Kingcrimsonprog
Soulfly didn’t get enough respect when they arrived back around the turn of the century, people viewed them as a side-project and just wished founder Max Cavelera would re-join his old band Sepultura. People also didn’t care for Soulfly’s revolving door approach to band line up, and cared even less for their frequent guest appearances.
The bands undeniable talent slowly won over more and more fans with each release, and the band also became more focused and heavier with each release and after the bands fifth album ‘Dark Ages,’ the public finally treated the band with the respect they deserved.
Soulfly chose to continue on the formula with Conquer, they changed very little at all and kept guest appearances to a minimum. The style of the album is very similar to ‘Dark Ages,’ with more Thrash Metal tenancies, a few more of the brief Death Metal moments, but all of the catchy choruses and interesting guitar solos that made the band famous in the first place were still present, but with less of the ‘tribal,’ sound that some people found off putting. Conquer, more so than any other Soulfly record is just straight up metal with no messing around.
Beyond the history of the band and style of the album, any record needs to be judged in terms of the actual quality. Usually Soulfly albums start of strong but tail off towards the end, but that simply doesn’t happen here, the album is good from start to finish.
The production is excellent, the lyrics have stayed at the same level they always have, the artwork is fantastic and the music is the strongest its ever been, the band really benefited from keeping the same line-up form the previous album. Mark Rizzo in particular shine on this release, filling the disk with virtuoso playing and a bouncy enthusiasm. The albums greatest strengths are ironically its greatest failings however, as the only negative point is that the album can feel a little samey, with no real variety or stand out moments.
Despite that flaw, for those who have written Soulfly off ‘Conquer,’ is the perfect album with which to win them back over, and for those who already love Soulfly this album is still going to be the best album in your collection. Highly Recommended.