Roorback

In the early 2000's I thought there were two bands called Sepultura that even shared the same band logo. From today's perspective that sounds more than stupid, but I was only 13 years old when I saw the video clip for "Mindwar" and I didn't know any better at the time. I thought that each band would split up as soon as the current singer left the band. I was confused to see a Sepultura video clip with a singer other than Mr. Cavalera. Today I know the career of Sepultura, their glorious rise and so-called downfall from grace after Max Cavalera threw in the towel.

In a way, I understand the many opinions of most Sepultura fans when it comes to the Cavalera era, but I can't understand the hatred Derrick Green gets, despite being in the band almost twice as long as Max Cavalera ever was. Derrick is a great front man, although his vocals are more rooted in the hardcore scene. In my opinion, Max Cavalera was terribly overrated in his time at Sepultura as both a songwriter and a singer. I have to admit that I think that he has only developed his full potential with his band Soulfly since 1998. Yeah, I know I'll be stoned to death, but it's the truth. I'm a fan of Cavalera, but he's really better off with Soulfly.

I generally had the wrong idea about Sepultura at the time I got to know them because the first album I heard was "Roots". Anyone familiar with Sepultura knows that "Roots" is not representative of their sound. I still like the album a lot, even if it lacks substance from today's perspective. I didn't have this problem with "Roorback". In contrast to "Roots", I found "Roorback" to be insubstantial at first, but today it is a small forgotten diamond for me. Is it their best? I don't know, but it is the Sepultura album I listened to the most. Although "Roorback" seems to be one of the most hated albums among Sepultura fans, including "Against" and "Nation", it is nonetheless the first album that comes closest to the original Sepultura sound at the time since "Chaos A.D.", although it still contains punk and hardcore influences.

As of 2003 "Roorback" is their strongest effort in years and their most consistent and energized album. Many fans complained about the lack of ideas, but what exactly do they mean? The topics, the riffs? What? I'd read a lot about the lack of good riffs, but I can't understand it. The riffs seem very energetic and invite you to headbang. No matter if fast and powerful like in "Come Back Alive", hard grooving like in "Urge", or wildly whirring like an annoyed swarm of bees in "Apes of God". Basically, "Roorback" has everything that makes a Sepultura album. I think the problem is the hardcore influence for many fans, the sterile production of this album could also contribute to the displeasure of many fans.

And you can't even accuse Sepultura of stagnation. "As It Is" and "Bottomed Out" impressively show how versatile this album can be in its self-designed framework. Derrick Green's talented singing skills are particularly evident in "As It Is" and "Bottomed Out". Not only can the guy roar like a wild boar, he can also sing wonderfully without sounding gay. Always serious but melodic, he refines these two songs with his dark timbre.

Let's quickly talk about drummer Igor Cavalera. Somehow I have the feeling that the guy is underrated, but right here he sounds like an octopus. I can't explain otherwise how to get the drum patterns he produces with only two arms in a row. In "Urge" he beats up his complete kit in the chorus in order to create an atmosphere between the verse parts that is equally addictive.

I really like this album! It could be because of the time I heard it, because I was still a teenager and all kinds of things shaped me. But I still like this album a lot today and in my ears it just got better. To be honest, I can't answer if it's the best Sepultura album, but it's one of my favorite albums. It might not have been revolutionary for metal, it might even have been forgotten by many people, but for me it was groundbreaking and one of the albums that survived my taste development and still inspires me today. Thank you for your time my friend!

This album has a guitar tone that's flat as fuck. It's a distortion that rarely has any competent, aggressive riffs behind it. This groove garbage with the political angle and tinges of tribal moments reek of suck. Some band at one point or another pulled this kind of music off, but Sepultura are the wrong band to attempt this over and over again. This band loses every time with their boring, meandering brand of tough guy groove metal. Top it off with Derrick Green and his insipid yelling about corruption and war and it spells catastrophe.

The identity issues of groove / hardcore and tribal experimentation have diminished to the point of complete control by now. The band has for the most part been able to write those in where they don't derail the straightforwardness of these songs. The problem, as it was for the previous album, is that these songs define plainness. Nothing about them, despite having direction and a backing of a well-rounded, clear production job, gives me any favorable emotional reaction. These rhythms and groove riffs are the same nu-metal and falsified groove riffs that want listeners headbanging like monkeys instead of being invigorated. The volume of the riffs is loud because of the proper mixing, but their lasting power is minimal. The strength of these riffs is barely passable even on a groove metal level (even with all the clean sections and percussion fills to bounce ideas off of).

Stuff like "Godless" and "More Of The Same" gives the impression of an atmosphere of turmoil and energy to back it up. The reality is overblown usage of the same ideas that have been half-assed since Roots and tired, angsty aggression that becomes annoying. Other songs like "Urge" and "As It Is" are on the opposite end as they attempt to mold together riffs that conjure a sense of impending doom but fail to deliver on all fronts. Following the above idea, the album always feels like it gives up even though it tries to act like it doesn't. Take the bass and drums as an example of the rhythm letting the riffs whirl and crunch their way toward nothingness countless times while Green's barking and bland cleans have little to actually provoke. They'll noodle around with some breaks or percussion segments, but no matter how much they intend to take over, the formula of guitars and vocals directing the songs hampers progress.

The direction of this band shouldn't have turned into the most basic of rock music. Cavalera especially put nothing into his performance of tinny hits and the same cymbal pace from start to finish. He wants to sound like he hasn't lost his edge and rolls his double bass like he means business, but none of that matters when the rest of his playing is perfunctory. He'd bail late enough, but the rest of the band would carry on when they should have disbanded. With that said, a split at that time would've probably been the most remarkable idea this band had since their thrash days.

Well, we all know it's not Arise, nor BTR or Chaos A.D. all of those 3 classics had something that no other band had. those efforts stand close, really close to the ultumate combination of thrash metal with a tons of varied elements - from hardcore and punk influences, to tribal jamming.

But after lord Cavalera has left storming the band, the ever known as "Not as good as Max" Derrek green (a.k.a as the colored fellow).
But Chris rock said it best when he said "Jesus is black !", cuz Derrek Green never sound better in his whole career as he sound in Roorback.
Lifting from the album from the top - with the anti-war "Come back alive" shines an extremely non-cynical view of war-crisis - all moshed with a groovie laydown and thrashy guitarwork. Igor is still Igor - pounding on his skins like a whole tribe of drummers, and Green shouts his throat out to the craspy no-return point.

The problem with the album is that it's too unstaddy in it's composition level and it's thrilling points. there several good songs, some avarge songs that are cool for first listenning, and some bad songs that ain't worth even the first listen - all is deployed in the unreasonable sound-choise mixdown.

Sepultura - never again the same thrash metal phenomena of the late 80's, are forever middled in the groove-oriented hardcore to metalcore musical approach, yet insted of choosing some juisy sound of the guitar as Machine-head or Fear-factory, they chose the thrash-metal thick like a bone guitar sound - which could be working perfectly if they were still playing thrash metal !
The only two songs the mixing gives a good point are the thrashy ones. "Currupted" resemble a version of Slayer's "Criminaly insane" with a hard-core twist after the middle - reminding the faster cuts of Chaos A.D. like Refuse/Resist.
"Activist" is another Chaos A.D. like fast-song - short and catchy. Sepultura are never tired from their political lyrics - but they need some writer with the wit of Warrel Dane to give their wicker track an understandable textual approach.

Some good metalcore songs here, anyway - that uphill the Roots-to-Nation era - like "Mind war" with a charming C-part and "More of the same" with a calm bridge. Imagine Killswitch engage only in the Sepulturial way.

Not a bad album, but far from Excellent.