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Soulfly - Soulfly
Soulfly - Soulfly
Roadrunner - 1999
By Phil Whitehouse
Sepultura fans the world over were shocked when Max Cavalera left the band. It seemed that the huge progressive strides that the band were making with the Roots album were to be a thing of the past - no more would tribal-influenced metal be heard on our CD players. With Sepultura having recently showcased new lead singer Derrick Green and a somewhat disappointing new album, Against, all eyes were now on Max Cavalera and his new band of tribal warriors, Soulfly.
They do more than deliver the goods. They take the punishing power of Sepultura at their heaviest, mix it with Cavalera's unbridled creativity and passion for music, and throw the tribal influences not only into the percussion, but also into the lyrical polemic, spiritual centre and heart of the band. The result is a bludgeoning, cathartic ride through fifteen tracks of Seps-smashing wonderfulness.
Opening track 'Eye For An Eye' sets out Soulfly's stall from the first second - a riff not entirely dissimilar to the Seps' 'Roots Bloody Roots' rises over an ear-shattering drum grounding, and the track (and, indeed, the album) doesn't let up throughout.
Guest appearances from notable artists like Fred Durst, Burton C. Bell, Dino Cazares and Chino Moreno help to emphasise the air of experimentation that hangs around this band - Soulfly aren't afraid to try new things and head in new directions. Oddball track 'Umbabarauma' is sung half in Brazilian, brings in a whole tribal percussion group and appears to be largely about soccer!
Fans of Sepultura pre-Against and especially avid supporters of the Chaos A.D. and Roots albums should most definitely check this album out. You will not be disappointed in the least.
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