Sepultura
A-Lex

Lost along the way also Igor Cavalera, the historic rhythmic engine, few would have bet on a comeback for Sepultura. If the years following the departure of brother Max had thrown the group into a limbo of uncertainty and a continuous derby with their ex-leader's Soulfly, the sudden exit of the drummer foreshadowed an imminent end. The decision to still push forward, hiring the young Jean Dolabella, a talented drummer, was met with skepticism from one side but also with curiosity from the other, leaving many wondering what the Brazilians would come up with to recover from yet another blow. And the surprise pulled out of the hat in 2009 was this A-lex, freely inspired by A Clockwork Orange, which, following the good success of the previous Dante XXI, confirmed Kisser and company's interest in literature as a source of inspiration for their works.

Listening to the album with the right attention, one realizes how, having severed any ties with the founding Cavalera brothers, the remaining members seized the opportunity, shifting the band's coordinates towards a decisively more experimental and daring metal, looking to the future without obviously denying the past. After the instrumental intro A-lex I, Moloko Mesto, a fast and violent track, highlights the talents of the renewed rhythmic section, for a short but incisive song, a perfect snapshot of that thrash hardcore crossover that the Brazilians have refined over time. Having now put aside the tribalism of the late nineties, Filthy Rot surprises with its chants, to then give way to the acoustic guitars of We've Lost You!, which seems instead to resume that hardcore metal discourse developed at the beginning of the 2000s with Nation and Roorback. No time is wasted with idle passages and the songs last just long enough, with Andreas Kisser's solos weaving the plots of a claustrophobic and sick world, which fits well with the one described by Anthony Burgess first and Stanley Kubrick later. What I Do! is yet another two-minute shard, while A-lex II opens the second of the four chapters into which the album is ideally divided. Putting aside long and refined lyrics, the few verses of The Treatment fit well with the desperate tones of the song. Of course, nothing is left to chance: the unsettling sculptures of Kris Kuksi enrich the album's booklet, accompanying the listener on a journey marked by perversion and physical and psychological violence. The distortions of Sadistic Values lead to passages that recall the band's distant past, with nostalgia being banned. If Forceful Behavior shows an incisive and personal Kisser, able to express himself without getting lost in endless solos, it must be said that here and there they fall into prolixity, without this affecting the final result anyway. The "thoughtful" violence of The Experiment showcases a formation that, live, should now have the courage to cut ties with the past, dedicating just a few classics to bygone times, to focus on the good things offered in the present: this is also proven by Derrick Green's performance, never so at ease. Strike and its paranoid atmospheres give Kisser a way to let loose, supported by a Paulo Junior who creates a solid and varied rhythmic backdrop. We are now heading towards the conclusion, with the instrumental digressions of Enough Said leading to Ludwig Van, a rendition for synthesizer and orchestra of Beethoven's Ninth. One last moment of breath with A-lex IV, before the curtain falls with Paradox, yet another two-minute thrash-core blow.

A-lex, despite initial doubts, was well-received almost everywhere, thanks to bold and interesting choices. With this album, Sepultura embraced a new path, partly already anticipated by the previous Dante XXI, which lasts to this day, leading them to experiment ever more, reaching what we could define as progressive thrash metal, with a fresh and modern cut, also the protagonist of the recent Machine Messiah and Quadra. The advice is to listen to the entire album, with the individual pieces fitting together like pieces of a large puzzle, just like with the suites of the '70s prog LPs. A remarkable work, with eyes set on the future.

Sepultura:

• Derrick Green, vocals
• Andreas Kisser, guitars
• Paulo Junior, bass
• Jean Dolabella, drums and percussion

A-lex:

1. A-Lex I
2. Moloko Mesto
3. Filthy Rot
4. We've Lost You!
5. What I Do!
6. A-Lex II
7. The Treatment
8. Metamorphosis
9. Sadistic Values
10. Forceful Behavior
11. Conform
12. A-Lex III
13. The Experiment
14. Strike
15. Enough Said
16. Ludwig Van
17. A-Lex IV
18. Paradox