Originally known as Incubus when the band was formed in the mid 80's by Brazilian brothers Francis (guitars, vocals) and Moyses (drums) Howard, the band released two albums under that moniker before changing their name to Opprobrium in the late 90's. Discerning Forces which was Opprobrium's debut was officially released by Nuclear Blast back in 2000. For some reason the band left the music scene altogether not long afterwards, however as of last year they are rumored to be back together and writing material for a new record. Metal Mind has now reissued this album in their typical gold disc, limited numbered edition digipak format.
It's hard not to pick up on the obvious Sepultura influence permeating throughout this album as both Francis and rhythm guitarist Luiz Carlos serve up a hearty dose of heavy, intricate old school thrash metal riffs, while brother Moyses keeps himself pretty busy as the timekeeper behind the kit, changing up the tempos quite frequently on tracks like "Dark Entanglement", "Moments Of Despair", and laying down some seriously infectious grooves on closing track "Awakening To The Filth. Unlike the bands earlier work under the Incubus name, the material on Discerning Forces has held up quite well with the passage of time, even though it's only been almost ten years.
If you're a fan of good old fashioned vintage sounding thrash / death metal then Discerning Forces is a worthy purchase. It may not be particularly groundbreaking stuff, but you've got to hand it to them because what they did, they did quite well.
Track Listing
1) Digitrap
2) Discerning Forces
3) Ancient Rebellion
4) Dark Entanglement
5) Drowning
6) Escapism
7) Merciless Torture
8) Moments Of Despair
9) Blood Conflict
10) Awakening To The Filth