Brazilian female thrash trio, Nervosa, is dead set on giving the male-dominated metal world a run for its money on its sophomore release, Agony. Not since Gallhammer has there been a more ferocious female extreme metal trio. Its 12 tracks  (including bonus track “Wayfarer”) serves as a sequel to the band’s critically acclaimed debut, Victim of Yourself, and Nervosa attack with even more precision-like aggression here. Hailing from Sao Paulo, the birthplace of Sepultura, the gals’ influence is obvious, yet charming but not overbearing. The vicious growls of bassist/vocalist Fernanda Lira will destroy your ear drums in the most enduring of ways, while drummer Pitchu Ferraz’s solid playing anchors the rhythm section and guitarist Prika Amaral riffs her ass off.  

Opener “Arrogance” immediately bombards the listener with a barrage of blasting drum patterns and heavy chugging in the vein of Teutonic thrashers such as Kreator and Sodom. Throughout the track, the charming, raspy barks of Lira are combined with the rhythmic, machine gun-like pace. The frantic thrashing of “Theory Of Conspiracy” gives nods towards the aforementioned Sepultura and Sodom while “Devastation” gallops with precision-like rhythm and pace. Unfortunately, there’s not that many memorable choruses compared to its debut album, although “Hypocrisy,” “Intolerance Means War” and “Devastation” come close. There’s nothing too technical about the band’s level of musicianship, but it’s tight and furious with the right combination of blistering riffs, a solid rhythm section and vicious vocals. All these elements combined together make Nervosa a pretty lethal unit.