sepultura - Arise

Sepultura - "Arise" is a true thrash metal masterpiece and it is also considered by most people (me included) to be Sepultura's last "pure thrash" disc. It is a complete tour de force for lead guitarist Andreas Kisser; his fingers must be worn down to the bone by the time he's done playing any one of these songs.Sepultura's world on Arise is an unforgettable one - it is heavy, bleak and beautiful all at once. If you've ever driven the New Jersey Turnpike on a rainy afternoon and said to yourself, `damn, those factories are strangely beautiful', you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you're still clueless, imagine the sort of music that might go along with the song titles, "Dead Embryonic Cells", "Desperate Cry", "Altered State", and "Under Siege (Regnum Irae)". This is metal with an appeal that crosses international boundaries.

The title track has blindingly fast guitar work and pounding drums, and "Dead Embryonic Cells" is the popular (and controversially named) lead single which has fiery, chugging riffs and thumping drums.on the first track, "Arise", he warns of a "terrorist confrontation waiting for the end" and "cities fall(ing) in ruin". Then, on the classic "Dead Embryonic Cells", Max rails against "tribal violence everywhere, life in the age of terrorism". "Desperate Cry" has many different parts to it, including several tempo changes and an acoustic intro. After the "Tarzan-esque" intro, "Altered State" turns to heavy churning, cascading, almost grinding riffs. A nice, long guitar solo is included, here, as well. "Under Siege" is mid-paced, with chug and churn guitars and an acoustic intro, but the next two tracks ("Meaningless Movements" and "Infected Voice") are straight-up, full speed ahead thrashers. Finally, "Orgasmatron" is a catchy Motorhead cover, and a nice homage to a Sepultura influence.

Max, Andreas, Igor, and Paulo Jr. would later make albums that were much more experimental and a lot less heavy than this album, but "Arise" is the sound of Sepultura at their masterpiece.