SATANIQUE SAMBA TRIO

The band line up for this album is Munha (bass), Gustavo "Don Chavez" Elias (acoustic guitar), Jota Dale (ukulele), Locas "Sombrio" Muniz (bass clarinet), and Lupa Marques (drums). The album is made up of 10 short tracks, none of them reaching a length of 3 minutes, and collectively with a run-time of just under 19 minutes. All of the tracks are named "Badtriptronics" with seemingly random numbers following the title.

Sounds intriguing, right? Well, it caught my interest since I love listening to things that are new and different.

Well, intriguing it is, for sure. The finished product after being recorded on a cheap phone doesn't sound too bad considering the odd result from these songs. Yet there is a lot more variety to the sound of each track than what you would think. The music is bizarre and original, yet quite appealing with all of the layers of sound, music and oddness, they are all really neat. How they can take something low-fi and make it all sound so interestingly different is quite amazing. The recording process ends up being an instrument in and of itself.

What you end up with is 10 tracks that sound like what Bela Bartok might sound like if he had composed music for modern rock instruments. The traditional Latin styles are there, but they are so manipulated and tweaked that it all ends up sounding like something completely new and original, which it is. "Badtriptronics #05" takes on a mid-Eastern sound with the bass clarinet taking the lead, but retaining the timbre of the tropical drums. "Badtriptronics #30" goes for the really strange when they take a loop of someone coughing and bury it amongst their instruments and make it sound like percussion as it enhances the beat of the track, and it comes across quite humorous. #26 takes the free jazz style and mashes it together with digital sounds and keys and pair it all with a rave beat that has gone haywire. #04 is what your barnyard would sound like if your animals got a hold of some instruments. # 28 sounds like your local mall's musak system got short circuited. All off this sounds quite whacky, but in reality, it is better than these descriptions allude to, believe it or not, it's just the easiest way to describe what is going on here. Hopefully it will intrigue you enough to check it all out, and you are only out 19 minutes anyway, so if you don't get it, then it's not like you are going to hunt me down for misleading you.

I find it all quite interesting and enjoyable. There really is a lot to hear on this album that only repeated listening will help unveil. The best part is that it really doesn't come across starchy or sterile like you might think. The songs all have their own personality. But only you can decide for yourself if you like it or not. It is 100% avant prog, so if you are ready for that, then you have already prepared yourself for this.

The band has caught on at least in the inner circles of those who really crave the weirdest possible and most avant-garde styles of sounds that grace this planet. The band has embarked on some world tours even and has become the darling of avant-jazz-core and in 2019 returns with another twisted and dynamic release called MAIS BAD (Portuguese for "More Bad.") SATANIQUE SAMBA TRIO has changed a bit since it hit the scene with its debut "Misantropicalia" which copped more than a feel of Coil's "Snow EP," but on the next album the band developed one of the most unique sounds in all of the experimental prog world with dizzying hairpin rhythmic turns made all the more roller coaster-esque with incessant time signature frenzies and labyrinthine song structures.

These guys have calmed down a bit in terms of throwing the avant-garde encyclopedia in the blender but still exist in a world well outside of the confines of the established paradigm (that being the Univers Zero, Present, Art Zoyd style of RIO.) MAIS BAD is a short beast hitting a running time of only around 19 minutes but packs in 10 bizarre and strange tracks. Entirely instrumental save a few vocal grunts and weirdnesses, SST has streamlined its sound to be a bit more accessible than in the older days. Now rhythms march in an easily digested linear fashion and don't make the listener feel like they've fallen into a wormhole and ended up inside the digestive track of an organic jukebox of something.

Each track is titled "Badtriptronics" followed by a random number and is rather unique sounding for an SST album. While at first focusing on weirdness for its own sake, now the band has taken on a rather experimental soundtrack quality of playing and recording. The tracks have an interesting production that simulates a bossa nova record from the 50s but teases out the compositions to include a plethora of experimental free-for-alls over the steady rhythmic drive. The music is simultaneously delicate and harsh but mostly surreal as despite the rhythmic drive takes a sort of no wave approach and excels in dissonance, freaky counterpoints and just plain weird avant-prog angularities. The unique mix of electric bass with drums, bass clarinet, acoustic guitar and the Portuguese stringed instrument called a cavaquinho or cavaco keeps it in the world of Brazilian culture only after someone spiked the water supply with who knows what.

MAIS BAD surely won't win over any newbies who haven't already swallowed the Kool-AId from this wild and wacky quintet who sound like they have been adding a little too much sugar in their coffee but for those who enjoy a unique set of punk infused takes on samba based avant-prog then you're in for a treat. This is a band i've been into for a long time and am still amazed at how utterly unique they are for as far as i know no others have attempted this bizarre amalgamation of musical styles so successfully. Not sure what's up with the short releases since the band hasn't had an album over 30 minutes long since 2011's "Bad Trip Simulator #1" but i guess leaving you hungry for more is perhaps the best strategy. Me like! MAIS BAD make mo good!

The main difference between this newer SATANIQUE SAMBA TRIO sound as opposed to their earlier albums like "Sangrou" is that they now aren't afraid to let a few melodies develop and play around for awhile despite dissonant counterpoints and strange avenues taken. Unlike the earlier albums which were about the ultimate blending of samba, avant-garde jazz and avant-prog rock into an unrecognizable frenzy, this one sort of slows things down a bit making a more digestible ride instead of the speedfests of the past. Still weird, still wild as hell and unlike anything else you've heard but somewhat more in line to what a more upbeat avant-prog band like News For Babel or Universe Zero would sound like if they dipped into the world of Brazilian samba.

While i tend to like the earlier more adventurous albums better, this is actually a fairly cool little run of music that despite its slightly more accessible nature, doesn't even remotely resemble anything that will be hitting the top 40 soon. It sounds as if the band is more relaxed with its fusion style after they've proven themselves as musical maniacs capable of doing all kinds of bizarre madness. Having said that, this one is not exactly an easy listen either as it contains all kinds of angular rhythms, polyphonic opposition and conjures up a maelstrom of odd off-kilter time signature workouts. While still existing in mondo bizarro, it lands on planet Earth just long enough so that they manage to add some recognizable samba and melodies and the results are quite successful. Check this one out if the earlier albums struck you as too chaotic.

It's very rare that i hear something that is utterly unique and makes me have to listen a few times to catch on to what's going on. SATANIQUE SAMBA TRIO which is neither satanic nor a trio (but does have some Samba going on) is a bizarre, energetic and avant-musical entity that has incorporated Brazilian traditional music, Rock In Opposition progressiveness along with electronic and hard rock. While things can always sound good on paper, SST delivers the goods. They have the knack to tie all these musical aspects together in unique ways. They do this not only by alternation of styles but also have an incredible knack for overlaying various ideas.

This is only for the most musically adventurous. There are several things going on at the same time and most of it is definitely for the tastes of extreme free-jazz (but highly rhythmic) lovers that utilize the influences of Samba, rock and melodic aspects of Brazilian music. This is music that is designed to melodically titillate and create bewilderment and obfuscation. If those are thrilling aspects in your musical tastes then SST will satisfy to the n-th degree. My musical tastes are all over the map and i surely couldn't listen to this all the time, but when i want one of those musical trips that's equivalent to a roller coaster going through an earthquake tunnel in Disneyland while traditional musicians play under the influence of mind-altering substances then this music more than hits the spot. This album deserves 5 stars for being totally unique, bold, daring and also hits that special funny bone that makes me laugh while being blown away. Not an easy feat. While the following albums follow suit, this one started the whole thing and has a perfect mix of ideas laid out in the most satisfying way. Brilliant.

The First album of "Trilogy of Putrefacion", the sound of SS3 clearly changes without necessarily sound differently from the previous works. In other words, if before we saw attacks on various kinds of musical styles, including some loudest sounds and even some hints of "noisy music", here we see an attack aimming directly the dogmas. The sniper has replaced the "day of rage" - and surprisingly, the sound disturbing as it is, is enjoyable!

The opening of "Lambada Post Mortem" is already an excellent example of this. Although not necessarily a Brazilian musical style, it is dismantled as it deserves. "Cabra da peste negra", whose name already evokes northeastern traditions, follows the same line of deconstruction - even with a flute segment that seems to carry the music forward, only to strike it down. Two things caught my attention enough: the licks of electric guitar and bass pattern very present and striking. The acoustic guitar is also marked on tracks like "Tagua York City Molestus Ostinato". The string set also sometimes appears, and surprisingly not to destroy as much as I imagined that would.

"DF DEATH TRAP" is perhaps where the group most shows the general intentions of the project. There is no instrumental line to follow the rules! No rest! No mercy! "Luciferi Tum tum" slightly returns to normal (I said that !?). As well as "Molly Cancer" (again !?), this time with a strong riff of electric guitar. "Badtriptonic # 14," perhaps one of the boldest (which would later be placed in the collection "Mó Bad") also shows up full of moods. "Herpes Soul & Samba Zoster" reminds me of certain southern American sounds assembled together with the samba in time changes and bizarre markings that only SS3 can do (and being enjoybale!). The last three tracks are a bit heavier and striking, which establishes an intimate contact between the album and the stroke you just developed.

As the first album of the "Trilogy of Putrefacion", the meat is freshly slaughtered to take advantage of its putrefaction calmly and full of Satanism devotion.

The instruments consist of guitar, bass, drums, trumpet and cavaquinho which is a small Portuguese guitar with four strings. This music is very avant-garde to say the least utilizing the most dissonant avant-prog and RIO leanings as heard in the strangest offerings of Henry Cow, Art Zoyd or Aqsak Maboul only presented with samba-jazz instrumentation. The weaving of traditional Brazilian sounds into the mix is what makes this truly unique. While the samba sound can be discerned at times, it is often obfuscated and twisted with extremely complex time sigs and electronic manipulations.

While the best of what this band has to offer from their future releases is here on the debut album MISANTROPICALIA, they also have a strange fascination with "The Snow EP" from Coil on a few ambient tracks with the vocals and melody almost identical to that release. If you are not familiar with Coil's music this could be an interesting addition outside the avant-samba offerings heard here but i find it a little irritating to hear it here interspersed between the regular tracks. It sounds like they just throw in the ambient vocal tracks for filler and it is basically too much of a Coil rip off for my comfort. This is a decent slice of avant-prog-jazz by SST but it is better displayed on the following albums "Sangrou" and "Bad Trip Simulators 2 & 1" where they shine in their fullest avant-garde samba jazz regalia.

SATANIQUE SAMBA TRIO is strange for many reasons. They are not particularly Satanic as far as I can gather. They are a quintet and although there is samba in this stew, they also incorporate jazz-fusion, bossa nova and rock. However none of these genres are instantly recognizable since they are all mangled together in such an extreme manner that this leaves you wondering if these guys have been licking rainforest frogs or something. You may or may not love this but you certainly won't leave thinking you've heard this all before.

The only thing that comes to mind when I hear this is what it would sound like if a chamber rock RIO band like Univers Zero decided to add all the above mentioned genres to the mix with a little electronics here and there and upped the tempo a bit with a lot more changes piled into their sound. That might come close but this band has carved out a musical niche that no one else has. The only question remains is will anyone follow. I did and i'm not sorry for it. If you love extremely unorthodox and challenging RIO fusion then you should check these guys out.

First of all, i would like to start my review saying that this band is probably the most unusual band i have ever heard. Their name doess not make any sense: they are not a trio (the band have 5 musicians), they do not play samba (they have some samba influence though) and they are not satanic also.

Besides that, they mock the black metal bands through their song titles (that connote bad things / satan / evil, like most of the black metal songs do), their band name (that is supposedly written in a ancient and strange language, like some black metal bands are) , their cover (that portrait evil deeds) and their logo, with unintelligible letters and an inverted cross. All this mockery appears to achieve Zappa-like characteristics, specially because the stile of the jokes, and there are some Zappa in their music also, at least concerning experimentalism.

These characteristics are what drove me to them, what made me interested in finding more about this band, and i was not disappointed, though i am not exactly keen to the avant-garde style of composition and playing. As i said before, there is some samba influence here, but it does not play such an important role as you may think by this band name. they are more into experimenting music, since there can be heard even some brazilian baroque influence (specially in the Canção para Atrair Má Sorte songs, that have that baroque-like singing).

Grade and Final Thoughts

This band is very obscure and it took me some time to find things about them, including their albums. However, the effort payed off and, though this is a rather short album, it is still worth it.

The highlights here go to the Seis Temas Tropicais para Mestre Lúcifer suite, to the acts (atos) of the Canção para Atrair Má Sorte and to the Dança das Quiumbas, that is actually 2 minutes long and, after a long period of silence, have a secret song that is actually a reprise, much bigger that the actual song.