SEPULTURA
Sepultura need to introduction, the legendary Brazilian thrash band that have been active since 1984, spanning varying eras and destroying ears across the globe. This current iteration of Sepultura has Andreas Kisser and Paulo Jr. manning the guitar and bass respectively, as they have since nearly forever, with Derrick Green on lead vocals and Eloy Casagrande bongin’ his drums. This formation has remained intact for most of the last decade and their combined powers have brought this act to much higher levels than you’d expect. After diving in head first to this newest release of ‘Quadra’, these guys prove that they’re here to stay! Let’s dive in, shall we?...
‘Isolation’ kicks things off with far more depth and various sounds than I was expecting. The drums bang, the ominous keyboards pull you swiftly into a gallant riff and chanting background full of fear and dread! Your ears are then assaulted with speedy guitars, a familiar tone, and some incredibly fresh thrash metal. Why is it that the thrash community seems to need these vets to jump in and show everyone how it’s done? Not to say there aren’t new thrash acts popping up and rocking it, but acts like Sepultura and Testament are still kings, even so many years after making it ‘big’. There are many transitions of styles and each track from this beginning throughout have excellent build.
‘Means to an End’ and ‘Last Time’ both offer similar experiences, then we hit ‘Capital Enslavement’ that starts with a very eerie drum beat and strings that jettison you into more demonic power metal. The songs have a very crisp momentum that continue to build with terrific, if a bit simple, choruses that will leave you wanting more! ‘Ali’ is an excellent track that packs a nice punch.
‘Raging Void’ is absolutely one of the killer tracks present here. Everything about the pacing feels off-beat and almost uncomfortable. There is so much going on here, even with a general machine-gunning riff style through the entirety of the track. It’s easy to get excited once you hit the chorus; you might even feel yourself start to lift off your chair or shouting along out your car window. I know I did!
‘Guardians of the Earth’ is another example of just how much variety these guys have put into this album. Total acoustic track with brilliant transitions of keyboards, choir voices, sexy as hell guitars, and an amazing climax in a minute of blistering screams. Excellent!
‘The Pentagram’ is likely the fastest track of ‘Quadra’ and happens to be one of the best. Bringing in a superb final few tracks. ‘Autem’ feels more like the first few offerings in this album, with a bit less hope for life. It really feels like doom is impending at this point. In a glorious way! Furious guitars in this track! The title track of ‘Quadra’ isn’t a true song at all, and I kind of love this. It’s a transition track that ushers in ‘Agony of Defeat’, which is a near 6-minute full bodied epic. How have Sepultura been holding all of this in for 35 years? Amazing! In closing, ‘Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering’ has a terrifying beat with the name of the song on repeat, complete with a guest vocal appearance of Emmily Barreto that should not be missed!
Honestly, many seasoned vets of the industry have coasted on their name recognition alone, but Sepultura’s ‘Quadra’ is a damn fine example what a motivated group can still bring to the table. Recommended for fans and newbies alike!
‘Isolation’ kicks things off with far more depth and various sounds than I was expecting. The drums bang, the ominous keyboards pull you swiftly into a gallant riff and chanting background full of fear and dread! Your ears are then assaulted with speedy guitars, a familiar tone, and some incredibly fresh thrash metal. Why is it that the thrash community seems to need these vets to jump in and show everyone how it’s done? Not to say there aren’t new thrash acts popping up and rocking it, but acts like Sepultura and Testament are still kings, even so many years after making it ‘big’. There are many transitions of styles and each track from this beginning throughout have excellent build.
‘Means to an End’ and ‘Last Time’ both offer similar experiences, then we hit ‘Capital Enslavement’ that starts with a very eerie drum beat and strings that jettison you into more demonic power metal. The songs have a very crisp momentum that continue to build with terrific, if a bit simple, choruses that will leave you wanting more! ‘Ali’ is an excellent track that packs a nice punch.
‘Raging Void’ is absolutely one of the killer tracks present here. Everything about the pacing feels off-beat and almost uncomfortable. There is so much going on here, even with a general machine-gunning riff style through the entirety of the track. It’s easy to get excited once you hit the chorus; you might even feel yourself start to lift off your chair or shouting along out your car window. I know I did!
‘Guardians of the Earth’ is another example of just how much variety these guys have put into this album. Total acoustic track with brilliant transitions of keyboards, choir voices, sexy as hell guitars, and an amazing climax in a minute of blistering screams. Excellent!
‘The Pentagram’ is likely the fastest track of ‘Quadra’ and happens to be one of the best. Bringing in a superb final few tracks. ‘Autem’ feels more like the first few offerings in this album, with a bit less hope for life. It really feels like doom is impending at this point. In a glorious way! Furious guitars in this track! The title track of ‘Quadra’ isn’t a true song at all, and I kind of love this. It’s a transition track that ushers in ‘Agony of Defeat’, which is a near 6-minute full bodied epic. How have Sepultura been holding all of this in for 35 years? Amazing! In closing, ‘Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering’ has a terrifying beat with the name of the song on repeat, complete with a guest vocal appearance of Emmily Barreto that should not be missed!
Honestly, many seasoned vets of the industry have coasted on their name recognition alone, but Sepultura’s ‘Quadra’ is a damn fine example what a motivated group can still bring to the table. Recommended for fans and newbies alike!
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Nuclear Blast
Album
QUADRA
Review by Joshua Jaeger
RUNNING TIME:
51:14
RELEASE DATE:
7th February 2020
TRACK LISTING
1) Isolation; 2) Means to an End
3) Last Time
4) Capital Enslavement
5) Ali; 6) Raging Void
7) Guardians of Earth
8) The Pentagram
9) Autem
10) Quadra
11) Agony of Defeat
12) Fear; Pain; Chaos; Suffering
3) Last Time
4) Capital Enslavement
5) Ali; 6) Raging Void
7) Guardians of Earth
8) The Pentagram
9) Autem
10) Quadra
11) Agony of Defeat
12) Fear; Pain; Chaos; Suffering
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Brazil
"...many seasoned vets of the industry have coasted on their name recognition alone, but Sepultura’s ‘Quadra’ is a damn fine example what a motivated group can still bring to the table."
