Third record with Derrick Green on vocals and in order to have an accurate description of the record you need to look no further than the title of track number 4;” More of the same”. More of the same post-Max Sepultura, as we knew them from 1997 to 2003. Indeed, Roorback sounds like the more energetic child of Nation, the record that drowned itself in over-experimentation, as much as daring and interesting as it was as an initial idea (the idea of Sepultura not playing it safe). Sepultura look to turn to their heavier side in Roorback, without actually adding anything new to their sound
It couldn’t be said though that they manage to improve on an already established sound of records past either. While the whole idea is that they try and incorporate the best elements from the previous two records, results do vary here. Sepultura sound absolutely stunning when playing their heavier material; “Godless” and “Apes of God” are built up on a ten tone groove , with punishing riffs (check the intro to Apes of God) and effective breakdowns. On the other hand “More of the same” is equally heavy, but blunt and pointless.
Speed is no stranger here either. Only it doesn’t come in the form of thrash, but (just like Against-both the tittle track and the record in general) in the shape of hardcore and Sepultura don’t always deliver, as it is already mentioned; “Activist” and “The Rift” are filled with harmless aggression .Then again, the same cannot be said for “Corrupted” or the devastating-as-usual opener ”Come Back Alive” . Also, “Mind Wars” has a trademark Sepultura riff with a surprising mid section , i.e. a mellower Derrick Green taking over.
Finally, much like a good part of Nation, there are the tracks that are almost entirely based on Green’s voice, with a lot of melodic singing.”As it is” utilizes a not-so-brilliant quite-loud dynamic and “Urge” buzzes without ever getting anywhere. It’s only with “Bottomed Out”, whose atmosphere brings to mind a mixture of Deftones and the Brazilian folk as Sepultura display it all these years, that the band really does something special.
All in all, Roorback compared to any record with Green on vocals (save for A-Lex) is probably the safest and most uninspired. It is the first time since 1991’s Arise that the band makes a move sideways (or backwards if you like).and the last up until now. However, this record is by no means completely devoid of interesting ideas and that is why initially fans were generally pleased with it. But the lack of true quality and the lack of a will to take some risks (have in mind that the band still struggled at that point to prove that there is a world without Max Cavalera) was the main reason why this record couldn’t (and didn’t) stand the test of time.
