November 8, 2024

Skylight Webzine

Online since 2000

Book: The 1980s Brazilian Metal Uprising Explodes in UNITED FORCES on Sept. 7

Before Sweden, before Norway, before Florida, before the UK, there was BRAZIL. 

Born in the struggles of national turmoil in the years following a military dictatorship, UNITED FORCES brings long-due recognition to the world’s first national extreme metal scene, celebrating Brazil’s wild 1980s metal uprising in 528 color pages featuring forewords by members of Vulcano, Holocausto, Agathocles, Necrobutcher, and Blabbermouth.net plus a “United Forces Summit” with Max and Iggor Cavalera. 

Over 1,000 photos and images representing over 100 Brazilian bands of the explosive first era

In 1986, São Paulo teenager Marcelo R. Batista channeled his love of pure, wild heavy metal into the self-produced fanzine United Forces. Over the next five years, his homemade publication captured the explosion happening before his eyes thanks to riotous Brazilian metal upstarts including Sepultura, Sarcofago, Vulcano, Holocausto, Mystifier, Sextrash, Ratos de Porão, Skullkrusher, Necrobutcher, and hundreds of others. Simultaneously, he exposed readers to future legends from abroad, including Napalm Death, Carcass, Morbid Angel, and Darkthrone.

United Forces presents the story in vivid color, along with Batista’s own headbanger tale—from humble origins collecting scrap metal to buy Motörhead albums to DIY operator funneling his country’s metal passion to receptive listeners in Europe and North America. The changes in Brazil during the 1980s and early 1990s serve as background for a full-bore metal revolution, as Batista’s story brings to life the crucial South-of-the-equator 1980s scene that inspired all the forthcoming underground extremes to come.

“A ground-level view of the underground in Brazil…including early coverage of bands like Darkthrone, Mystifier, Carcass, Sarcófago, and, of course, Sepultura.”—Decibel

“A cool zine”—Iggor Cavalera

“Overflowing with the essence of the golden years of Brazilian metal”—Zhema Rodero, Vulcano

“A true historical document of Brazilian heavy music… a magical time that will always be remembered”—Rodrigo Magalhães, Holocausto

https://www.bazillionpoints.com/brazil

UNITED FORCES: An Archive of Brazil’s Raw Metal Attack, by Marcelo R. Batista

Coming September 7, 2023, Brazilian Independence Day

• Heavyweight hardcover w/528 color pages on heavy-duty 130gsm paper
• forewords by Rodrigo Magalhães (Holocausto), Zhema Rodero (Vulcano), Cristiano dos Passos (Necrobutcher), Renato da Costa Souza (Armmagedon, Megathrash, Holocausto), Paulo Gepeto (Ação Direta), Jan Frederickx (Agathocles), Georges Kormikiaris (Low Life Records, Radical Livros), and Borivoj Krgin (Blabbermouth.net)
• Exhaustive “United Forces” Summit w/Max and Iggor Cavalera
• Over 100 original handmade Portuguese pages and over 100 English translation pages covering the entire United Forces zine run
• Ten chapters detailing the rise of Brazilian metal and hardcore throughout the 1980s through the eyes of author Marcelo R. Batista
• Over 1,000 color images, photographs, and flyers from the archives of Brazil’s metal uprising
• Interviews and features representing over 100 Brazilian bands
• Dimensions: 8.25″ x 11″ x 1.85″ (210mm x 280mm x 45mm); 4.75 lbs. (2.1 kg)
• ISBN 978-1-935950-21-9