Produced by Roy Z
Derrick Green – vocals, additional guitars
Andreas Kisser – guitars
Paulo Jr. – bass guitar
Jean Dolabella – drums, percussion
Track listing:
01. Spectrum (4:03)
02. Kairos (3:37)
03. Relentless (3:36)
04. 2011 (0:30)
05. Just One Fix (3:33)
06. Dialog (4:57)
07. Mask (4:31)
08. 1433 (0:31)
09. Seethe (2:27)
10. Born Strong (4:40)
11. Embrace the Storm (3:32)
12. 5772 (0:29)
13. No One Will Stand (3:17)
14. Structure Violence (Azzes) (5:39)
15. 4648 (0:28)
Sepultura have been my favourite band for almost 20 years now. I was first introduced to them through a friend who had a few of their cassettes which I copied and fell in love with. Although the band I loved is long gone and now fractured in different groupings (Sepultura,Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy) I will always buy anything from the Sepultura family (Tribe).
This brings us to 2011's Kairos. The current line up of Andreas, Derrick, Jean & Paulo make their second record together, the first being the disappointing A-Lex. The first thing you notice is how heavy this record is compared any of the albums the band has released since Max Cavalera left the band.
The album is split into 4 sections and the first begins with "Spectrum" which has a great groove and some great vocals from Derrick. I can see this song going down great live.
Following on is "Kairos" which was also the first taster from album. This is classic Sepultura which has a really strong Chaos AD feel to it. It reminds me of Manifest of that record.
Track three "Relentless" lives up to it's name. The Double Bass Drum keep rolling for pretty much the whole song. This is a really brutal track and another fantastic Derrick vocal. All the detractors should give this one a listen.
After the interlude "2011" the second section begins with a fine cover "Just One Fix" originally by Ministry. I've gotta admit that this musically sounds a whole lot like Rammstein. Don't let that put you off I think it points more to how much Ramstein ripped off early industrial bands like Ministry. Fun but not a standout.
Next is "Dialog". The riff and the chorus is great on this one but I'm not 100% sold on the spoken word verses. But as someone who has wanted Derrick to mix his vocals up it's good to see him trying something new.
"Mask" is one of the stand outs on this album. Driving and groovy verses with some awesome drumming from Jean. Another track I think will work great live.
"Born Strong" has a cool almost indie guitar line from Andreas but keeps the tempo "Seethe". The third song in this section is "Embrace The Storm" and it continues as the previous two but this time they are tapping Pantera. These three song are really strong and are the kind of heaviness I have missed from this band.
But then it gets faster. The last section begins with "No One Will Stand" a hardcore track that is a real thrill. This band has always done fast songs well and this is no exception.
The final song on the album proper is "Structure Violence (Azzes)" a collaboration with French industrial percussion band Tambour Du Bronx. It is very industrial and percussion heavy in the same vein as "Lookaway" & "Mine" from the Roots era. It's the most eclectic song and I think for me that is it failing. The album as a whole is very heavy and that's what I wanted from this band now. Even though I don't think there is a weak track song on the album an 8 track version with Spectrum, Kairos, Relentless, Mask, Seethe, Born Strong, Embrace the Storm & No One Will Stand would be amazing.
This album is a real return to form for Sepultura and a real treat to have on my CD shelf. Let's only hope that the band plays in our cities soon and then we get another great record soon.
8/10
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