Metal Reviews
Metal Reviews
SEPULTURA |
| Sepultura
are : Derrick Green on Vocals Andreas Kisser on Guitar and Vocals Paulo JR. on Bass Igor Cavalera on Drums and Percussion Additional Musicians : Zebrahead : Backing Vocals on 'Against' Gringo : Backing Vocals on 'Against' Judd Kallish : Roto Toms on 'Floaters in Mud' Silvio Gomes : High Djembe on 'Floaters in Mud' Gordo : Lead Vocals on 'Rezar' Jason Newstead : Baritone Guitar, Theremin, Vocals and Percussion on 'Hatred Aside' Miles Tackett : Cello on 'T3rcermillenium' The tracks are : 1. Against 2. Choke 3. Rumors 4. Old Earth 5. Floaters In Mud 6. Boycott 7. Tribus 8. Common Bonds 9. F.O.E. 10. Rezar 11. Unconscious 12. Kamaitachi 13. Drowned Out 14. Hatred Aside 15. T3rcermillenium Now lets be frank, hands up all of you who considered Sepultura nothing more than Max Cavalera's backing band. Oh, come on, don't be shy! Well whether you did or didn't, the one thing you couldn't help notice was the parting between Max and Sepultura was none too sweet. Max has proved his credentials with his excellent Soulfly album. So the main question here then is can Sepultura survive without Max? Well, yes, of course they can, I am very happy to report that Sepultura have lost none of their power and aggression that made them one of metals true heavyweights and apart from their new frontman Derrick Green, the song really does remain the same. But, hang on a minute Derrick who? Well, to be fair, all I can tell you about Mr. Green is that he once played in a band called Outface and thats it in a nutshell. But does he sound like Max? Well, to put it simply the answer is no. Sure Derrick can be manic when he wants to, but he also comes up with menacing soft spoken growls ans sounds almost soulful in places, which seems to work for, rather than against Sepultura and I'm sure Derrick will prove to be a real assett to the band. Now one thing I have always liked about Sepultura is that they have never been afraid to mix ethnic sounds into their music, one of the things in fact that made 1996's Roots so compelling and against is no different, this time they have chosen to bring in the traditional Japanese percussionists the KOKO drummers for the track 'Kamaitachi' and add to this one Jason Newstead guesting on 'Hatred Aside'. Against slowly turns into a fascinating album that deserves to be heard. Against is full of quality songs that find Andreas, Paulo, Igor and Derrick in fine form, with Andreas producing some of his finest guitar work to date and although the KODO drummers are only credited with one track it's clear that these influences have been felt throughout the whole album and not just on the other instrumental tracks 'Tribus' and 'F.O.E'. You can hear their influence quite clearly on tracks such as 'Floaters In Mud' and 'Boycott' giving Against a real oriental feel to it. Elsewhere Sepultura prove that they have lost none of their insane brutality that has made them possibly the number one crossover band of the last five years or so. The title track 'Against' and 'Choke' are slabs of pure hardcore, which if nothing else will go a big way in laying the ghost of Max to rest once and for all, I found Against to be far more dynamic than either Roots or Chaos A.D., but for those who still miss the old days then 'Old Earth' with Igor thumping drums and Andreas effects laden guitar is as close as it's gets, while 'Hatred Aside' is in places more Motorhead than Motorhead themselves and 'T3rcermillenium' wouldn't be out of place on a experimental progressive album, all the songs seem to fit so well together it's hard to criticize. Hopefully by now Sepultura fans will be able to sleep easy as the Brazilian giants prove without doubt there is life after Max, and as long as Derrick can prove himself on the live stage, theres no reason why, by the time Sepultura record again the name Max Cavalera will be well and truly buried in Sepultura's past. Highly Recommended!!! Released by Roadrunner Records Website : http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/ Website : http://www.sepultura.com.br Fan Club Webpage : http://www.sepultribe.com |
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"Under A Pale Grey Sky" Sepultura |
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Sepultura's legacy in the ranks of heavy music was all but assured long ago. And maybe it's just as well since many choose to disassociate with either of the two by products resultant from the dissemination thereof. "Under A Pale Grey Sky's" live performance precedes singer Max Cavalera's departure from an ugly entanglement that bitterly underscored what many feel was the highlight of their career, 96's "Roots" album and tour. Groundbreaking though they were, few can argue that the split occurred while at the top of their game. In the days since, Max's Soulfly offshoot, and a revised and somewhat resistible version of Sepultura featuring singer Derrick Green have ventured further into the bowels of heavy music, furthering the degree of "roots" employed in either half, and both groups have made valiant attempts to stay alive in the constantly changing Metal community that owes much to their existence and yet threatens it nearly as easily. Cavalera's Soulfly took a couple of rounds to get warmed up but finally seems to have found its niche while Sepultura's work hardly retains the revisionist rage of a predecessor decade long rallying cry. And so "Under A Pale Grey Sky" is a welcome revisiting of one of Metal's most inventive and influential bands. Yet I question the timeliness of this chapter closing release six years removed… Nonetheless, it's a live collection of "had to be there" songs that no true fan will want to do without. The band, an amalgamated mix of early Thrash, Death, and Hard-Core, prove unmatched on the evening of December 16th at London's Brixton Academy. And when death looms on the horizon, there's only but one way to go… it's a skull crushing performance from a band in their prime, only six albums in, who let their recent tension do the talking for a career spanning 28 cuts before walking off into the annals of history. They manage to cover every era of their progressive ascent within the ranks of the reviled and revered, first opening expectedly with their "Roots Bloody Roots" smash, then hacking and slicing their way through a plethora of fan favorites and crypt classics from their monumental "Arise" and "Chaos A.D." releases and storming versions of "Territory," and "Refuse/Resist," still a necessary evil for Machine-headed malcontents in their latest hour of suffering; And "Troops Of Doom" and "Beneath The Remains" back to back? Breathtaking… literally! And if such early faves don't satisfy your primal urges, two tracks down begins an even deeper descent to the dark… maybe 1986 to some, by way of their first ever recording, "Necromancer" (introduced to an absolute dead silence?) before returning to their "Roots" and polishing off disc one with a combined fourteen minutes of "Dusted" and "Endangered Species," where Igor somehow manages to hold it together for a higher powered skin session that seemed unthinkable moments earlier before settling into a disquieting instrumental aftermath. Disc two's got a handful of catch tracks-the stuff they did with Biafra, "Policia," the old Cro Mags "We Gotta Know" cover, which comes out surprisingly… brutish, and need we really hold court on their "Orgasmatron" closer? Didn't like it when it came out, wouldn't close the set with it. My opinion only, but we could've lived with "Dictatorsh*t" or "Refuse/Resist" jarring through our bones as the paramedics stand at close reach. Hard to dispute Sepultura's relevance in the ranks of all-time Metal greats; here's a band that pushed the envelope, the issue, and successfully applied ethnicity to extremity to become effectual innovators without which many of today's prized collectibles would not rightly exist. "Under A Pale Grey Sky" captures the essence, and unfortunately the last hour of a true original. Released by Roadrunner
Records Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] P.O. Box 20252
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