Kev Rowland I clearly remember when Sepultura broke onto the international stage, and when Roadrunner sent me ‘Roots’ to review I was clear that it was one of the most important metal albums ever released, and no-one could have imagined at the time that this would be the last release to feature lead singer and frontman Max Cavalera. He has created bands such as Nailbomb, Cavalera Conspiracy, Go Ahead And Die, and Killer Be Killed but the one with which he will always be mostly closely associated is of course Soulfly.

He always intended it to have a revolving cast of players, but it is something of a surprise to see that guitarist Marc Rizzo has departed as he has been there for years, meaning that for this release we find Soulfly as a trio with some guests helping. It is the fourth album for Max’s son Zyon behind the drums and the second with bassist Mike Leon, but one would think this is a band who have been together forever as they are incredibly tight, and they are continuing the story of this band into its third decade. I felt 2018’s ‘Ritual’ to be their best album since 2000’s ‘Primitive’, and I am glad to hear that this is following in a very similar vein, and it is obvious that Zyon has been paying close attention to his uncle Igor as there are some patterns on the likes of the title cut which have many similarities. I was playing a whole load of music while doing something else, and as soon as opener “Superstition” started I was over to check out what was playing as there is an immense burst of energy and feeling of realism which takes the listener to new levels.

They may be performing a form of groove metal, but they keep moving it is different directions, polished yet with the bite and energy which we expect from these guys. They slow it down, speed it up, always with that passion and power which makes them such a special band. There were times in the past when I felt Max had lost his way with this band, and I did wonder after the stunning Cavalera Conspiracy album whether he would put this to bed, but I am extremely glad he persevered as here is another very fine album indeed.  

Kev Rowland Max and the gang are back with their eleventh album, the third to feature his eldest son Zyon on drums (the line-up is completed by Marc Rizzo on lead guitar, flamenco guitar and bassist Mike Leon, plus loads of guests). The last Sepultura album was their best for years, and here we see the ex-leader of that band pulling together what is probably their finest release since 2000’s ‘Primitive’. It is aggressive, powerful, pummelling, with the underlying groove taking nothing away from the ferocity of the attack, yet there are also some native sounds at the beginning of the title track which makes one think of the mighty, incredible, “Roots, Bloody Roots”. This is an album to get all sweaty and aggressive in the mosh pit, as the guitars crank it up, while percussion and drums combine to create something very special indeed.

But just when it is getting all too much for the head to take, and there is a need for some respite, we are treated to “Demonized” which starts life as an acoustic flamenco guitar track. “Fluff” anyone? On never really knows what is going to happen, with traditional flute leading into “Blood On The Street” while closer “Soulfly XI” simply doesn’t sound as if it belongs on any album which involves a Cavalera. Gentle, restrained, delicate yet passionate and emotional, this is not the style of music one would expect from someone who brought us ‘Chaos A.D.’. This is a superb album from Soulfly, and although I said it is their finest since ‘Primitive’, it may actually be superior to both that and the debut, quite a statement I know. I haven’t been this excited about an album from Max since the debut Cavalera Conspiracy album, he and the band are truly back to form. One not to miss.

Vim Fuego Soulfly... Max Cavalera's post-Sepultura project. Could it be possible the nu-metal abomination the former thrash superstars had become was not Max's fault? It seems so- for exactly 12 seconds.

That's how long this album plays for before descending into utter nu-metal cack. The simplistic rhythms, the "tribal" percussion, the inane lyrics, the downtuned sludge, the tuneless rapping. How can the man responsible for such masterpieces as "Beneath The Remains" and "Point Blank" lose it so completely?

Song after dreadful dribbling song drones past, the only difference on each track being the guest musicians. So there's Dino and Burton from Fear Factory on "Eye For An Eye" It's hard to tell. Fred Durst is on "Bleed". He's only noticeable because he's a worse vocalist than Max.

OK, so Max was going through a very tough time in his life. Forced to choose between his wife and his brother, he chose his wife. His stepson Dana was murdered. The loss of any family member is hard to comprehend unless it has happened to you, and Soulfly was a big part of Max's mourning process. While death and loss can inspire incredible works of emotion and feeling in some people, in Max Cavalera it inspired only directionless, formless insipidity.

Well, that's not quite entirely true. The title track "Soulfly" is a mostly acoustic instrumental, dedicated to the memory of Dana, and similar to "Kaiowas" on `Chaos AD' provides a change of pace for the album, as a contemplative, reflective interlude between all the bass heavy bludgeoning.

"Soulfly" is more the obvious successor of "Roots" than Sepultura's "Against", but very little new ground is covered which wasn't done better on "Roots". A number of tracks aspire to be "Rattamahatta", one of the more impressive songs on "Roots", but most fall flat as continuations of the substandard "Cut Throat". There are a few lyrical themes of note. A couple of songs touch on the story of Zumbi, a Brazilian slave who led other slaves to freedom. Max also rants about the corruption, crime and decay of society in his native Brazil, but never visits anything not covered on the previous two Sepultura albums.

However, songs like "Bumbklaatt", First Commandment" and "No" are just plain dumb. "No" in particular has some of the worst lyrics ever committed to tape-"No bullshit/No slaveship/No motherfucking Hootie and the Blowfish/No radio songs/No bow to none/No follow none/No politricks". No bullshit indeed.

There are a few odd interesting points in the album. The tribal chant intro to "Tribe" is far more attention grabbing than the remaining five minutes of the song. "Umbabarauma" is a highlight of the album. Basically a Portuguese football chant accompanied by slow samba-style music, it is catchy even to non-speakers of the language, and is actually a bit of fun. Hey, it ain't metal, but you can dance to it. "The Song Remains Insane" is a hardcore thrashabout which sounds a little like a demo for a Nailbomb song. The introduction to "Quilombo" sounds promising, with a thrash style guitar, but it is soon swamped by the omnipresent drone. The three bonus tracks on the limited edition version of this album are worthy of a listen. However, "Cangaceiro" a sub-thrash `Chaos AD' style song, and two Discharge covers are not worth the effort of sitting through the previous 15 tracks, but that’s why CD players have a skip button.

For fans of old school Sepultura, this album was Max's last chance. Sadly, it is simply not what long-time fans wanted. While musicians should always play what they are happy playing, completely ignoring the past is a dangerous game. The name Max Cavalera is now ridiculed by those who once respected it.

Kev Rowland When I put on ‘Roots’ for the very first time, all those years ago, I was absolutely blown away. Sepultura had come of age and had produced an album I never actually thought possible and they went from being a band on my radar to an outfit I was definitely interested in. Since then I have followed the career of all those involved with both interest and some disappointment. Could Max ever recapture that intensity and power, and would a Max-less Sepultura ever really challenge again? Well, although Sepultura have produced some good work, they have never really hit a home run while Max has been patchy to say the least. The debut Cavalera Conspiracy was a stunner, but have Soulfly ever really done anything to match their own debut?

Well, there is nothing here to change that. What we have is a very run of the mill album, which for me personally is a huge disappointment. Sure, Max has brought in some guests and there is the odd number that captures the intensity and power, but for the most part this just doesn’t work. I mean, what on earth is “Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla” all about?

I wanted to enjoy this, I really did. I wanted it to be the rebirth of Soulfly, but all it does is make me add my voice to the many others and ask when on earth are they all going to bury the hatchet and take Sepultura back to centre stage where they belong.

Kingcrimsonprog Omen was the seventh-full length studio album by Soulfly, it was released in 2010 and ended up being the final album to feature Bobby Burns on bass and Joe Nunez on the drums.

For some fans, it will be appear a lot more straight-forward and direct than any previous Soulfly record, and continuing further down the same path that they have been following for the previous few records towards a faster, heavier and much more streamlined version of their original style.

The band had stated in interviews that it was similar to Slayer’s Reign In Blood but those similarities aren’t all that noticeable in all honesty beyond mere succinctness. The opening track ‘Bloodbath And Beyond’ and ‘Vulture Culture’ have an almost Hardcore-Punk sound to them in parts, and most tracks are generally fairly short in length but otherwise the music is very much like the previous couple of Soulfly albums.

This directness is a double-edged sword however, because a lot of what made Soulfly stand out from the crowd when they first came out is now missing, and some fans who loved the band’s first two albums may be saddened to find that the tribal drums, new-aged guitar sections and big simple Nu Metal riffs are gone.

Not all of Soulfly’s calling cards have been lost however. As with all Soulfly albums, some outside musicians make a guest appearance, in this case Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan on ‘Rise Of The Fallen’ and Tommy Victor of Prong on ‘Lethal Injection.’

In addition to the guest appearances, Max’s lyrical style is very much the same, with all the same topics covered and usage of puns, contractions and portmanteaus. Furhtermore, Mark Rizzo’s lead guitar style continues in the same vein it has since he joined the band.

Album highlights include the brief but perfectly formed ‘Jeffery Dahmer’ and the Thrashy ‘Off With Their Heads’ as well as the album closer ‘Soulfly VII’ which takes the usual sound of one of their self-titled tracks and pushes the envelop a little bit.

In summary; if you like the general sound of Soulfly and aren’t yet sick of it, then Omen is one more record for your collection, however if you have tired of Soulfly’s style or if you only liked their early work then it isn’t utterly essential listening.

Kingcrimsonprog Soulfly’s DVD The Song Remains Insane from 2005 is a pretty strong release; consisting of all the bands music videos, assorted live footage from various sources, an entire concert and a fantastic documentary about the band.

The music videos are nice to have, but not what anyone would buy this for and the assorted live footage (featuring a cameo apperance from Biohazard during a tribal drum solo) is a great addition which contains host of songs not in the main concert and a DVD-highlight where Chino Marino joins the band on stage to perform ‘Pain,’ from the band’s ‘Primitive,’ album.

The main concert is well filmed, but unfortunately the sound is out of synch with the video and it is therfore pretty annoying, but if you just listen to it in the background the concert is still fantastic, this out of synch problem is a pretty large disappointment for the real meat of the DVD. If you want a full length pro shot Soulfly concert from the Prophecy era that is properly synched, one is available with Digpak editions of the band’s sixth album Conquer.

Thankfully this DVD is saved by an excellent Documentary, which is informative, interesting and well edited. The DVD is still a real good buy at the price, and would be worth five stars if the audio in the main concert was in synch with the video.

Even with that flaw in the main feature, the collection of music videos, a great documentary and the other excellent (and in synch) live material are well worth the interest of Soulfly fans. It may not wholly stand up visually to modern metal DVDs but is still worth exploration for fans.