has a black metal element thanks to its frill-free riff and haughty guitar style and hammering drum. Even a church organ joins in the rampant fun. Hard and harsh, “Saturno” nevertheless retains its rhythmic melody. Finishing strongly, it’s clear there’s no room for dissenters.

A distorted death metal anthem sets off “Renati in Se’. This develops into a technical riff which is full of foreboding. Once again there’s no standing still. Fire is in the band name, but that fire is mixed with harshness and weight. “Renati in Se” is complex structurally but easy to relate to. After this enactment of bludgeoning, Thornafire are back with a dark two-minute operatic track “Diogenes de Sinope”. This time our singer is male. For a bit of extra, one can hear the sound of knives sharpening. “Megalos Chrisos” takes us back to the dingy world of death metal. Speeding up along with the technical tones from the lead guitar, the song bombs on and reaches a breathtaking and exciting climax. Thornafire are experts at managing mobility. I can see why they would be crowd-pleasing in a live setting. The sound is always big, but the swaying and dark “Fuego” (Fire) now sets off in epic mode, as if a tale of adventure and heroism is being told. It doesn’t really develop however. “Thornavatras Quintaesencia” is more technical and with roaring depth. Affirming their interest in the unusual, “Gracias por entregarnos 37 miinutos de tu vida” (Thank you for giving us 37 minutes of your life) provides this intriguing album with a final two minutes of electronically-inspired darkness, as well as insight into the band’s good grace and humour. Gracias from me! Listening to the whole album was actually 41 minutes well spent.

Death metal can sometimes be putrid and stodgy but “Leprosario Lazareto” is fresh and lively. By virtue of its variations and fluidity, it kept me captivated throughout. The ideas and execution of this death metal work are of high quality.

(8.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

https://www.facebook.com/thornafire

https://greatdanerecords.bandcamp.com/album/leprosario-lazareto