"Dorsal Atlântica is a Brazilian thrash metal band, founded in Rio de Janeiro, in 1981. They were pioneers of the Brazilian thrash metal scene, being acknowledged as an influence to many other bands. Their first work appears on a split album with another Rio de Janeiro-based band, Metalmorphose, in 1984. Afterwards, Dorsal Atlântica released a string of studio albums from 1984 to 1998, before breaking up in 2001. Most their lyrics were written in Portuguese. Some of their work contains two versions (English/Portuguese), and four albums are fully in English."
Byrgan's write-up 2008...
Dorsal Atlantica came off a style of thrash-metal with some lashing crossover ideologies on their debut Antes do Fim. However, this release moved on in a number of ways. The music is at a more definable thrash standpoint with some varying, influencing attachments. It is self-described as more technical compared to the last, as well as shows some progressions throughout the release. Along with each song seeming to have its own personality.
Their start with the '85 split release of Ultimatum presented a band that would eventually come off a speed-heavy fix. Then switching it up on the debut to become much more aggressive and primitive sounding and siding with hardcore influences underneath. While mixing this with an overall metal standpoint and trying to keep up with some of the death-thrash bands at the time as well. I feel that they went for too many genres and were caught in the midst. That is until they found a 'mold' on this release here, while initially challenging themselves and forming clay structures on the Antes do Fim album. Dividir & Conquistar would also keep a few aspects as the last. More precisely the better aspects in my opinion and add a few more to make this a better listening experience compared to their start with Ultimatum and even Antes do Fim.
This also improved all of the instruments into a cohesive whole. For instance, the drums are a little less loud in the mix compared to Antes do Fim, but now blended much more flush. Here on Dividir & Conquistar the vocals are the loudest in the mix. The guitars and bass are equally as loud also. There are some effects layered on top of the instruments, like the necessary reverb effect. However, it doesn't hinder the production level. But rather adds to it and I think centers the instruments and makes them sound like a collective piece. Instead of each instrument actually sounding like it was recorded in different sessions. This basically places the effects on the instruments to add a consistent level.
The music started to add some major progressions compared to only a few basic renditions on the last. The guitars are constantly changing up their playing style, causing to you anticipate what is going to be thrown at you next. Although, I think they find a balance among this. It is almost like listening to an avant-garde-like thrash album for '88. Where there are a number of influences refreshingly doused and brought together, and differing from a typical thrash pathway. He is constantly using single tremolo riffs throughout the album, played sometimes in a spastic or random fashion, but quickly at that. Even when they tread done to a slower pacing he might still use this particular type of quicker riffing. Although, there are a fair amount of uniform, faster thrash moments, there are only a limited few traveling to an actual blast, but it mainly adheres to an every-other-hit, faster, expeditionary momentum. He also conjures up some catchy and simplistic regular thrash riffing with palm mutes and power chords. While on some other songs using strangely placed chords and time structures, to alternate the song into a curious moment of wanting to get to the next point, while barely wanting to escape the one your currently on.
The bass guitar is one of the great moments about Dorsal Atlantica. This was slightly louder than the guitars on Antes do Fim; probably because of the lack of EQ. However, it isn't as loud here, but still shows that they wanted it to shine with attention. Mainly it can be heard mingled with the guitars and at some other moments with more of an emphasis. Like they actually had time to mess around with the mixing board. Instead of an imagined guerilla-like, do-it-now/do-it-quick recording session. His vocals haven't exactly changed a note or deviated since the last, and are still mostly in flavored Portuguese with a gruff, villainous tone. They encompass a heavy amount of reverb. It sounds very hall-like, almost dungeon-like. They really loaded his voice up with heavy amounts, to where the condensation from his breath starts to liquify and drip, trickling down into your ears, to make you want to pond it out like sea-water at the beach. But in the end, you just can't, driving you mad, with his voice bouncing back and forth, echoing inside of your head. It also sounds combined with some delay, which makes his voice sort of thrown around. He uses a thick and deep tone with a partial shouted and roughened voice as well. Mostly it is in a half- and self-raised volume with a speedier emphasis. Which gives the reverb and delay their rightful purposes. Overlapping themselves at points. Carlos in an interview after the band broke up self-describes them as: "...even with a screaming and almost "discursive" punk vocal." The screaming part sounds off to me. Though, I can see the attitude there from a punk point of view. I think it is safe to say it was 'influenced' to a degree from some bands in this genre. But stays on a side with metal with a mostly controlled gruff.
Dorsal Atlantica have a little sense of humor with a few sections on Dividir. There is an altered deep voice between a few of the songs, saying something on its own without the rest of the music. At one point it sounds like it says, "Listen to me, what are you going to do with your life?" (in English). And is accompanied by a smaller voice that sounds like it inhaled helium and says, "I wanna fuck." Then at the very end of the last track it starts to count off ABCs in the deep voice, gets stuck on a letter, pauses, and says the letter in a dumbfounded way, as the music fades out. I can imagine this was a joke to whichever extreme-metal bands had the overtly deep demon-like voices as intros or outros on their albums at the time and before this.
The newest CD version on Encore comes with some extra bonus tracks with the album. They sound like rough rehearsals. And are split between English and Portuguese. Like 'Desunited Metal' and 'Victory' compared to 'Metal Desunido' and 'Vitória' for instance. Some of the fills and solos are altered. And his voice is definitely more higher toned as well. Which I don't like the way he vocalizes as much on the alternate versions. Because on the actual album he has that: "Gotta light?" "Stick 'em up!" "Don'tcha mess with me, buddy" voice [So he sounds like a cheesy putz? --S] that complements Dividir & Conquistar so well.
Dorsal Atlantica started out on their full length debut playing a style of primitive thrash-metal that would have some hardcore punk influences: adopting social issues, with a loud bass, brash music and shouted vocals are a reminder. Dividir & Conquistar would share some individualistic aspects of that release. The vocals, bass, and some drum patterns have similarities to each other, and without those prior influences they probably wouldn't be the same. With this second record, Dorsal didn't exactly drop everything about themselves, they just improved the other lacking pieces of theirselves, and I feel that they added exceptional levels of memorabilty expanded throughout the recording. Bringing out a greater base of stimulation and an enhanced, recollective thoroughfare. This release gives itself a progressive edge. On a moving and winding road, a road that you don't feel like you are going to drive right off the side. There are bumps, dipes and dives. These could be defined with a controlled feeling, rather than a level dropping in excitement, and safe and far from crashing. Like a multi-level roller coaster that has all of the little climaxes and gravitational pulls while raising your pulse in a composed environment. This is the trip that Dorsal takes you on with their release of Dividir & Conquistar.
