Soulfly - Totem

http://www.secret-face.com/

#FOR FANS OF: Thrash/Groove Death

My first release from Soulfly was 'Savages' which I found to be interesting. This release seemed bland the first few listens to. Then it kind of grew on me. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect here and well this one is a little bit more experimental and cut-throat. I've been a fan of Max Cavalera since the early Sepultura days in the band. He took quite a different approach then those days here is experimental Max. I like it though, the not knowing what to expect here sort of idea. The brutality, the temperance, the enlightenment. It's 40 minutes of in your face metal with vocal effects and odd time signatures.

This type of metal has a bit of a groove to it with death metal components. A really odd release including the leads with terror on the vocals bellowing. These guys have riffs that are simply atypical and sort of bizarre. I don't know how else to describe this album but just that: ATYPICAL. It might be the norm of how Soulfly works and that's how Max wants it, I just sense a peculiar sounds and rhythms. Nothing seems to remain the same it's just different from all respects. Then the clean tone guitars, it gives me pause about the direction the band is taking here. Weird metal and highly atypical.

Forty minutes of this going on what I've described here. It's solid here, Max sounds odd on this it's forceful but not to the extent reflective of Sepultura's Max in your face. Hell, he's in his 50's now still making metal and Igor doing Sepultura tributes too. He's had to relearn their songs but still sounds good. Soulfly is his project. Weird metal it's totally him just whatever he's doing he's putting his thoughts into this music the rhythms are cool and heavy but this experiment with Soulfly puts Max in a different position. I don't hear a plethora of fans liking this band. Those I do because it's metal but it's just different genres.

The anger and brutality is here but Max is in a league of his own dynamics. If he continues in this direction, who knows what to expect on the next LP. More experimenting or something more straightforward? It's unpredictable as to where he's going here. Heavy guitars, clean bouts and vocals with an echo/reverb. This guy is totally metal, it's just his ideas for metal aren't at all the same as the Sepultura days where he's utterly thrash galore. But on 'Roots' is where his strange where his writing went opposed to 'Beneath The Remains' and 'Arise'. I think the expectation is a new Sepultura here with Max but it's so not. Don't expect that at all. For Soulfly fans, this is a keeper! (Death8699)

(Nuclear Blast - 2022)
Score: 74

https://www.soulfly.com/totem

Soulfly - The Song Remains Insane

BACK IN TIME:

#PER CHI AMA: Thrash/Groove/Nu Metal

Non sono mai stato un fan dei dvd, perchè ritengo non siano in grado di trasmettermi le stesse emozioni che invece può suscitarmi il semplice ascolto di un disco. Veniamo ora alla prima (e per ora unica) release ufficiale video per Max Cavalera e i suoi Soulfly, rilasciata dalla Roadrunner Records nel 2005, in occasione dei festeggiamenti del 25° compleanno di vita dell'etichetta olandese. A livello contenutistico, 'The Song Remains Insane' è ben fornito: include infatti più di un’ora di Max e soci live, catturati in giro per il mondo, durante le loro esibizioni, con tutti i pezzi migliori, da “Prophecy” a “Eye for an Eye”, “Living Sacrifice” e molti altri. Sono poi disponibili tutti i video prodotti dalla band carioca (“Bleed”, “Back to the Primitive”, “Seek’n’strike” e “Prophecy”). Un Max Cavalera a 360°, accompagnato dagli altri membri della band, ci parlano poi di musica, amicizie, famiglia, curiosità varie, dei fan, del periodo di militanza di Max nei Sepultura, arrivando a chiacchierare anche dell’ultimo (a quel tempo) brillantissimo “Prophecy”. All’interno di questo lavoro sono inoltre presenti tre bonus clips, gli studio report e tracce audio inedite. Che dire, questo dvd accontenterà sicuramente i fan della band brasiliana, che da quasi cinque lustri, è sulla scena con il suo caratteristico sound, fatto di chitarre abrasive, ritmiche sincopate e crocevia di stili più disparati, dal thrash all’hip-hop, passando attraverso il reggae e la musica tribale. 'The Song Remains Insane' offre uno spaccato della vita on the road dei Soulfly, rappresentando al meglio la band, la sua musica e la sua filosofia. Il dvd è interessante, ben curato in ogni sua forma e ricco di materiale. L’unico rammarico potrebbe essere rappresentato dall’assenza di uno show integrale che possa realmente trasmettere, ad ogni fan, tutte le emozioni di uno spettacolo dal vivo, dall’inizio alla fine. La durata complessiva è di circa 90 minuti, forse un po’ pochi per una band come i Soulfly. Mi sarei aspettato qualcosina in più da Max Cavalera, lui che è sempre cosi ispirato e ricco di creatività, ma in attesa di qualcosa di nuovo e più attuale ci si accontenta ripescando dagli archivi questo piccolo cimelio. (Francesco Scarci)

(Roadrunner Records - 2005)
Voto: 75

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