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Rating: From the Stars to the Stalls? Not really, but it came very close.
In the mid-nineties, with classic metal presumed dead and buried, all hard rock hits the accelerator on experiments and mixtures of all kinds. Sepultura, fresh off the success of Arise and Chaos A.D., are among the giants of the decade, having paved a third-worldist path to the genre, capable of shifting interest from the usual Britain-United States-Germany triangle all the way down to Brazil, just a few years out of a military dictatorship. The partnership with Ross Robinson, the godfather of much of the American nu metal scene, is a lucky one, and Roots propels them to unimaginable levels just a short time before. Some will accuse them of jumping on the bandwagon that's currently pulling the most, but the truth is that the Brazilians had changed skins multiple times since their beginnings, and in the end, critics and sales would prove them right. Of course, at the peak, the toy breaks. Max Cavalera leaves, slamming the door, but the other three aren't having it and want to keep the band alive.
The blow is not insignificant because good old Massimiliano was essentially the driving force of the band, as well as the media face, with more than a fan seeing Sepultura as a mere extension of his personality. So, what to do? Discarding the idea of pressing on with the lineup that had exceptionally played at the Donington '96 festival, essentially a trio with Andreas on vocals, they set out to find a new singer. How? Send out an instrumental demo of a new track, the one that would become Choke, to be sent back with vocals and lyrics. Chuck Billy also tries, at a time when the future of Testament is in doubt, but nothing comes of it. In the end, the unknown Derrick Green will prevail, a six-foot-three hulk made of muscles and dreads from Ohio who, with his hardcore-crossover legacy, will steer Igor Cavalera and the rest towards entirely new shores. Roadrunner, which in the meantime has also signed the new Soulfly band of the runaway Max, obviously pushes the "derby" effect, with fans already divided into factions that hate each other as if we were in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines in 1945. Against delivers, with a nice mix of groove and hardcore, but the reception is lukewarm. How it will end is already known: for a long time, Kisser and friends will suffer from the comparison with the ex-Dear Leader, only to come back into vogue in the last ten years with a series of successful albums.
But how was Against in the end? Actually better than it's often remembered. It picks up where Roots left off, but maximizes the hardcore influences, the natural territory of the newcomer. Green arrives with much of the album already written; at times, a certain disorientation is evident, but several tracks hit the mark. The opening track is a blow, short and incisive, so much so that it will almost become a staple in their set lists. Derrick is not Cavalera and doesn't want to be; he was chosen precisely for this, with his corrosive growl that has little to do with the group's thrash-death past. Choke is a rhythmic triumph and shows how Sepultura was different from any other band of the time, with tribal atmospheres that go hand in hand with nu metal guitars. Rumors is another track worth noting: Paulo Jr.'s bass weaves muddy patterns, while Andreas Kisser delights with his schizophrenic solos, all combined with disorienting passages. Old Earth was brought back during the 2018 tour, marking the twenty years of the current course, and listening to it, you understand why: great rhythmic engine combined with desperate vocals that evoke apocalyptic visions, all enriched by unprecedented melodic openings, which over time will become the trademark of this version of the band. Floaters in Mud moves on the same coordinates without adding much, but has the merit of an unexpected ending. Boycott is certainly more complete: third-worldist lyrics, Green and Kisser sharing the mic, and a well-calibrated sound assault that knows how to unite melody and 'core outbursts. There's also time for the instrumental digressions of Tribus, before returning to the aggression of Common Bonds and Reza, perhaps the best moment of the entire album, a heavy block filled with anti-religious lyrics in Portuguese, with the mic for the occasion in the hands of guest Joao Gordo of Ratos De Porao. Paradoxically, it’s a track that the authors themselves seem to have forgotten. It goes on like this, between potential classics and tracks that add little, despite some interesting passages. Guest appearances continue: on Kamaitachi the Japanese percussionists Kodo join, once again highlighting how Sepultura has always tried to blend multiple influences. Against, it must be said, seems to suffer from the same "syndrome" as the previous Roots, that is, being too long-winded, and with a few tracks less it would certainly have been more convincing. Still, Drowned Out, a one-and-a-half-minute insane splinter, and Hatred Aside, with Jason Newsted seemingly having much more fun here than with various Load and Reload, work well. T3rcermillennium and its acoustic guitars close an album characterized by a sonic assault, even if well thought-out.
In retrospect, Against perfectly reflects the period of uncertainty in which it was composed, amid a desire for revenge, out-of-focus moments, and experimentation in the most diverse directions, resulting in a much more interesting album than it is usually remembered for, with at least half of the tracks fully living up to the name printed on the cover. Needless to say, all the media attention at the time was captured by Soulfly, authors of a much-acclaimed album at the time but which, listened to today, has aged poorly. Kisser and company, however, will not be defeated, continuing to flirt with hardcore and melody for two more albums, Nation and Roorback, before returning to a more thrash sound, but always characterized by contamination. An album to rediscover.
Sepultura:
- Derrick Green, vocals
- Andreas Kisser, guitar and vocals
- Paulo Jr., bass
- Igor Cavalera, drums and percussion
- Against
- Choke
- Rumors
- Old Earth
- Floaters in Mud
- Boycott
- Tribus
- Common Bonds
- F.O.E.
- Reza
- Unconscious
- Kamaitachi
- Drowned Out
- Hatred Aside
- T3rcermillennium
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Against (01:54)
The more I see, the more I hate
The more I learn, the more I fake
The less I try, the less I get
The less I'm in, I'm never out
Don't do that / I knew it
Don't do that / I knew it, knew it
You don't know and I don't know
The circle seems the same
Falling down or standing up
I care what is against
Don't do that / I knew it
Don't do that / I knew it, knew it
What the fuck / You blew it
What the fuck / You blew it, blew it
Against!
Against!
Lyrics: Andreas Kisser
Music: Andreas Kisser / Igor Cavalera
Sepultura / Zebrahead / Gringo - backing vocals
02 Choke (03:36)
Pray for another life
Pay, regain your pride
See your brain / Choke
Watch it drain / Choke
See your greed / Choke
Watch it breed / Choke
Fake, you're falling down
Choke, your neck is broken
See your brain / Choke
Watch it drain / Choke
See your greed / Choke
Watch it breed / Choke
Victim in conflict, the ambush of fear
My doubt, my limit, the pulse of my war
See your brain / Choke
Watch it drain / Choke
See your greed / Choke
Watch it breed / Choke
03 Rumors (03:04)
Loss for words - you lost respect
Food for thoughts - you're just a fool
Mind of the weak, nonsense says
The rumors will never die
The rumors are only lies
The rumors don't let you breathe
Talk is cheap
Games of lies - just fucking lies
It's all wrong -you're full of shit
Nothing's straight, no!
Low moves, low moves
The rumors will never die
The rumors are only lies
The rumors don't let you breathe
Talk is cheap
I thought I've heard
I thought I've said
I thought was right
It's never wrong
Let it be, just let it be
Never mind, just never mind
That's all you have, that's all you got
Never say what you never will
The rumors will never die
The rumors are only lies
The rumors don't let you breathe
Talk is cheap
05 Floaters in Mud (04:58)
Stuck in the ground
Shopping for the support, nothing can be found
The mind floats around
Crashing back and forth, never really stopping
Turn around and try to face yourself
You may think it looks like someone else
Look from the outside, they don't heal
I'm passing through, shaking hands
Eyeless, shit-faced, they're not real
Mud in the brain, all insane
Turn around and try to face yourself
You may think it looks like someone else
Raw display of pain
No shelter, refugee
Floaters in mud
Turn around and face yourself...
06 Boycott (03:10)
Urban war, cracked-up child
Painted in blood on concrete walls
Carbonic gas, cancer land
What do I care? What do I care?
Is he prepared? Can he face that?
He must handle the truth of real demands
Strike Boycott
Armed and ill, psycho kill
There's no ground holding my feet up
Trained to serve but I steal
What do I care? What do I care?
Protect society who pays me shit
It's south of the world, no justice sire
Strike Boycott
Stressful mind, fucked up life
I know the end can be suicide
Suicide, suicide
What do I care? What do I care?
Boycott the trigger and you'll have no feedback
Boycott the force that kept the sick in their beds
I'll boycott the trigger and you'll have no feedback
With hands tied, I can't receive what I need
Reserve no honor
Reserve no pride
Strike Boycott
08 Common Bonds (02:58)
Before we're born
Before we walk
Before we talk and hate
Yet to come the perfect rule
After we win
After we lose
After the dawn is late
Do it now or shut your mouth
No lack of trust, just trust myself
No more perhaps, no more false step
Changes in sight, sight!
Common bonds
Fear the fate that's not the shape of the soul
Trust the heart and share to ease the pain
No mistake is big enough to bring you down
The wrinkles on your face is strength in your mind
No lack of trust, just trust myself
Changes in sight, sight!
Common bonds
The urge to win
A time to strike
Follow no one
Follow no one
Strength in mind
10 Reza (02:16)
O desespero, a dor, o medo
Fatores decisivos que te obrigam a pensar
O vinho e sangue, a carne e o pao
Chagas que nao fecham que intrigam sua vida
O ceu e o inferno, a cruz o perdao
A luz no fim do tunel e vida depois da morte
Voce tomou sua decisao
Nao espere julgamento sua alma esta perdida
Rezar - Rezar - Rezar - Rezar
Heresia / maldicao
O pai, o filho, o espirito santo
Ignoram os fieis que nao se cansam de rezar
Gritam, cantam a oracao
Desculpem eu lamento eles nao vao te escutar
Rezar
Arrependei-vos pecadores
A penitencia purifica
O sangue escorre
A dor fascina
So o medo te faz rezar
A guerra e santa o pecado e mortal
A hostia consagrada que tem gosto de esfiha
Tortura, fogueira, a inquisicao
O passado violento da igreja e normal
Armagedon, destruicao
O fim do mundo e pouco pra fuder a sua vida
Enriquecer, ressucitar
Em nome de Jesus nao me comece a chorar
Rezar - Rezar - Rezar
Lyrics: Joao Gordo
Music: Andreas Kisser / Igor Cavalera
Gordo - lead vocals
------------------------------------------
English translation by OmegaRed/David Ache
he despair, the pain, the fear
Decisive factors that make you think
The wine and blood, the flesh and bread
Wounds that do not heal that intrigue your life
Heaven and hell, the cross and the forgiveness
The light in the end of the tunnel and life after death
You've made your decision
Don't wait for trial (judgement?), there's no hope for your soul
(literal translation: "Don't wait for trial, your soul is lost")
Pray - Pray - Pray - Pray
Heresy, Curse
The father, the son, and the Holy Ghost
They ignore the faithful that don't stop praying
(literal translation: "They ignore the faithful that don't get tired of praying")
They scream, sing the prayer
I'm sorry, but they won't listen to you
Pray - Pray - Pray - Pray
Regret, sinners
The penitence purifies
The blood drips
The pain fascinates
Only fear makes you pray
The war is sacred, the sin is mortal
The Host that tastes like esfiha
Torture, fire, inquisition
The violent past of the Church is normal
Armaggedon, destruction
The end of the world is not much to fuck your life
To enrich, to resuscitate
In the name of Jesus don't start crying
11 Unconscious (03:37)
The deepest pain inside
The highest price to pay
The biggest lies are said
I'm just a fake in life
Unconscious Unconsciousness
Unconscious Unconsciousness
Alone I fall again
My blood runs through my veins
My brain and my strength
No longer are the same, no!
Unconscious Unconsciousness
Unconscious Unconsciousness
The moment of truth
Destroy the sense of it
I thought that was then
I thought that was me
Still I fear Unconsciousness
Still I seek Unconsciousness
13 Drowned Out (01:28)
He just takes what's his
Can never see an end
Build a wall of selfishness
To block out all your fears
I can't forget, I won't forget
I can't forget, I won't forget
You don't owe me shit
Never any remorse, never any remorse
Always turning your back
Drowned out, drowned out
There's no compromise
Only hate inside
I decided long ago
I would never be so blind
I can't forget, I won't forget
I can't forget, I won't forget
Never any remorse, never any remorse
Always turning your back
Drowned out, drowned out
Feel no shame
Show no shame
You don't owe me shit!
14 Hatred Aside (05:13)
Explode in disorder, no matter the prize
Steps on the path the righteous do find
Try as they will but they cannot divide
Time is relentless, pushing us on
Restoring our fate, we never lost sight
Spirits evolving, flowing as one
Having no limits, all hatred aside
Try as they will but they cannot divide
To divide - To divide - To divide
Live for the sound loud to survive
My will has no bounds to keep this alive
Truth pave the way to the world that I know
Learn what we hear, see what we feel
The air that I breathe could not be more real
Spit out bitter pill that made me want to hide
Try as they will but they cannot divide
Cannot divide - Cannot divide - Cannot divide
No!!!
Time is your enemy only if you let it be
I won't let my future get away from me
Listen - let go - out of my mind
Out of my mind - listen - let go
Need to reach, seek to find
Will not breach, cannot divide
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Other reviews
By cliffburton86
"It's just a piece of crap!!!! The ugliest metal album I have ever listened to."
"After about 10 minutes, you will need an IV to recover from the narrowly avoided suicide attempt."
