The latest outing from the brothers Cavalera will delight old-school Sepultura fans and comes as a most welcome curveball.
If you’ve come here expecting the near-hypnotic grooves that Max has made his forte post-Roots, you’re shit out of luck as this is a nasty thrash odyssey with all of the Cavalera eccentricities thrown into the mix. This effort is so much faster and heavier and has a rawer production than anything they’ve done since Arise that it takes half of opener Babylonian Pandemonium to even recognise Max’s distinctive vocal. Tunes like Apex Predator, Scum and Father Of Hate will bring delight to any fans of early-period Sepultura, Marc Rizzo’s more musical solos adding an element of what was always missing from those early days and, with all due respect to Cilla Black, this is the kind of family reunion that will really bring tears to eyes. Totally out of nowhere, the Cavalera brothers have cranked the heaviness for the first time in decades and they sound revitalised for it. Pandemonium is an energetic explosion of no-thrills, no-nonsense, shut-your-mouth-and-bang-your-head thrash metal and one of the year’s most unexpected and most welcome triumphs.
Via Napalm
