A friend of mine directed me to FACINORA’s “Born In Fear” EP, released in 2008. I was really impressed on how these guys have a style of their own, that sounded nothing like other “famous” Thrash Metal bands from Brazil. After their EP I thought FACINORA could only get better and they certainly did. Their first album, “Hell Is Here”, is a solid statement in good old Thrash Metal. What I really liked is the production. It all starts with the shouted vocals that blend in perfectly. The drum sound is powerful and natural. The bass guitar has a crisp, powerful roar and the guitar tone is taken straight from the mid 80s; crunchy yet deep and solid. The intensity displayed here is so out there that I could say the guys recorded everything at the same time. The mix and mastering have enough dynamics to let the listener appreciate every little detail that goes on here. Take the song ‘Living In Reality’, for example. It starts pounding it’s way as a mid-tempo sludge of heaviness, builds up to a menacing speeder where headbanging is unavoidable and then there is an acoustic section with a nice lead followed by another dose of ripping memorable riffs. Add 7 more songs just like this one and you got yourself a winner! “Hell Is Here” is an album that stands out from the “Retro-Thrash” trend that has spread worldwide as a plague. Completely recommended! Oh and I almost forgot, the cover artwork! It’s insanely good! Info here: www.myspace.com/facinorathrash, facinorathrash@hotmail.com