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.

sepultura - Chaos A.D

"Chaos AD" also features Sepultura's first serious exploration of tribal and political issues, with the songs "Kaiowas" (named for a tribe of native South Americans that were all but wiped out) and "Biotech is Godzilla" (co-written by Jello Biafra).Before "Chaos A.D.," Sepultura were a great death metal band that were as important as Slayer. The only problem was that the genre that Sepultura helped create had become very popular by the early 1990's. Bands like Carcass, Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, and Suffocation had formed and Sepultura.

"Refuse/Resist" leads off the album with a ripping-hammer punch that socks you into your seat. "Territory", "Slave New World" and "Nomad" are outstanding songs as well, running the gamut from the slow, heavy trudge to the fast-paced pummeling guitar that was Sepultura's bread and butter for so long.
Amen" has chug and churn, up and down riffs. I enjoy the part of this song when the beat comes down a few decibels and some female vocals sing over the light percussion. The song ends with bobbing riffs and some good, pounding drum work.
The aforementioned "Kaiowas" remains a staple/centerpiece of Sepultura's live shows. The band members play for a little while, then abruptly stop to talk amongst themselves. They finally shut up and play the rest of the song in is entirety. They strum the acoustic guitars fast and the drums thump, but, even still, this is a very pretty, melodic, and atmospheric song. I also enjoy the squawking birds, giving it a rainforest vibe.
"Propaganda" has machine gun riffs which, together with the drums, sound awesome. Another Slayer-esque, careening guitar solo is included, and the song ends with cascading riffs.
"Biotech is Godzilla" has a scorching opening riff, but this song is a highlight because of the tempo changes (before and after the choruses, which are slower) and the catchy shout along: "BIO-TECH!"
"Nomad" has some more stop-start rhythms and riffs, and increasingly fast, heavy, and talented drum work (which becomes especially apparent at the end).
Some of the all time sepultura classics are on this disc, including slave new world, refuse/resist, amen, propaganda, biotech is godzilla, clench fist, territory, and nomad. Sepulutura are flawless on this album, the political lyrics, the deep growls of max, the great guitars by andreas, and drums of igor.

sepultura - Blood Rooted

sepultura - "Blood Rooted' gets off to a decent enough start. Celtic Frost's "Procreation Of The Wicked" would be heavy and menacing no matter who played it. This is as heavy as a truckload of bricks, with a nice line in stressed guitar effects.the front cover of `Blood Rooted' a little stamp says "Over an hour of live and rare material".Roadrunner panicked, and started grubbing round to see how much Sepultura material they could find. The archives were quite full, with a heap of studio outtakes and enough concert material for a killer live album.

This album is very uneven, and would have been a very unsatisfying epitaph for a once great band had it been the final release.The Song Procreation (of the Wicked), actually outdoes the original by Celtic Frost. Other stand outs include the Symptom of the Universe, (Black Sabbath) even with its poor quality and Drug Me (Dead Kennedys). The main difference in the remix of Lookaway is that you can hear Jon Davis (Korn vocalist) a lot better then on the original.Sepultura manage to wreck up the unwreckable- Black Sabbath's "Symptom Of The Universe". It has two redeeming features- Igor's drumming, which is incredibly precise, and Andreas' solo. Otherwise, Max half-heartedly strums his way through the rhythms, and listlessly moans and grumbles through the lyrics.

The studio tracks are hardly worth the effort, and the half-a-live album is too short. Approach it with eyes and ears wide open. Well, it's a great addition to any Sepultura fan's collection.

sepultura - Roorback

Sepultura with Max is the best metal band period. Derrick Green had a hard job filling in for Max when he joined the band. The first album he did with Sepultura Against was a good 4 star album. It was a bit uneven and they weren't as good as they used to be but they still rocked.

Every song is ferocious and impactful and down right amazingly crafted. The bonuss disc "Revolusongs" showcases Sepultura's divine ability to cover songs and make them their ownTheir next effort Nation was a disaster. What ever they played it wasn't metal, hell it wasn't even hard rock. Igor the best drummer in the world, merely taps the drum instead of his usual pounding, awe inducing drumming. On this album Roorback Igor unleashes once again. He plays with speed and power and carries this band. Andreas on guitar does his best work since Roots the last album with Max. If you accept that this bands best days are behind them and realize they are a different band the music is enjoyable.

The lead track Come Back Alive is the best song on the album but other good ones are Apes of God & Corrupted.On this album Roorback Igor unleashes once again. He plays with speed and power and carries this band. Andreas on guitar does his best work since Roots the last album with Max.This album is the group's tenth album total, but only their third album without original vocalist Max Cavalera and with Derrick Green behind the mic

sepultura - Schizophrenia

Sepultura - Schizophrenia is always overlooked for some reason. It isn't Beneath the Remains, Arise or Chaos A.D. or Roots but it manages to stand out on its own and it is easily worth the five stars think of Schizophrenia as the Slayer's Hell Awaits, or Anthrax's Spreading The Disease, or Metallica's Ride The Lightning. it is simply put, the prequel to their upcoming masterpiece. the best songs are definitely the new version of Troops Of Doom, and Escape From The Void.
The recording quality isn't that great,but neither was "Kill Em All".The true star of "Schizophrenia" is the then new guitarist Andreas Kisser.His solo on my personal favorite,"To The Wall",is unbelievable and secured his place as one the best metal guitarists ever.


Andreas Kisser the new lead guitarist for Sepultura and Jairo T.'s Replacement. This lineup change would lead Sepultura in the direction that would lead them out of the jungles of Brazil and onto the map as one of the best Thrash bands around.The lyrics content has matured; instead of songs about the antichrist we have songs about being taken advantage of by cops in To The Wall; which contains the best drum solo section on the album. Speaking of the drums, Igor has definitely improved and only got better with each album. Schizophrenia has a weird production to it that affects the tom drums in the most unusual manner. It sounds like Igor had left and briefly joined the blue man group only to return with a drum set made out of plastic pipes. Sepultura grew up somewhat from their primitive Death Metal albums Bestial Devastation and Morbid Visions and released Schizophrenia which officially transferred them over into the realm of Thrash.

sepultura - Roots

Track Listings
1. Roots Bloody Roots
2. Attitude
3. Cut-Throat
4. Ratamahatta
5. Breed Apart
6. Straighthate
7. Spit
8. Lookaway
9. Dusted
10. Born Stubborn
11. Jasco
12. Itsari
13. Ambush
14. Endangered Species
15. Dictatorsh*t

Sepultura's Roots went bravely where no other metal album had gone before. It mixed Afro-Brazilian drums and tribal rhytms/music with down tuned new metal guitar and death metal vocals. This 1996 album was also Sepultura's last with front man Max Cavalera; he would leave the group and go on to front a solo band, Soulfly. And, until 2004's "Prophecy," "Roots" was also more experimental than anything Max would make in Soulfly.

It's not the masterpiece people say it is. It was released at a great time, rivaling and overtaking most other musical accomplishments of 1996(metal, anyway). Slayer had just released their very own Spaghetti Incident?, Pantera made one big mess of album in Trendkill, and KoRn's abysmal follow-up Life Is Peachy was out too. Amidst this, Sepultura released Roots. If you compare it to Metallica's Load, well...we'll just leave it at that. Nonetheless, it lacks the flare of previous releases. Beneath The Remains was a classic, Arise was a masterpiece, and Chaos A.D. was experimental and brilliant

"Roots, Bloody Roots" is the first single, probably the heaviest song on "Roots," and is one of Sepultura's best known songs. It remains a staple of their live shows, and the success of this song has influenced some Soulfly songs (like "Prophecy.") Plus, Max has even adopted this song as his own, and played it during some Soulfly concerts. The album opens with the sound of crickets chirping, then this song launches into heavy, de-tuned guitar bluster. These guitars, which make a heavy churning and humming noise, are a big part of why this song is so heavy and catchy (even though there are some good vocal hooks, here, too). I enjoy how the beat comes down, then Max comes out of no where to let out one of his loud, ascending yells.
"Attitude" features guitars which are at first flamenco, then punching and pounding.
"Ratamahatta" is the song with the Brazilian tribe. It begins with what sounds like maracas and tribal drums. The guitars kick in and there's some catchy, aggressive scat in the background. The verses on this song are soft and restrained, making a good friction between the verses and heavy choruses.
"Breed Apart" has tin drums at the beginning, before turning to chunky, chug and churn guitars and vocals that alternate from supple growling to raging yells. The Jew's harp comes aboard and plays briefly over the beat, and the song ends with some static-sounding white noise.
"Spit" starts with (what sounds like) guitar feedback and some distant yelling (of "Un, dos, tres, cua!") The crunchy guitars eventually come to the front, and there are a few more of Max's heavy yells.
"Lookaway" has an instrument that could be a flute and a catchy drum beat, followed by DJ scratching (compliments of DJ Lethal-a DJ who would later join Limp Bizkit). Even though there are some guitars, this song's pace is about half as fast as the others. Two guest vocalists, Faith No More's Mike Patton and Korn's Jonathan Davis, make an appearance and sing/whisper over distant, dreary, ghost-like noises.
"Dusted" begins with a banging of the drum sticks, then the guitarists (Andreaas Kisser and Max Cavalera) make some of the heaviest and fastest guitar riffs since track one.
"Born Stubborn" has a beeping guitar noise which becomes increasingly fast and heavy, but some more tribal drums and Brazilian chants are tossed in near the end.
"Itsari" mixes more South American chants and maracas with acoustic guitar strums and soft hand percussion.
"Ambush" is highlighted by a nice breakdown of heavy, groove-y guitars, which comes after the song veers into soft, serene territory. It's not thrash metal, so don't expect vintage Sepultura here. Try to enjoy the experience. Roots truly kick started nu-metal, and opened the world to tribal metal. If you don't like it, check out Chaos A.D. for a thrashier approach, and Arise, Beneath, and Schizo for intense, brutal, aural insanity.It has elements of trash and death metal but the experimentation with tribal rythms and instruments is starting to have more presence