Athough they never gained the popularity of countrymen Sepultura, Ratos de Porão garnered much respect from their peers, not to mention a legion of U.S. punks. After a brief run on RC Records, the move to Jello Biafra’s incestuous but always intrepid label would only seem proper. On this Brazilian band’s latest eight-song disc, those punk roots materialize to make up this foetid compilation of sloppy metal and boundary-pushing punk rock. Like a bad case of halitosis, Ratos dish out their own versions of such disparate artists as Jello Biafra, Half Japanese and Sepultura, leaving their trademark foul taste. Even the cover art, stolen from www.rotten.com, features a cannibal devouring a seemingly decomposed human calf. In addition, the band sings in its native Portuguese on a few of the more confrontational tracks—“Toma Trouxa” and “Obesidade Morbida Constitucional,” my favorite of the lot.
(SN&R)