What I will say now summarizes all my opinion concerning this cd. Only a true miracle removes from these guys from Paraná (Brazil) the title of best release of Christian Death Metal in 2012. Only if happens something titanic!!!

Jacques (vocals), Fernando (bass), Gabriel (guitar) and Elton (drums) started Azorrague late 2008 and released at that same time a struggling self-titled EP. In August 2009, they started the recording process of this album, which were finished in December 2009. However, as they didn’t find any label to release it, the disc was shelved until late 2011, when the release occurred by independent means.

Die With Us cheers us with 12 of the richest songs of Death Metal already done in Brazilian lands. The disc is unusual, unique, special, indeed. It has an instrumental very very competent and exquisite arrangements, that makes the album deviates the pervasive stagnation that infests a huge part of the albums of the style. Lyrics? Based on the bible, but they don’t sound as a cheap preaching. Creativity is an honored guest here. The vocals of Jacques (who is no longer a member of the band) are really unique and particular. He barely uses the low gutturals, he prefers to enlighten a mixture totally personal of the early days of Extreme Metal, when Black, Death and Thrash were almost the same thing. Unusual? Yes. Bad? Certainly not!

The position of highlighted instrumentist, for me, stays with the drummer Elton. Good catch with the double bass drums and creative ideas for arrangements of snare and toms (Death Metal is not just hammer the snare like a lunatic), but what maybe draws more attention in his execution is the will and endeavor he uses to do his work. I’ve already had an opportunity to see a presentation of the group, and it’s outstanding the joy that Elton has in doing what he likes.

The works of the 6 and 4 strings are well represented by Gabriel and Fernando (current responsible for the vocals on Azorrague) respectively. The guitar riffs have an epic aura and worked along with a well fit timbre. Frogel does a very competent work on bass guitar and shows all his technique in a short solo in the middle of the song Plagues for the Pharaoh II.

The graphic art is quite obscure as well as dark, which hampered a bit the reading of the lyrics. Actually, I’d prefer another version of the cover art that wasn’t used. Well, speaking now of the songs, two of them stand out immediately: the “twins” Plagues for the Pharaoh I and Plagues for the Pharaoh II. Epic, well worked and well executed. It’d better start listening to the cd right with them. They’re by far the best tunes of Die With Us. But of course there are other highlights, such as the title track (and the opening) with an amazing intro, and the tracks First Sacrifice, Lies Empire and Thief’s Day, originally recorded in band’s EP, but that here undoubtely are in their best incarnations. There’s nothing better to celebrate the 20th annniversary of the best Christian Death Metal album of the history (Scrolls Of The Megilloth) than to figure out that the style will not die very soon, if bands like Azorrague stay in front of the battle.

Rating: 9/10

Written by Márllon Matos
Translation by Carol Mariana

Tracklist:
01 – Die With Us
02 – First Sacrifice
03 – The Old Man
04 – Lies Empire
05 – Breaking the Death Chains
06 – Light to the Darkness
07 – Plagues for the Pharaoh I
08 – Plagues for the Pharaoh II
09 – Prophecy Coming Grace
10 – With His Blood
11 – Put on the Armour
12 – Thief’s Day

Band Members:
Jacques – vocals
Fernando – bass
Gabriel – guitar
Elton – drums

Weblinks: Website

Record Label: Indie, 2012