### Headhunter D.C.: ...In unholy mourning...

#### 14/02/13 || gk

Formed in 1987, Brazil’s Headhunter D.C. has been steadily releasing albums through the years and “…In unholy mourning…” is the band’s fifth album and first in 5 years. The previous album, “God’s spreading cancer” was a patchy effort without too much recall value but an unstinting dedication to their craft and 1993’s “Punishment at dawn” is enough for me to keep coming back to every new release.

The album starts with a spooky intro but when “Dawn of heresy” burst out of the speakers in all its mid-paced, chunky, old school glory it bought a smile to my face. This is a reasonably lengthy opener and sticks to what the band know best. The riffs are thick and heavy, the tempo varies nicely from mid-paced grooves to blast beat driven sections, guitarist Paulo Lisboa’s lead work is as tasty as ever and vocalist Sérgio Baloff is his usual bile spewing self. This is a really impressive opener and any doubts I had about the band still being able to deliver were quickly demolished. “Cursed be thou” starts off with aggressive intent and furious riffing but settles into a stunning middle section that slows things down and lets guitarist Paulo Lisboa take off before the song winds its way back to that aggressive feel and pounds its way to the finish line. “Deny the light” is just classic old school metal of death with a particular fondness for old Morbid Angel in the opening section and an impressive vocal performance from Sérgio Baloff. The aptly named “Hail the metal of death” is another fun song with some powerful riffing while title song “In unholy mourning” has another killer mid-paced riff and closer “Lightless” is an atmospheric end to the album.

There’s nothing here that could be called new or innovative and the band is still sipping from the well of Morbid Angel and Sarcofago. “…In unholy mourning…” is simply the work of a bunch of dedicated musicians who are doing what they love. The band’s songwriting sounds assured and confident and Lisboa’s guitar playing is impressive in parts. Also, vocalist Sérgio Baloff turns in yet another powerful performance that greatly benefits the songs.

I suppose the album could have been about 10 minutes shorter. The black-thrash cover in the middle of the album breaks the flow a bit and a couple of songs are a bit average but I’m really just happy that these guys are back and overall “…In unholy mourning…” is a strong release that should appeal to fans of old school death metal.

- Information
- Released: 2012
- Label: Mutilation records
- Website: Headhunter D.C. Facebook
- Band
- Sérgio Baloff: vocals
- Paulo Lisboa: guitars
- George Lessa: guitars
- Zulbert Buery: bass
- Daniel Beans: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Rotten Death Prayer
- 02. Dawn of Heresy
- 03. Cursed Be Thou
- 04. Deny the Light
- 05. A Dream of Blasphemy
- 06. Hail the Metal of Death
- 07. Into the Nightmare
- 08. Unexorcised (Haunting Your Exorcist)
- 09. In Unholy Mourning
- 10. Lightless…