Black Oil – Resist to Exist

Brazilian Death Metal act Black Oil released their third full-length album Resist to Exist almost a year ago these days, so one could argue that it is about time that I get around to actually reviewing it. So here goes: All in all, Resist to Exist contains eight tracks, spanning a running time somewhere around the forty minute mark (I am sorry that I do not know the exact lapse time). Of these eight, Black Oil has called in back up on three of their tracks from noted kinsmen musicians. This makes these three tracks (entitled ”Callate”, ”Combustion” and ”Stand Against Everything”) somewhat different from the rest of the album; The most noticeable difference is that their already very melodic sound becomes even more rhythmic by tying stronger ties to more traditional Brazilian-style music (by giving it a more folk-like feel and performing most of the lyrics in their native Portugese). All in all a good idea, I suppose; However, it does throw me off a bit since I have no relation to neither the language nor the Brazilian culture, which makes it impossible for me to understand the lyrics, as well as fully comprehend the motivations and themes behind the lyrics. That aside, however, what lyrics I did understand did have a very strong anti-government message behind them, not unlike what one could expect from their kinsmen Soulfly, for instance.

So all in all, if you have a penchant for the Portugese language and an active interest in the Brazilian country and culture, Resist to Exist might have a lot to offer you. If you, like me, know very little about either of these, it is still a pretty decent release, one that shows promise. Sadly, I can only give it a fairly low score, since, as I stated, I cannot fully relate to it (it seems to be a band aimed at the locals).

https://www.facebook.com/blackoilofficial/