After the immense sound of Beneath The Remains, Sepultura returned with the biting inferno that was Arise.
The Good:
Soundwise, it is a real winner. its not that common an occurence to find a thrash album where the music simply flows so cleanly, and in the case of Arise, it improved upon the slightly jerkier nature of Beneath the Remains. Also, Lyrically i think this was the epitome of Max's song writing ability. despite the crushing musical backdrop, the lyrics hold real meaning that can apply to alot of todays current affairs. i dont know how or why the lyrics on his later albums and projects have become so purile and meaningless, but thats a question for another time.
Songs that particularly catch the ear include the Eponymous track, "Dead Embryonic Cells", "Murder", and that rare example of a cover being better than the original, "Orgasmatron".
The Bad:
this is a problem that plagues thrash metal generally, but despite the cleaner sound and higher production values, it does start to sound a little bit samey after a while. In that sense, it was a good thing that the Band experimented with Chaos AD and Roots, but thats just my opinion.
Overall, a very good example of what a thrash metal album should be, but if you are looking for a wide range of diversity in a single album, this may not be for you. |
