Skip to content
Formed in 1980, Olho Seco was one of the first Brazilian bands to adopt the fast and aggressive sound that would come to be known as hardcore punk, influencing the entire local scene. Led by vocalist Fábio Sampaio, the band helped solidify the style in Brazil, debuting on the country's first punk record, the compilation Grito Suburbano (1982), alongside Inocentes and Cólera. Released in the following year, the EP Botas, Fuzis e Capacetes became a genre classic, not only serving as one of the blueprints for Brazilian hardcore with its rough, brutal, Discharge-influenced sound, but also helped establish the country as one of the global strongholds of underground punk.
Beyond his role as Olho Seco’s frontman, Fábio Sampaio played a decisive role in shaping Brazilian punk. His store, Punk Rock Discos, opened in 1979, became an essential meeting point for São Paulo’s punk scene, facilitating the exchange of ideas and musical influences. Through it, Fábio popularized foreign bands like Discharge, as well as Swedish and Finnish hardcore, influences that helped shape the raw and aggressive identity of local hardcore. In this way, Olho Seco not only helped define Brazilian punk but was also instrumental in its expansion and international recognition.
Our take: The new label Morrer Discos brings us a pitch-perfect reissue of this raw hardcore monster from early 80s Brazil. While Olho Seco debuted alongside Inocentes and Cólera on 1982’s Grito Suburbano compilation LP, 1983’s Botas Fuzis Capacetes is their first stand-alone record, and if you like raw, Discharge-inspired hardcore, there’s a good chance you consider it the best record ever to come from Brazil. Olho Seco’s vocalist Fábio Sampaio ran the influential record store Punk Rock Discos and was deeply plugged into the international hardcore scene, forging connections with scenes as far away as Finland (you can see “Tampere SS” painted on his leather jacket in a photo on this record’s insert), and while the first generation or two of Discharge-inspired hardcore must have been hugely influential on Olho Seco, what strikes me most about Botas Fuzis Capacetes is how alive with discovery it feels. The a-side, “Nada,” in particular just fizzes with energy, and while its three-chord riff is almost absurdly primitive, the performance conveys a similar excitement level to Minor Threat’s first EP or Discharge’s Decontrol. It feels impossible for me to sit still while it’s playing. The two tracks on the b-side are no slouch either, with “Muito Obrigado” leaning toward the savage aggression of Shitlickers and the title track closing things out on an ever-so-slightly more tuneful, UK82-inspired note. Botas Fuzis Capacetes is a clear highlight in the history of hardcore punk, and this reissue does exactly what it should by getting out of the way and letting the record speak for itself. I don’t have an original to compare it to, but the sound is clear, loud, and powerful, and the sleeve reproduction so dead-on that it almost looks like dead stock (that pocket sleeve on thin goldenrod paper is drool-worthy). If you’re an 80s international hardcore manic, you need this one in your collection, so kudos to Morrer Discos for bringing this stylish and affordable new pressing to the punx.