Nephasth

Brazilian death metal band Nephasth was founded in the city of Porto Alegre in 1997 by guitarists Rafael Barros and Marcos Moura, bassist/vocalist Fabio Lentiono, and drummer Mauricio Weimar. Originally going by the name Interior Soul, the band recorded a five-song demo which won them great favor in the tape-trading underground and led to occasional touring with fellow on-the-rise Brazilian death metal bands like Krisiun and Rebaelliun. Now seriously gathering steam, the group adopted the name Nephasth in 1999 and recorded a self-financed EP entitled The Merciless Face of Evil the following year. Its tracks were later featured in Relapse Records' very popular Brazilian Assault compilation — which almost single-handedly introduced the New Wave of Brazilian Death Metal to an unsuspecting world. In turn, this exposure led to a deal with Mercenary Musik, which released their international debut, Immortal Unholy Triumph, in 2001.