Here is our selection for the best Portuguese releases of 2016. You might be wondering “where’s my country’s top ten?” and you are right to wonder. Sadly our team is small and based in Lusitanian lands. But hey, if you want to make your country’s top ten, send it to us and we’ll publish the fuck out of it, the more music the merrier. Then again, if you live in Sweden or Germany, we have probably already heard it because your countries are Heavy Metal Mammoths, we have Moonspell.

Anyway, here are the best musical works from Portugal in 2016 according to us.

Brutal Brain Damage – Bang Bang Theory – Do you like cowboys? Do you like Grindcore? Have you searched every inch of the web in search of these two things combined? Then this is for you! Brutal Brain Damage throw brutal shows only because they make brutal music and in 2016 they drew this awesome album and shot us right in the face with it. They were also responsible for one of the most sublime live performances of Sublime Torture Fest IX.

Mr Mojo’s Self-Titled EP – Awesome, groovy, crusty stoner from the north. Another act that is also really good live (most of these bands we saw live which explains in part why they are here), their self-titled debut ep is heavy, powerful and nut-dropping. We are psyched for what they will throw at us in the future.

Sinistro – Semente – We have already proclaimed our love for this release in a previous review that also came out on Loudness Magazine. In short, doom metal greatness with a touch of grace. Each song is unique and intense from start to finish.

Gorgásmico Pornoblastoma – Delírios de um Defunto – One of the best goregrind acts in the country, their live performances are wild, intense and just as brutal as their music. If you like Jig-Ai, these guys will also give you massive boners. The best example of true portuguese grind, no baloons, no lame jokes and no bullshit. This album absolutely enrages you, its violent, it’s fun, it’s easy to digest but only for the true fans of extreme music. So underground, their album isn’t even available on youtube, that shit is for normies anyway.

Névoa – Re Un – Ambient Black Metal done right, the mix of sombre melodies with intense blastbeat action is exquisite and sublime. Their shows are also quite mysterious and filled to the brim with all the creamy elements that we love about ambient and black metal. Re Un is certainly worth a lot of listens.

Misantropia – Power Hating Slaves – Crust punk awesomeness defines perfectly Misantropia’s ep Power Hating Slaves. A fun ride of musical destruction, bloodshed and telling the police to stick it where the sun will never shine. They are also really good live so we recommend you catch one of their shows and get a copy of Power Hating Slaves.

Colosso – Obnoxious – We have no idea where these guys came from, but suddenly they were everywhere, on everyone’s lips and all over the web. Do you know why? Because they are fucking good that’s why. All these people talking about Colosso and their amazing new album coloured us intrigued so we gave Obnoxious a listen, this we will never regret. Sometimes, popular opinion is a good thing.

Morte Incandescente – …O Mundo Morreu! – Pure unadulterated, straightforward, in your face Lusitanian black metal of the highest quality. These two guys know exactly how to make things darker, grimmer and necro, Satan has a special place in his heart for this band and we assure you he listens to this album every day. Another band that is amazing and imposing when playing live shows and another that is so underground, their album is nowhere on youtube, so enjoy this video instead.

Skinning – Slaves of Insanity – One of the most brutal bands around unleashed this brutal death gem earlier this year, so early that it seems people forgot about it, not us! Skinning is fucking great, I can’t believe we didn’t send them to Wacken that one time, but then again, I remember the competition being fierce.

Benthik Zone – Cyclum Vitam D’Aqua Pollutio and Alienum a Daemonum Inferni Squali

These guys came out of nowhere and unleashed two incredible EPs on the same year, that’s why we are including both here. Their atmospheric black metal is an ocean deep, mind wracking journey we highly recommend. They also have one of the most awesome band photos we have ever seen, it looks like god is pissing his pants in their presence. We only included the later EP here, if you want to listen the other one, find it on youtube you lazy fuck.

That’s was our selection for the best portuguese records of 2016, remember, if you disagree, rant about it in the comments, you are more than welcome.

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“Disclaimer, we don’t actually dislike Moonspell.”

Text by J.P. Alves and Jonny Ramos