Sepultura
Roots

THE REVIEW

Last, true, great album by the last, true, great Sepultura.
The ones led by Max Cavallera, who was kicked out in 1997 by the rest of the band due to issues involving his wife—manager Gloria. It was this woman who caused the breakup of the "pact" that tightly bound the four members of the band, so much so that they were compared to the Xavantes Amazonian tribes (in fact, the "tribe chant" is present on the album).

Roots, the masterpiece from the boys of Belo Horizonte, marks the conclusion of a journey embarked upon by Max, Igor, Andreas, and Paulo Jr., which began in 1984, the year the original lineup was formed (with Jairo Guedz on guitar) in a band that proposed an extreme genre, in a place where samba is the national pride. Sepultura were indeed the main representatives of the Brazilian extreme scene.

The death/thrash metal sounds that had made Sepultura famous worldwide and were present in previous albums are modified in this one. Even from “Chaos AD,” the change in sound was becoming noticeable. In fact, Max and company create an unprecedented crossover, "tainting" metal and infusing it with tribal rhythms.
Many are the "indigenous" rhythms which, combined with the old aggressive sound, give the impression of listening to a collection of war chants, praised by the Amazon tribes.

The 1997 best-selling album goes beyond any limits for its obsessive and pressing percussion. Evil are the growls that Cavallera emits throughout the record with extremely powerful ferocity. The rhythmic base is tackled by Paulo and Igor in a purely wild way! Extremely powerful and devastating riffs accompany extremely "rebellious" lyrics with content concerning the country's politics and social condition!

An extreme metal in a "Brazilian" key as never seen before and probably never will be seen again. Songs like "Roots bloody roots" or "Born stubborn," are historic tracks in the discography of a historic group like Sepultura, now a synonym for commercialization and depressing music.