BOOBY TRAP / PITCH BLACK / BURIED ALIVE Bastards United CD

The 2020 split album Bastards United, released as a professional 6-panel CD digipak by Firecum Records, is a significant collaboration that brings together three iconic names from the northern Portuguese Thrash and Crossover scene: Booby Trap, Pitch Black, and Buried Alive. Released on November 13, 2020, the album was designed as a three-way split to celebrate the brotherhood within the local underground, featuring 16 tracks that showcase the evolution and current power of each band. Booby Trap opens the record with six tracks, including the high-energy single No More and a gritty cover of Dead Cities by The Exploited. This section was produced and mastered by Guilhermino Martins, capturing the band's relentless crossover energy. Following them, Pitch Black makes a triumphant return with five tracks, marking their first release in eleven years since the 2009 album Hate Division. Their contribution, which includes standout tracks like We're In Command and Built For The Kill, was mixed and mastered by Marco Silva at Thriller Studios, delivering a sharp, aggressive Teutonic-style thrash. The final section belongs to Buried Alive, a legendary band formed in 1991 that saw the return of key members José Pereira (vocals/guitar) and Eric Di Meglio (drums) for this recording. Their five tracks, such as Chernobyl and Social Chaos, represent a bridge between their 90s origins and modern thrash ferocity. Tragically, this release also stands as a tribute to the band's co-founder, José Pereira, who passed away in early 2024. The Bastards United digipak, with its cohesive artwork and powerful production, serves as a definitive document of the resilience and unity found in the Portuguese heavy metal community.