Brazilian metal hero Max Cavalera unleashes his ninth album with Soulfly. Some things change over the years but Soulfly's dedication to big, bold, groovy metal is not one of them. Time to become Savages.
With sixteen years and eight albums under their belt Max Cavalera's Soulfly have become one of the most consistent and reliable properties in modern metal. Sure, some of those early records suffered from some strange decisions (3's world metal tendencies still raise eyebrows) but since 2005's Dark Ages the band have been riding an almighty wave of momentum all the way through to album number nine, Savages. Whereas Dark Ages resurrected thrash, Conquer evoked doom, Omen worshiped hardcore, and Enslaved was yoked to death metal, Savages tries to distill all of these influences into a signature sound.
A new Soulfly album generally means two
things; a change in the line-up and a new group of special guest
vocalists. Savages delivers on both of these. Borknagar
drummer David Kinkade is out and Max's son Zyon Cavalera is in. His
drum solo breakdown on 'Master of Savagery' is worth the price of
admission alone and heralds the arrival of a new generation of this
storied clan to the metal-verse. In the second regard the album
features appearances from Jamie Hanks (I Declare War), Mitch Harris
(Napalm Death) and Neil Fallon (Clutch), each turning out
show-stealing performances on their respective tracks. The latter of
these, 'The Ayatollah of Rock 'N' Rolla', is particularly
enthralling. Fallon has a great turn with the spoken word passages,
recalling classic White Zombie more than Sepultura, and then again
with his righteous bellows.
Opening track 'Bloodshed' runs the
gamut from old school riffing to tribal chants to industrial
blood-letting without ever losing sight of being a honest-to-goodness
Soulfly tune. Max is at his throat-shredding best – no-one can
incite a most-pit quite like he can with his rabid dog vocal style.
It would be a grave error to overlook the rock-solid input of bass
player Tony Campos and guitarist Mark Rizzo. Rizzo may well be one of
the most reliable and underrated axe men and he proves his worth at
every given opportunity. He has a knack for riffs that are tailor
made to make a crowd bounce and his solos can be played as either
sublime and fluid or downright feral with equal poise.
On a slightly less positive note the
album suffers from some pacing issues. The last few tracks drag and
suffer from a case of “more of the same”. This is far from a
fatal error but you definitely feel as though most of the effort went
into the first half of the record and the second half just has to
fend for itself. As the pace of the metal world steadily increases,
it becomes harder and harder for veteran acts to stay visible and
remain relevant. The reason that Soufly have stayed so vital is due
to the constant shift in personnel and a willingness to experiment
with their core sound. With their web of influences cast wide, and
with the revered Nuclear Blast label behind them, Cavalera and
company have another riveting record to add to their canon. Metal
fans, it's time to become Savages.
Rating: B+
Recommended tracks: Bloodshed, The
Ayatollah of Rock 'N' Rolla
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