Review by Ken
4 stars out of 4
Although it seemed as though Sepultura could never top the brilliance of
'CHAOS A.D.', they certainly came pretty damn close with this attitude-heavy
follow-up. Hooking up with Korn producer Ross Robinson, Sepultura managed to
take its music to new heights of creative aggression; by experimenting even
further with the tribal sounds of its native Brazilian homeland while still
retaining the hardcore groove sound it developed on its acclaimed previous
album. The relentlessly pounding rhythms of tracks like 'Roots Bloody
Roots', 'Straighthate' and 'Ratamahatta' will cause fans to thrash about
uncontrollably as the adrenaline rush possesses their screaming senses.
Perhaps the most interesting and radically different song on the album is
'Lookaway', bizarre yet intensely arresting track that features guest
appearances by Korn's Jonathan Davis, Faith No More's Mike Patton and House
Of Pain's DJ Lethal. And there's also 'Itsari', a track recorded live in the
Brazilian jungles with the ancient Xavantes tribe. If 'ROOTS' suffers in any
way, it is due to the fact that at 15 tracks the album is simply too long;
and comes across as being repetitive after a while. But that's just a minor
gripe. Overall, this is a colossal release from Sepultura, and their final
album to feature singer/guitarist Max Cavalera in the line-up.
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