siLLy puPPy This is where the SATANIQUE SAMBA TRIO really come to life on their first full-length album SANGROU (something in Portugese about bleeding). This is avant-samba come to fruition and i love it. Everything about this album works for me. While the debut EP “Misantropicalia” was promising the band utilized a bit too much blatant Coil ripoffisms for my taste. While there are tracks on this one that have clear references to Coil=esque experimental electronic, the band have clearly found their niche in the extreme Samba In Opposition category which in retrospect reminds me of aspects of Mr Bungles “Disco Volante” in how they can take different styles and genres of Brazilian music and spastically intersperse them into a nice rhythmic flow. I say rhythmic because that is the glue to the madness experienced here. If you seek melody there are plenty of nice catchy Brazilian and otherwise things going on but what makes this very avant-prog is how things come and go and take you on a wild ride. This is a totally instrumental ride.

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.

siLLy puPPy SATANIQUE SAMBA TRIO is a very strange band from Brasilia, Brazil. Their name and imagery suggest a black metal band, but this is more of a parody of black metal because this is nothing even remotely close soundwise. The name is also a misnomer as this is neither Satanic nor a trio. The band throughout its history ranges from five to seven members. This music is actually a hybrid of the avant-prog of such greats as Henry Cow or Univers Zero mixed with traditional Brazilian pop and avant-garde samba jazz.

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.

siLLy puPPy The interesting thing about this Brazilian band's music is that it so successfully manages to NOT sound like anything else. They have taken their avant-garde sound to an arena that I have never experienced before and although that probably sounds like enough to scare off the musically unadventurous, this is not just random noise. This band has structure and patterns that do repeat although most often not.

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.