BLAKK MARKET – Hateful Affection

Thrash Metal has been one of the first Metal export quality products in Brazil. With Sepultura being the first band to gain International acceptance and admiration, the genre has spawned several children in those lands.

Blakk Market, a Brazilian Thrash Metal band, crosses over the subgenre’s root with the main root of all evil: Traditional Heavy Metal. Created by former members of Despotic, another successful underground Thrash Metal band, their music is mature and developed.

Their first Demo, Hateful Affection, features both studio and pre-production recordings of 4 Thrash Metal masterpieces. The band’s main influences are found in the Melodic Death Metal arena, with the likes of In Flames and Children of Bodom, but elements of their music also relate to 80’s Bay area Thrash Metal.

Stunning drumming, aggressive and impact vocals, inspired guitar playing, and bombastic bass lines are the foundation for crafting a powerful, yet melodic, sound. Most Brazilian bands sound primitive and brutal, but not Blakk Market. The elements of Traditional Heavy Metal introduced within their compositions make their sound easy to enjoy by any Metal fan, even if you don’t like Extreme music.

The production quality for the studio tracks is stunning for a Demo, and the artwork for the album, although simple, is also very professional looking. Still, regarding the packaging, their Demo CD packs a multimedia section, where you will find two more tracks, and a Video Clip for the first song, “Twisted Broadcast,” which is quite impressive for a low-budget production.

Both the studio tracks, “Twisted Broadcast” and “The Wheel Keeps Turning,” feature elements of Progressive, Thrash, and Death Metal, and reveal the signature sound of the band. While these songs are good, the best of the demo is found in the Multimedia section of Hateful Affection. Although the sound of these recordings is of lesser quality than the ones in the Audio part of the CD, the composition quality of “Putrefaction Guaranteed” and “The Dawn of the Dead” are even more impressive.

There is not much material in the Demo, but it seems that the band has opted quality over quantity. Four songs may not be enough for one to judge the full potential of a band, but this is one of the few demos that will have you expecting a full-length record with anxiety.