Sepultura - Roots Review

dig it

full review

Tracklist:
1. Roots Bloody Roots
2. Attitude
3. Cut-Throat
4. Ratamahatta
5. Breed Apart
6. Straighthate
7. Spit
8. Lookaway
9. Dusted
10. Born Stubborn
11. Jasco
12. Itsari
13. Ambush
14. Endangered Species
15. Dictatorshit
16. Canyon Jam

Ranking: #93 for 1996

user rating

3.4
great

Chart.

other reviews

Kit Brown CONTRIBUTOR (2)
A sign that Sepultura should have quit while they were ahead....

related

Against

A-Lex

Arise

members also liked

Slayer Reign in Blood
System of a Down Toxicity
Pantera Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera Cowboys From Hell
Slayer South of Heaven
Megadeth Rust In Peace
Pantera Far Beyond Driven
Slayer Seasons in the Abyss

On 5 Lists

3.5
great

sinnersparadice USER (14 Reviews)

2009-01-29 | 20 comments | 532 views

4 of 4 thought this review was well written

Before Max Cavalera left to form Soulfly, there was no denying that Sepultura were a significant force in Brazilian heavy metal, proven by the band's openness to experimentation throughout their career, increasingly heading towards a point where dabbling not only in hardcore punk, but also in traditional Brazilian music wouldn't be out of the question. Roots, while not the best album of Sepultura's career, is an album that showcases a diverse mixture of styles, and should not be passed up for this reason.

The opening tracks showcase an interest in groove-oriented music, while the downtuned sound, as previously noted, recalls that of the Deftones and Korn. The drumming of "Roots Bloody Roots" channels a tribal influence, further explored through primitive chants and vocalization spread throughout the album. "Ratamahatta" features chanting coperformed by Cavalera and samba reggae musician Carlinhos Brown, with percussion performed by Korn drummer David Silveria.

The vocal duties of "Lookaway" is largely cohandled by Mike Patton and Korn's Jonathan Davis, with Patton providing wordless vocalization and humming while Davis provides throaty whispering. Also interesting, in addition to the influence of tribal music, is the incorporation of scratches by House of Pain's DJ Lethal. Two tracks break away from Sepultura's traditional hard edge - "Jasco" is a short piece performed on acoustic guitar, and "Itsári" consists of traditional music performed by members of the Xavante tribe. After one last rock song -- the hardcore punk effort "Dictatorshit" -- we are treated to the field recording "Canyon Jam", consisting largely of distant, offset tribal drumming.

Roots, often considered a masterpiece of Brazilian metal, is not without flaw -- much of the music is noisy and the loud, grinding guitar feedback and can sometimes be tiring. But there is also a lot of interesting things going on here. It's not a perfect album by any stretch, but it's certainly one of Sepultura's most interesting efforts, and it's definitely one of the most unique metal albums ever produced, though often overpraised, and definitely not Sepultura's best album. But it's a very strong, energetic effort -- the band is in high form here, and there's not a moment that seems lazy or ill-conceived. Roots should serve as the metalhead's introduction to diverse forms of music from beyond the globe.

Share: Facebook Stumble Digg Twitter Del.icio.us