Soulfly
Prophecy

THE REVIEW

"Prophecy" is a fundamental chapter in the Soulfly saga, not only because of the extremely positive nature of the work carried out by Max Cavalera's Tribe, but also from a symbolic point of view. In fact, the fourth album by the former Sepultura leader's band is the first solid cornerstone of a trio of albums recorded with a stable line-up, to which "Omen" will soon be added, to the delight of all of Max's faithful, set to be released in May (a free track is already available on the Roadrunner website, and it is the beautiful "Rise of the Fallen" featuring the prestigious collaboration of Greg Puciato directly from The Dillinger Escape Plan).

The line-up factor is relatively important, because, although 90% of the work is obviously from the brain of our favorite Brazilian, it's important to remember that the first three Soulfly albums (the self-titled, "Primitive," and "3") all experienced various line-up changes. This confusing situation was wanted by Max himself to highlight the Tribal and versatile character of his creation. But ultimately, having more clarity and certainty in a war machine like Soulfly is surely beneficial, and the results are evident in the successes of "Prophecy," "Dark Ages," and "Conquer."

Let's then name these disciples of the Prophet: Marc Rizzo, a prodigious guitar maniac (formerly of Ill Nino), the fantastic hitter Joe Nunez (already a drummer on "Primitive"), and the likeable Bobby Burns on bass (also a member of rap metallers Primer 55). But the tribal nature of Soulfly doesn't wane with the inclusion of members who will become permanent in the years to come. Once again, a large array of artists and musicians fills the "Prophecy" studio, notably including Dave Ellefson (formerly with Dave Mustaine's Megadeth), who plays bass on almost half the album and also appears in the title track video instead of Bobby.

Returning to "Prophecy," as usual, the album proves to be another winning example of Massimiliano Antonio Cavalera's creativity and musical boldness, and his constant desire for exploration and relentless artistic pursuit. Thus, we transition from songs in typical Soulfly style like the opener "Prophecy," a very solid and driving anthemic track that has obviously become a classic in the band's setlists, the subsequent "Living Sacrifice" is a highly intense thrashcore embelished with a dub-ambient bridge, the rebellious "Born Again Anarchist" and the edgy "Mars," always teetering between thrash violence reminiscent of Sepultura and decelerations climaxing in their respective final parts dedicated to percussion solos, classical guitars, and tribal inserts, to tracks closely evoking the feel of "Chaos A.D." and its intense groove metal imbued with hardcore influences, such as in the powerful "Execution Style," the brutal "Defeat U" (written and sung with Danny Marianino), and the chaotic and lightning-fast "Porrada" (based wholly on hardcore riffing and rhythmic work derived from Slayer, but opened with an enjoyable flamenco intro and closed by a brief pseudo-Brazilian samba).

These are surely the most impactful and guaranteed pieces of the Soulfly-sound; the remaining tracks, on the other hand, represent the more experimental and reflective side of the album: the wonderful "I Believe" is a sulfurous and exciting piece, that little gem of reggae-metal crossover in "Moses" (written with the Serbian reggae-hardcore group Eyesburn, which I will soon review) is one of the most successful tracks in Soulfly's entire career. Of course, the dreamy instrumental (which this time receives heavy doses of flamenco, thanks to new member Rizzo) "Soulfly IV" couldn't be missing. Beautiful yet also very daring is "Wings," a dub-soul track sung solely by the warm and touching voice of Asha Rabouin (who already appeared on "Primitive" for the track "Flyhigh" and on "3" for the moving "Tree Of Pain"). The last two minutes give space to a band complete with drums, cymbals, and trombones, giving the track further Latin flavor. The choice to cover "In the Meantime" by the unforgettable Helmet, which turns out to be a very solid wall of sound perfect for the Soulfly attitude, is also spot-on.

The special edition also includes 6 bonus tracks recorded live in Sweden in 2001, and they are "Back to the Primitive," "No Hope = No Fear," "Spit," the medley from the beginning of "Jumpdafuckup" and "Bring It," "The Song Remains Insane," and the unmissable "Roots Bloody Roots."

"Prophecy" is an album that captures, that evokes apocalyptic scenarios but also offers plenty of mystical and alternative relaxation. It can certainly be a good start for those first approaching the band in question, as it brilliantly combines all the elements and characteristics of Soulfly, a must-have.