{"id":14614,"date":"2013-09-30T00:00:12","date_gmt":"2013-09-30T00:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=14614"},"modified":"2013-10-09T14:41:18","modified_gmt":"2013-10-09T14:41:18","slug":"album-review-soulfly-savages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-soulfly-savages\/","title":{"rendered":"SOULFLY – Savages (2012) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

SOULFLY
Savages<\/strong><\/span>
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\nNuclear Blast Entertainment (2013)<\/span>
Rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I\u2019m pretty sure that every time Max Cavalera\u2019s Soulfly releases an album, a whole generation of diehard Sepultura fans sigh in disappointment. Not because Soulfly aren\u2019t a good band, but more to the point, they probably want to see the great man back at the helm of the Brazilian thrashers. Well guys, you\u2019re gonna have to wait once more, because Soulfly have just issued their ninth full-length studio album. It\u2019s also the first to feature Zyon Cavalera \u2013 Max\u2019s son \u2013 on drums, although he has previously made guest appearances on 2010\u2019s Omen<\/em> and 2012\u2019s Enslaved<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n

Alongside Zyon, Max is joined by Marc Rizzo on lead guitar, and the bass skills of Tony Campos. There are also a batch of guest vocalist too, including Mitch Harris (Napalm Death \/ Defection \/ Righteous Pigs), and another of Max\u2019s sons, Igor Cavalera Jr. <\/p>\n

From the first listen, knowledgeable extreme music fans will know this is Soulfly, as it features that classic, slightly industrialized \/ late 90s metal sound, often puked out by way of choppy rhythms and those identifiable Sepultura nuances circa Roots<\/em> (1996). <\/p>\n

As expected, the production of Terry Date gives the album a meaty feel as the band trudge through some bruising anthems, beginning with the punk-influenced roars of the upbeat \u2018Bloodshed\u2019, which features Igor Cavalera Jr. on gang shouts. On the whole it\u2019s a basic Soulfly track full of the usual masculine moods and war-torn angst, but the combo soon find their feet with the thrashing mayhem of \u2018Cannibal Holocaust\u2019, which is played at 100mph. It\u2019s the shortest track of the album but certainly the fiercest, boasting a catchy guitar lick and Max\u2019s usual spits of aggression. <\/p>\n

Third track \u2018Fallen\u2019 once again combines that almost nu-metal dynamic with rather formulaic angry chants, which come from I Declare War frontman Jamie Hanks. There\u2019s nothing remarkable about the track except its mid-tempo passages of chug and mournful, wailing guitar. This number certainly pales when in the presence of \u2018Ayatollah Of Rock \u2018N\u2019 Rolla\u2019, which is a grunge-infested slo-mo\u2019 plodder featuring the stark narration of Clutch vocalist Neil Fallon. It\u2019s an epic track that breaks into a metallic, buzzing gallop and then gets the usual Soulfly traumatic treatment, but does feature some interesting guitar parts and a solid drum sound.<\/p>\n

Despite being a fan of Soulfly\u2019s earlier works, especially the 1998 self-titled debut opus, Savages<\/em> \u2013 like a number of the band\u2019s albums \u2013 can become rather predictable, with the likes of \u2018Master Of Savagery\u2019 opting for that substandard Sepultura meets nu-metal structure, mainly in those bouncy, buzzing riffs and Max Cavalera\u2019s usual approach. The band rarely seem able to write an actual chorus except for those rather mediocre gang chants and pissed off yells, but I guess that\u2019s why so many have latched onto this bruising sound. <\/p>\n

\u2018Spiral\u2019 follows suit with a few added effects, including a hint of scratching as well as slower tempo guitar trudge. I really expected more though, especially when we\u2019re treated to the formulaic rants of \u2018This Is Violence\u2019 and \u2018KCS\u2019 (featuring vocals from Mitch Harris), although \u2018El Comegente\u2019 offers a tad more variety with some intriguing guitar sounds and a biting drum.<\/p>\n

Far from being Soulfly\u2019s best work, Savages<\/em> still hits hard throughout, and does leave one feeling as if they\u2019ve done five rounds with a bare-knuckle fighter. However, I\u2019m one of those who feel that Max Cavalera\u2019s place is truly in the darkened heart of Sepultura, and until that blessing occurs, I\u2019ll always feel a tad tired after a Soulfly record.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SOULFLYSavages Nuclear Blast Entertainment (2013)Rating: 7\/10 I\u2019m pretty sure that every time Max Cavalera\u2019s Soulfly releases an album, a whole generation of diehard Sepultura fans sigh in disappointment. Not because Soulfly aren\u2019t a good band, but more to the point, they probably want to see the great man back at the helm of the Brazilian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,261],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-soulfly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14614"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14621,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14614\/revisions\/14621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}