Zive: Sacrificio Nunca Mais |

It’s All In The Family

(2017 – Mashia Records)

Thanks to our friend Batista from Antidemon, we’ve received this interesting release from Zive, a band hailing from Brazil. Despite having a long history and career, they were only able to release their first album in 2017—and apparently, it’s the band’s only album—which is how it came into our hands.
For those unfamiliar with Zive, we could describe them as a cross between Metal, Hardcore, and Crustcore—an interesting blend where the “core” elements dominate the mix. The influences seem varied and even discordant, but what we have here defies the boundaries of each genre, resulting in a visceral rawness that links Zive to the most underground elements of the Hardcore/Punk scene, yet as a whole, it’s much closer to Extreme Metal.
You could almost say that Zive is a family band dedicated to extreme and Hardcore music. Let me explain: Fabio Willock is the band’s guitarist, his wife Luciana Willock is the bassist, and Wine Willock, their young daughter (at the time), is the lead vocalist. The family is joined by Dudu and Douglas on drums.
Raw intensity dominates virtually every track on “Sacrificio Nunca Mais”; a devastating, crushing sound is complemented by the vocals of the young Wine, combined with the guttural backing vocals of her father, the band’s guitarist. The thing is, Zive never seems to settle on a particular style; instead, they give it their all without a defined direction, resulting in something a bit chaotic yet still enjoyable.

With “Assassinos” and its hardcore rhythm of guttural, rotten vocals that somewhat remind us of the beloved Ratos De Porao, intermingled with the childlike vocals of Wine Willock; a total contrast but one that is essentially Zive’s trademark. Another defining feature of Zive is the sparse lyrics in their songs. “Batalha” is a good example of this. Short and to the point, with plenty of the most visceral punk rock imaginable.
With a mix of Deathgrind and Hardcore, “Bezerro” breaks through, followed by “Inferno,” which is almost in the same vein but much more complex in its composition, and even “Jesus” feels like an almost inevitable continuation.
In “Justiça Divina,” the Grindcore/Hardcore style showcases a catchy riff, and in “Mentiras,” the track follows the same trend but with a tempo that constantly breaks up, intermingling with the typical screams and guttural vocals that Zive incorporates into their style.
“Mil Años” makes its presence felt with an unmistakable hardcore vibe, and with “Ódio,” things get intense with those unmistakable beats drawn from death metal, yet infused with a pervasive ‘core’ sensibility. Perhaps leaning more toward Thrash Metal, we have “Opressor,” which never lets up for a moment.
“Paz?” has that unmistakable connection to hardcore, and Zive demonstrates this in all its glory; and watch out, because “Sacrificio” isn’t far behind—it brings its own thing too. Finally, on “Sejamos Fortes,” the punk vibe dominates everything and showcases the best of Zive: that stripped-down, virulent sound with strong, guttural vocals, over a foundation blending Hardcore/Punk and Death Metal.
It’s possible that “Sacrificio Nunca Mais” won’t make a bigger impact than expected—or than it already did in its time. It has that unmistakable Brazilian stamp, which allows it to stand out, along with an intricate blend of extreme music elements—such as Death Metal and Hardcore/Punk—coupled with that defining contrast: the mix of guttural vocals with those of Wine Willock, with a style that’s somewhere between childlike and punk.

What doesn’t help much is the sound, which is quite poor overall but modest enough to present the band in its raw form, with all the rawness and virulence that Zive displays. In that sense, it feels as though it was recorded with the band playing live in the recording studio.
Modesty also characterizes the artwork, featuring a cover with a simple yet striking illustration where blood-red dominates the scene. Inside, we find a collage of photos of the band and the lyrics to each song, which are straightforward Christian lyrics—and also brief, since, as we mentioned earlier, Zive’s strength lies not in lyrical depth but in the power they imbue in every scream, phrase, and word that emerges from their mostly raspy voices.
So far, it seems that “Sacrificio Nunca Mais” is the only album Zive has released to date. Despite this, the band is still active, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they eventually drop some new material, but in the meantime, we have “Sacrificio Nunca Mais” to discover something different within Brazil’s Metal/Hardcore scene.
Finally, as is our custom, we’re leaving you with something to watch and listen to. In this case, the official music video for the track “Jesus,” and of course, the links to find Zive on social media…

https://www.facebook.com/bandazive

https://www.instagram.com/zivecore