Sepultura
Dante XXI

THE REVIEW

10 years after the last album with the band's historic voice (Max Cavalera) "Roots", hailed by many as a beautiful and successful attempt to renew and merge tribal rhythms with metal, and criticized by others as a poor album precisely for the tribal "touches" inserted by the renowned Cavallera & Co.

After the next two albums ("Against" and "Nation") which created discontent and disappointment among the old fans who, despite expecting a decline after the departure of the band's leader, never imagined two albums so underwhelming. And with the echo of the last "Roorback" (which sparked hope for a weak return to more aggressive sounds and vocals, but which instead faded in yet another musical "flop"), it's time to listen to 'Dante XXI'.

After the intro Lost (which acts as a prelude to Dante's journey into the "dark forest"), we are hit for almost 1 minute and a half by a repetitive and almost suffocating rhythm of the true opener, a rhythm marked by drums and guitar, which gives way in the last 40 seconds to a fast and tight section that suggests to the listener that something might have shifted in our minds. We move to the cadenced and scratching rhythm of “Convicted In Life” which surprises us with 3 explosive accelerations that almost make you shout for a miracle, surely it will be devastating live. The rhythms seem to soften with “City Of Dis”, but it's just an impression, as we are indeed hit by Igor's double bass drum and Kisser's dirty riffs, alternating with slower and more synchronized parts. "False" begins, and it seems to take me back to the sounds of Roots, especially because of the guitar parts. However, it’s not a self-plagiarism; it’s appreciated for both its speed and the involvement it creates from start to finish when the rhythm becomes synchronized, and there's a good solo by Andreas.
“Fighting On” concludes the first part of the album (from song 1 to 6) inspired by Dante's inferno in the best way; it's a synchronized, gloomy, and vicious song, almost tormented, and one of the best (even at an interpretative level) since Green has been on vocals.

“Limbo” introduces us to purgatory with cellos and guitar, but “Ostia” immediately starts with more synchronized rhythms and great drum work by Igor. The riffs are always spot-on and make us forget a handful of poor and uninspired riffs from the latest works. Towards the end, there is an interesting incursion of cellos and piano, which nevertheless does not distort the song's harsh sound. "Buried Words" returns to higher rhythms and continues to maintain the album's tension (which has not yet fallen into tribalism, slowness, or unnecessary heavy digressions already heard in the recent past). "Nuclear Seven" (inspired by the seven deadly sins) is a song that, while not as fast as others, releases a significant charge and continues to keep the overall level of the album high, with a special note for the good guitar solo. "Repeating The Horror" has a good groove, but it doesn’t fully convince me and is not as memorable as other tracks. Another cello interlude with "Eunoé" and then we start again at high speed with "Crown And Miter", which, even while staying at high levels, does not shine too much for originality. “Primium Mobile” introduces us to the instrumental and epic “Still Flame”, the final track of the album. A chorus that I would define as between epic and tribal gives way to a song that perfectly reflects the contrast that should be there between the first two canticles (Inferno and Purgatorio) and the last, Paradiso, the canticle from which this song draws inspiration. The piece is a musical crescendo that ends with the pounding rhythm of the cellos that blend with Green's final screams.

Overall, an album that presents us with a band in form and certainly more inspired than in recent works, which objectively (without touching their tribal digressions, which can be liked or not) presented little or nothing interesting. The anticipation is certainly great for the live performance on April 8th supporting In Flames. If these are the premises, we will surely see a polished and motivated band that will entertain and energize everyone; one thing is certain, Sepu are back at high levels.

On a personal note, it is true that Green (who in this work showcases his best performance) doesn't have the skills of many other metal singers, but there's no debate that the comparison with his predecessor is lost from the start, so perhaps the judgment (mine included) on him is skewed by this fact. Anyway, his performance seemed quite convincing and heartfelt to me.