Sepultura - Roorback (SPV/Steamhammer)
 

Sepultura - Roorback (SPV/Steamhammer)
by Chris Barnes


Man, I'm getting old. Sepultura released Bestial Devastation one year after I graduated high school. And that was 18 years ago. Eeeshhh....

Truth be told I lost track of Sepultura after 1996's Roots. I can appreciate the concept of melding the native music of the indigenous people of South America with heavy metal, but the actual execution didn't elicit much in repeat turns in the CD player for me. And then the whole Max affair...

I haven't heard anything with the 'new guy' Derrick Green, so I come in with a clean slate. What I hear on Roorback though is a audio kick in the ass - politically-charged thrash mixed with hardcore, maybe a little too much on the hardcore side of things because I don't hear Andreas let loose on the fretboard for a good 20 minutes into the album. On the plus side, Igor Cavalera is everybit the drum hero utilizing a variety of creative fills and rhythms and an overall drum sound that is rich, clear, organic and seemingly free of triggers or click tracks (tools that are rapidly becoming standard in heavy metal - to my chagrin). Derrick Green is an excellent vocalist, really sounding like he's putting 100% into everything he's doing here - maybe because he's credited as lyricist with Andreas Kisser on most tracks. I don't care what anyone says, if you sing your own stuff, especially given the sociopolitical slant displayed here, you're probably gonna put more into it than if you were singing the bass player's lyrics. Anyway... Max who?

OK, I admit I'm no pro on Sepultura but I will take a bit of credit on knowing my metal... and by every indication, Roorback sounds like a band at the top of it's game, aggressive, inspired and firing on all 12 cylinders. Odd for a band now almost 20 years into it's career. The lyrics represent a band in touch with both the political abuses and prejudices of it's native country and the world at large. Sepultura get extra kudos for staying away from the obvious metal lyrical fare and writing about affairs closer to the heart, the sound of revolution put to music, ideas with a drumbeat. It would be cool if someone beside me actually paid attention.

Check this out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.



Track Listing
1. Come Back Alive
2. Godless
3. Apes Of God
4. More Of The Same
5. Urge
6. Corrupted
7. As It Is
8. Mind War
9. Leech
10. The Rift
11. Bottomed Out
12. Activist
13. Outro
14. Bullet The Blue Sky (Bonustrack)

Visit the Sepultura website at www.sepultura.com.br

A little tidbit... When Entombed were recording one of their albums, I can't remember which one it was... Skogsberg was producing it, and they were just in the process of recording when these foreign guys stepped into the studio and were all like.."Oh, you are metal gods" and all worshipping them... the guys in Entombed, they were like.. okay, great.. but get the fuck out of here now... we're recording...

The guys walking into the studio were Max and Sepultura...

that didn't come out as funny as when Skogsberg's buddy told me about it... but it was funnier than hell...I promise.. hehe

:twisted:
A copy of Roorback came in the mail the other day after reading your review. It is another good effort.

The story was something else. Big names like that should always be on the lookout. They never know who's tommorrow's big names will be.

:twisted: