Review by John B. on April 28, 2024.

Brazil’s prominence in the grimier style of thrash bordering on death and black metal overshadows the country’s contributions to other subgenres. And in the case of these classic heavy metallers Azul Limao, that’s a real shame. The instrumental and vocal talent shown here is astonishing, and they keep some strong social commentary in the lyrics too.

Ordem & Progreso starts with a cover of Vivaldi’s famous “Primavera” piece. Short and sweet, and it’s this blend of simplicity and high artistry that shines throughout Azul Limao’s EP. I would normally not be impressed with songs whose choruses are just the title repeated a few times. But Rodrigo’s piercing falsettos on “Ordem! Progresoooo!” more than make up for it. Simple yet powerful in its sarcastic take on Brazilian politics - “order and progress” is the nation’s motto. It’s clear the band thinks their leaders are sadly heavy on order and not so much on progress, with this verse: “Walking in obscurity, they maintain order. Can progress be achieved where dreams come to die?” Then his voice switches to heartbreaking in “Solidao” (loneliness). You really feel the anguish in the repetition of that one word. He reminds me of Dan Beehler from Exciter for sheer unrestrained over-the-topness.

Apart from the intro “Tema do Primavera”, I point to “Brilho” as the high point of the instruments on this EP. The speed of Marcos’ guitar coupled with the best jangly thumping of bass from Vinicius, make this song flashy (hence the title “brightness”) but also down-n-dirty in the best NWOBHM tradition. I’d put it right up beside “Murders in the Rue Morgue”.

“Brilho” also best shows off Azul Limao’s mastery of balancing an entertaining, technically dazzling sound, with a serious feel. On one hand, there’s fun fantastical 80s lines like “I feel all sped up when the light hits me at the end of the night”. But there’s also “free from this stage of life, I hope for an eternal world to meet you in Hell”.

If there’s one complaint I have, it’s that the cover of Dorsal Atlantica’s “Princesa do Prazer”, while executed very well as usual, just doesn’t fit the character of the rest of the EP subject-wise. A sleazy song about princess of pleasure, stands out from Azul Limao’s cool mix of energetic metal cliches and heavy social commentary. Maybe something like “Nosso Futuro” or “Complexo Urbano” by Metalmorphose would have been more up their alley.

Azul Limao are a shamefully neglected star in the wide constellation of Brazilian heavy metal. If you haven’t checked them out, get on it!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by JD on December 28, 2012.

Slow. Pondering and brutally heavy metal... that to me is the apodeme of heaven. I am always up to finding another Doom or Stoner Metal album to add to my growing collection of slow moving explosions. I think that I have found one that I can proudly add to my mélange of melancholy without much pondering. Italy’s Void Of Sleep.

Being a relatively new band (one other release) Void Of Sleep is a technical blueprint for making some of the heaviest and yet melodic Doom/Stoner metal. With real melodies and granite strong riffs, they pull out some of the most memorably written music that this genre ever has produced while still being accessible for all of the metal hoards out there.

With so many good tracks populating this CD, none of them seem to jump out and be better than any other... so I just pick them all because of the combined strength they seem to have. You can't go wrong with any of them, from the opening groove heaviness of 'Blood On My Hands' to an incredible song called 'Sons Of Nothing' that seems to be a Doomy blending of Pink Floyd and Rush with very barbarically heavy sort of metal overtures. It is this sort of writing, adding in so many differing influences, that makes a band stand out in the crowd of others clambering for notice.

Being that "Tales Between Reality And Madness" is slated for a January 2013 release is a bummer... this very well could be my number one album of the year. I kind of think that next year, Void Of Sleep will be my number one... but it still sucks that this album cannot be included in my top ten headbangingest metal albums for 2012.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 9.5
Originality:10
Overall: 10

Rating: 9.9 out of 10