"Kill or die." That's the name of this attack by Argentinian death metallers Terrorist, and it is their second and also the last one before a couple of compilations. I haven't heard the debut, but this albums certainly slays. Guys all wear black masks (well, not inside the booklet) and are known as Terror, Black and S. Shit. Well, good for them.

The riffs are in-your-face, streetwise, tough. There are also some discordant tremolo guitar playing, giving some pieces an industrial vibe. Loads of groovy ones are also present, bringing in the hardcore punk action and attitude, and grinding, too. The guitar tone is warm and plump, and rusty and manky during the tremolo parts. Slayer-ish guitar solos infest some of the songs, throwing in muck. Actually the closer, 'Disturbios' which is a mid-paced song, reminds of groove-era Slayer a lot.

The bass is loud in the mix, juggernauting its way inside ones skull and mashing the brain into pulp. The drums do sound machiney, since every hit sounds similar on every drum. My guess is that it is a drum machine, but they also might be heavily triggered. They provide the beats and do not contain annoying samples, if they aren't acoustic ones. Actually the closer's drums do sound as if an acoustic kit was utilized. Anyway, a variety of beats are used, from blasting to groovy rocking, and from skank beat to double kick drum assault.

The album ends up being way more versatile than expected. The album reminds me of Brujeria and Nailbomb: I strongly recommend 'Mata o muere' for the fans of these two bands. It contains loads of catchiness, and is rolling on well while the songs are kept tight and into the point.

Translating the Spanish song titles and the sadistic and hate-filled lyrics show the brutality of Argentinian society and powers that be/were. They fit perfectly with the boisterous aural assault. The main vocals are beary growling, and intelligible. The backing vocals are in Napalm Death style: High-pitched, annoying distorted screaming.

'Mata o muere' is not the heaviest or most brutal album recorded, but it cleans the streets with sinew and force. Absolutely worthy of attention if streetwise death metal craved.

Rating: 7+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
12/08/2021 19:51