Arise

“Afterburner” is an album from ZZ Top. But this term also describes the relation between “Beneath the Remains” and “Arise” in an almost perfect manner, because the obvious intention behind “Arise” was to continue the success formula of its predecessor. Okay, this is more than understandable in view of the fact that “Beneath the Remains” lingers at an average of gigantic 93% after 28 reviews. And “Arise” is also a great album, but the “wow”-effect of its older brother does not show up again.

Sepultura still stand with both feet firmly on the territory of thrash metal. No indigenous sounds, no endless percussion sessions and no excessive sense of mission dilute the pure metallic art. Of course, this does not mean that the output lacks diversity. But elements like the atmospheric guitar intro and intermezzo of “Desperate Cry” do not intend to take away the album its thrashing character. However, pure, straight and merciless neckbreaker like the opening title track or “Infected Voice” are rather a minority here. Nevertheless, the riffing of “Arise” (the track) impressed Germany’s Exumer so much that they recycled it on their 2016 album “The Raging Tides”. Funnily enough, this riff also appears (in a very similar way) on their opening title track. Once again we learn that some riffs withstand the test of time with great ease.

Sepultura were already a lucrative brand after their third full-length. It comes therefore as no surprise that “Arise” scores with a sharp, precise and powerful production. The guitars saw restlessly, the angry voice is neither dominant nor sidelined and the band increases the intensity always at the right moment. Maybe Scott Burns and Andy Wallace saw the border to sterility during the recording sessions, but they never crossed it. Not only the atmospheric beginning of the partly mild but steadily intensifying “Altered State” confirms this statement. Moreover, Burns and Wallace equipped the band with guitars that always convey a menacing undertone. For me, this is a very coherent and fitting mix.

The songs do not show off their progressive structures. Nevertheless, Sepultura have integrated some twists and turns. Especially the most opulent tracks (“Desperate Cry” and “Alterer State”) profit from this fact. But even the somewhat predictable songs do not fail. “Arise” is totally free from stinkers and its configuration (nine songs in less than 43 minutes) is pretty perfect for their music. Thus, it is only logical that all songs work. Sometimes a bit better, sometimes a bit weaker, but the overall impression is really good. Today my favourite songs are the opulent and sinister “Desperate Cry” as well as the somewhat spooky “Under Siege (Regnum Irae)”, but in view of the homogeneous design of the material, it can change already during the next days. Maybe this indicates the quality of the here reviewed work in the best way. To sum up, I still see “Arise” as the afterburner of “Beneath the Remains”, but is it a very hot one – and it still makes fun, even after more than three decades since its first release.

It's difficult to dislike this record. Thrashy enough to gather up all the thrash-heads in the universe for senseless mosh pitting spontaneously, it's also dark enough to satisfy the interested death-metaller in search of a more grisly quality to the music. Spiteful by nature and irreconcilably heavy, 'Arise' harkens back to the days of molten metal magma, when all the influences were pouring in from different scenes and grabbing the listener by the gut with its effusion of raw energy and contagious drive. It belongs to an era of extreme metal that is widely recognized as a golden age for the field, with bands releasing what is often seen as the most honest and raw version of death metal, as tons of emblematic records came out around that early period from Deicide, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Entombed, Hypocrisy, etc. Each of those bands had their own distinctive sound, their own take on shaping death metal, and were then free of the all-conforming influence of vastly enriched, autocratic labels. Sepultura, with 'Arise', was one of those pioneers.

Historically, Cavalera must be seen as one of the main guys that brought about that groove-metal spirit, with these big breaks on here that signal to the listener shit's about to go down (middle part in 'Dead Embryonic...', the end of 'Desperate Cry', among a myriad all across the record) - that jumpy, infectious energy that just made the listener headbang on the spot. They'd develop that dynamic more on the following 'Chaos AD' and even more so on the alternative and controversial 'Roots', with other main precursors Pantera and the earth-shaking breakdowns they were introducing to metal. This would later turn into post-thrash and full on groove-metal (Machinehead's 'Burn my Eyes'). Instead, the extreme bands were busy getting more brutal and explicit (growls, imagery, blast beats...) while a lot of the acts generally associated with groove at the time were probably more of the crossover bands like Prong, or even early Primus (that infamous giant breakdown groove from 'Jerry Was a Race Car Driver').

The guitars (given a delightfully dark and heinous tone) have that sharp-edged, clinical precision from death metal with the better example probably being that stingy main riff to the opening title-track, which you'll probably remember the rest of your life. Most of the way though, it's the genre standard palm-muted shredding/power chords combo, eventually culminating in a rhythmic climax as described earlier. They also like to venture from time to time into these more peculiar riffs and leads, often of an exotic kind with lead guitarist Kisser instilling a bit of that Latin flavor into the mix to create melodies that sound unique to the band. The rebellious punkish component often present in Max Cavalera records can be recognized as the spine and drive to some of the parts, and there are probably more separate influences in this album than most people realize. Acoustic guitars and cinematic interludes play their cameo role tastefully for pacing.

All in all a real effort was put into crafting original tracks with distinctive features and a very impressive production for 1991, blending in different sub-genres to form a cohesive classic record with, notably, a seamless and powerful marriage of energetic heads-up thrash with darkened heads down death metal, in association with occasional atmospheric breaks. Finally, it's certainly one of the albums from the death metal spectrum that could usher in the realm of metal into a novice's life and must've served as a gateway for a great many once-curious minds about this most potent form of musical expression we call "metal".

Sepultura are the first Brazilian, and also the first South American band, that I ever got to hear. 'Arise', the band's fourth full-length album, is one of the first thrash metal albums I ever got to hear, after Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Kreator and Suicidal Tendencies. It was like from another planet. I remember its aura was mystifying, otherworldly and "something else".

A few days ago 'Arise' turned 30 years old. The album haven't aged a bit. The music is classic yet still absolutely vital, and the lyrics never get old, sadly. Eerie industrial sounds open the album before the band blast into action. Industrialism really entered metal music after the change to 1990s, and thrash metal was its true harbinger. State of the dying world had been noticed and these "childish metalheads" (as I've so often heard metalheads called as) did not want to be silent about it.

"Laboratory sickness, infects humanity. No hope for cure, die by technology." - 'Dead Embryonic Cells'

"Terrorist confrontation. Waiting for the end. Wartime conspiracy." - 'Arise'

"Censored ideas, counterfeit answers." - 'Altered State'

"I can't trust anymore. Criminals within the law. I have something to say. Where I live, don't believe in another day" - 'Murder'

Brazil was and is partly a very brutal place, and these young fellows at their early twenties were more than conscious about it all. Politicians, religions, and religious decision maker, and generally belligerent and people causing devestation all get their shares of wrath. The lyrics are straight-to-the-point and lurid. Max Cavalera's beary thras-throat vocals are filled with anger. The fantastic surreal Michael Whelan artwork cannot be ignored. It certainly reinforces the ominous atmosphere of the album. One of the legendary album cover artworks.

While 'Arise' isn't only a thrash metal album but a death/thrash metal amalgamation, it does not include very fast thrash metal, even though it is a bloody enraged album. The title track's riffing, drum kit-bashing and rapid vocalization together with 'Infected Voice' are only full fast songs here, since the band often pull into mid-paced whacking. The band effortlessly fluctuate between (around) 76-161 beats per minute (on 'Beneath the Remains' 2 years earlier the tempos were 106-226 BPM, but even slower on earlier albums!). The atmosphere is totally thick throughout.

The riffs are often ugly and nasty, as are lead guitar melodies. There's some rapid good old thrash riffs, and generally the slower ones are just good old thrash riffs in slower tempo; from ripping to slower ripping, hah! They just have more space to breathe. Warped soloing is essential part for building up the bent vibes. The guitars are simply catchy, thanks Max Cavalera's and Andreas Kisser's sharp pens. Kisser's melodiusness reminds me of 'Testimony of the Ancients' by Pestilence, but that album was created simultaneously with' Arise'... Just like the industrial sounds on here, some acoustic guitar bits add to the ominous tone. There's some truly out-there parts in the songs, e.g. how the music sounds like it was played backwards ('Desperate Cry') and the highly moody tribalistic start of 'Altered States'.

The Scott Burns production here was one of the heaviest ever back in the early 1990s. The guitars are crisp and extensive, very much skull-drilling. The bass guitar, played by Kisser (Paulo Jr. actually played bass first time on album on 1993's 'Chaos A.D.') isn't outstanding due to its guitar-ish tone, plus it follows guitars and drums closely, but does its job in the end. However, Igor Cavalera, Max's younger brother, plays some recognizable beats. His style is sometimes very tribal-ish, meaning simplistic yet powerful, but also there's some Latin drumming elements in his playing.

Sepultura never created two similar albums with their classic line-up. Some didn't like the slower song material on 'Arise', but then again, it became a bonafide classic for multitude of metalheads. It still sounds very unique to this day, and it is a fucking oppressive, a dangerous one, and I love it to bits!

(Originally written for ArchaicMetallurgy.com)

Twenty years ago, Brazil's most famous metal exploit Sepultura continued their ascent into the 90s as expected, after a clockwork-steady improvement was shown from release to release since their 1985 debut to 1989’s tremendous deathrashterpiece Beneath the Remains. Already bringing out two exceptional metal super powers in Scott Burns' sound and Michael Whelan's art inherited from said album, the band's fourth LP, Arise was bound to succeed and continue that ascension. And for the most part, it did. While Arise features an even better sound and mixing than Beneath the Remains, the band did choose to simplify some of their musical traits, in particular some of their rhythmic riffs and drumming patterns, while adding more atmospheric traits to some of their compositions. This was done consciously, as the quartet was already in top form in terms of musical proficiency. The result remains quite enticing, though sometimes the simplicity can lead to predictable moments within the album, and that's why I think this is a slight step back in overall quality in comparison to its predecessor.

Be as it may, Arise sounds as monstrous as foreshown by the Lovecraftian monstrosity on the cover. Andreas Kisser's rhythmic riffs crush as if entire buildings are being pulverized by the action of Great Old Ones' tentacles as they bring an unholy and violent end to Mankind's Age. The solos and melodies cut like red-hot giant tendrils piercing the soft throats of hapless victims. The drums have a special sound to them; the snare hits seem to be produced by a wooden device for crushing limbs, while the dual drum basses have a more subdued clicky sound. The air toms also appear to have begun adopting the tribal quality that Sepultura would explore even more in their future material. It's a very organic affair and I really dig the sound, even if all the plates appear to be compressed and somewhat muted. While the bass guitar is not that prominent, the lines can be heard at all times, and sometimes, even the plucking of its strings. As for Max's voice, he's just as dominant as usual, with his trademark ferocious grunts between a thrash metal shout and a death growl.

As for the compositions within, I feel the record's a bit lopsided starting with the best and leaving the lesser for last, though the differences in quality and memorability are not too pronounced. The iconic title-track begins with a brief industrial intro and then explodes, going straight for the head of the listener and pummeling its brain into pulp with an aggressive fast tempo. As I mentioned earlier, some of Igor's drumming patterns here are quite simple, if fast and precise, with a lot of d-beat hardcore influence. The song has a terrific breakdown in the middle, a short and squeaky solo and amazing set of riffs. It is soon followed by an even better track in “Dead Embryonic Cells”, one of my favorite Sepultura tunes and my top one here. It has its own cool industrial intro, and traverses more tempo changes than the straightforward opener but just as punishing, only with more varied riffs, all of which remain stellar. It also features a great breakdown with Igor abusing the crash (or is it the china?) plate and some twisted melodies before giving way to the final appearance of the bridge and chorus. Prime deathrash right there. Track number 3, “Desperate Cry” is my preferred one of the two six-minute cuts, with vintage thrash rhythmic riffs, yet another amazing breakdown that's longer and more complex still than the one in the preceding track, and a twisted, melancholic Kisser solo. It has more double bass as well, and aesthetically, appears to have more in common with Beneath the Remains.

The rest of the tunes continue to assault the listener in the same fashion, though some atmospheric respite is provided from time to time, like the Amazonian intro and the haunting clear guitars in “Altered State”, or the phantasmal narration in “Under Siege”. “Murder”, “Subtraction” and closer “Infected Voice” are more straightforward thrashers, albeit with enough tempo changes in them as not to become boring. Those are the tracks I prefer the less, but they'll make you rattle your skull nonetheless. “Meaningless Movements” is my preferred song from the second half, with varied array of rhythmic riffs and different sections, as if Voivod had somewhat helped with the composition. The lyrics for the whole album are simply, but expose the usual Cavalera themes; world chaos, political trickery, emotional and psychological turmoil, the degradation of society and the natural environment, sometimes from a general view and other times from a more subjective perspective. These themes would be greatly expanded upon for their divisive next record, where the band embraced groove metal, seemingly for good. Thus, Arise is perceived by many as the final chapter to classic Sepultura. I might be in the minority of holding Chaos A.D. in even higher regard, but that's a story for another time.

This is has to be one of the heaviest thrash metal albums to ever be released by a band. Seriously, the first time I heard this album, I was blown away and to be honest, quite shocked to be honest. I'm one of the few people who actually enjoyed Chaos A.D. and Roots. Those two albums were my introduction to not only Sepultura, but also Max Cavalera. So, imagine my surprise when I heard the title track for the first time. Arise is the heaviest thrash metal song I've ever heard in my life, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees with me. Seriously, the build up to the first minute of actual music on this song is so worth it, because after waiting for what feels like a lifetime, those blazing fast riffs coming flying right out the gate, and then Igor ABSOLUTELY FUCKS OUR FACES with how fast he plays on this song. LISTEN TO THAT DOUBLE BASS! Any drummer who can play that fast is automatically someone I'm gonna look up to, because I still can't do the double bass that fast even after a year of building up my chops. But anyway, back to the review. Arise is the perfect indication for what we're in for when one listens to Arise. Fast, skull-crushingly heavy riffs, and a vocalist who sounds like the perfect bridge between death and thrash metal.

When listening to Arise, there are defiantly a lot of songs similar in vein to the title track. However, this is also when the boys decided to experiment a little more in their music, as demonstrated by the number of mid-tempo tracks on this album. Now as much as I loved Beneath The Remains, this is a VERY welcome change of pace, for Beneath The Remains begins to drag by the time you get to the end of the album, while this album has more of a "flow" so to speak and variety than Beneath The Remains does. One of my favorite songs off this album is Desperate Cry. This song is simply perfection, and it's probably one of my favorite songs in general now that I think about it. What starts off as a simple mid-tempo thrash song with plenty of aggression and plenty of blistering double bass, eventually evolves into yet another thrasher with a melodic solo, then evolves into something truly amazing. Half way through the song, all the anger, pain, and frustration stop for a minute, and we hear something truly beautiful. The tempo slows down, Andreas or Max (don't really know which one comes in first) play a solo that one could sum up as Iron Maiden-ish, and then both guitarists come in, creating one of the most beautiful harmonies I've ever heard in a solo, before returning to a fit of rage. To me, this song is the highlight of the entire album, and is worth a listen based on that song ALONE. Seriously, if I could recommend one song the most off of Arise, it would be Desperate Cry.

Lyrically, this album is VERY different than what Max would go on to write later with albums like Roots and even in Soulfly. This album is dark as hell, make no mistake about it. This isn't something you'd put on if you wanna hear some happy metal. No, these are straight-up realistic lyrics talking about a lot of messed up political stuff. While Max may not be an amazing lyricist to some, I've always felt his lyrics were awesome, and albums like this only prove my point. It isn't afraid to touch upon subjects most of their peers may have been reluctant to talk about such as poverty. This album is real as hell, and doesn't try to be something it's not.

This right here is Sepultura's crowning achievement during the Max Cavalera years. It has plenty of furiously fast songs that'll appeal to fans of albums such as Morbid Visions, Schizophrenia, and Beneath The Remains, while also appealing to those who may have only listened to their groove metal albums with the numerous mid-tempo tracks found on here. This is essential listening here people, do not miss out on this album if you haven't already heard it. This ain't no Reign In Blood, this is Arise, and it will destroy your existence.

Sepultura had grabbed international attention with Beneath the Remains and they had gone faster than ever when doing so. What happens when you hit peak speed? You find the need to focus that speed. With Arise, these Brazilians had started to slow just a bit to allow for a more focused, riff-centric performance that turns the blinding speed of earlier releases into songs that could rip the skin off a mastodon in 2 minutes flat and have several riffs and a solo worth discerning throughout that time. Many of Sepultura's most notable songs are on this album and it could easily be seen as Sepultura's equivalent of Slayer's Seasons in the Abyss another album where blistering speed and slow, deliberate focus compromised to build something much more memorable, devious, and riff-filled.

Arise is a blisteringly fast album that banks on its riffs and songwriting more than anything else. You can tell from the very first notes of the song "Arise" that this is a savage album that basks in destruction and hellfire to bring forth a warped, dying vision of our world where the pulse of the drums and the shredding guitars are the only rhythm to the chaos. The lyrics are still focused around death and terror, but political subtexts come in where authority and nationhood have their disgusting undersides examined through the terrifying lenses of Sepultura's eyes. Cavalera and Kisser's riffing is blinding, but also discernible and unique to every song. The guitars have a perfect tone for this, as it all sounds so menacing and evil, which is accented by Max Cavalera's spine-chilling barks which are still very easy to understand, exposing the full power of their lyrics. "Arise", "Desperate Cry", "Dead Embryonic Cells", and "Altered State" have some of the most insidious thrash riffing and ear-shredding solos ever produced to give them all an iconic, imposing presence. These songs make you know their identities loud and clear simply from their rhythm. It's catchy and full of virtuoso at the same time. When the rhythm is somewhere between a march and a charge like it often is on Arise, it transitions smoothly enough to feel innate, but it changes enough in tempo and rhythm to never become monotonous, despite their almost constant barrage. The few softer moments are still evil and oppressively dark like being stranded in a smoke-filled jungle with no idea what's coming out to get you. Every song makes great use of iconic riffing and evil melodies with a bit of catchiness a la Metallica tossed in. Sepultura's barrages leave us an album without even a shred of filler and solid rhythms upon solid rhythms. This is the perfect blend of catchy songwriting and downright vile riffs. This is Sepultura at the strongest balance of all of their abilities overall.

Arise is the definitive Sepultura album, and arguably one of the best thrash albums of the 1990's. It cuts deep and focuses hard on what makes a fast song truly powerful. It takes the speed, the riffs, the grooves, the evil, the catchiness, and the rage, to weld together a sound so memorable and so deathly that it outmatched all others. Every song on here is worth a listen and hits harder than the arsenal of hell itself. I recommend this wholeheartedly, this is a classic that's not worth missing.

Ah yes one of Sepultura's albums that divided some fans, albeit not as many as Chaos AD did, but a decent amount. This album has the first signs of Sepultura incorporating groove elements into their music. It fits very well into the music and the people who hate this album seem to only like the most underground of underground metal. Yes, correct this album is slower than Beneath the Remains and Schizophrenia but it's very crushing and powerful. Beneath the Remains was extremely fast and consistent but the bigger budget in the production of Arise helped them get a more crushing sound (BTR was made for $8000 U.S dollars) as this album was made for $40,000; a budget five times larger. The album starts off with haunting tribal sounds in the opener "Arise," the tribal sounds gradually keep building and keep building for 25 seconds and then boom the hammer smash of "Arise" starts off with very fast, frantic riffing, and assault rifle like drumming. No remorse or mercy is shown to the listener as this song consistently slays everything in its path. The next couple of tracks like “Dead Embryonic Cells,” “Desperate Cry,” and “Altered State” feature slower passages with less emphasis on brutality and violence but more emphasis on groove and the feel of the song. It is groove but in a good way not in a bad way (Lamb of God, Hellyeah).

The production heavily reminds me of Metallica's And Justice for All album in the way that it's the band's fourth album and it has this very dry, scooped out mid sound to it. The band was on the verge of changing their sound and the production while suffocating is also pleasurable unlike AJFA which has a very thin sound to it and it is presented in a very unwelcoming approach in its production. This album features a heavier low end then their previous albums. Schizophrenia had a very strong low end but the production was very muddy and unstable, and BTR was more about frantic, high speed intensity then groove. The drumming displayed by Igor Cavalera incorporates tribal sounds, industrial sounds, heavy use of double bass, and very hard hitting snare drum attacks. On this album there is heavier use of experimentation than their previous albums and it incorporates far more use of different elements (industrial, tribal) which Sepultura would even further display in their later albums. The bass playing by Paulo is buried under Andreas' and Max's heavy guitar playing but he has some stand out moments (for example the solo in Subtraction). Max and Andreas made a great guitar duo with Andreas throwing in beautifully composed solos while Max would hold down the rhythms under the great soloing by Andreas. The riffing they made on this album and back in their early days was magical. They always performed to the best of their ability and they worked together like peanut butter and jelly. Unfortunately all good things come to an end and Max left the band for Soulfly. Sepultura to this day continues on in a very weak and lifeless direction.

The negatives about the album though are the filler songs. The first three tracks are some of the greatest Sepultura songs ever written being a turkey (bowling term for three strikes in a row), but then the weaknesses started showing. The song “Murder” is just a typical thrash song with nothing interesting going on and “Under Siege” is just a boring song with very annoying vocal effects placed on Max's vocals. “Meaningless Movements” displays yet another generic thrash song. Other than that the standouts are the first three tracks, “Subtraction,” and “Altered State” with its tribal effects and great grooves. This album was featured in the book 1001 albums you must hear before you die (2006) so I insist as well as the book to hear this great album.

Definite a solid album with a newer version containing bonus tracks. So in actuality, if you purchase it nowadays, it will feature those bonus songs. Not as good as "Beneath the Remains", but still quality thrash from the legends themselves. Very good riff structures and intensity in playing. Max belting out some good, aggressive, and intense vocals alongside the rhythms that just plain kick ass. Technical, fast as all hell, with tempos varying, gallops exhibited, solos that are crazy by Andreas and the bass + drums fit in perfectly with this awesome release. So much energy and I wonder why their newer material they changed genres after Max left.

Yes you'll hear some great lyrics spewed out on this one, a true thrash metal conquered release. I'd have to say that it's difficult to compare this one from older recordings, but definitely much better than "Morbid Visions", even though they started off as a death metal band in the early days. "Schizophrenia" I did hear and was impressed, but still "Beneath the Remains" is my favorite. There's many reasons for that, but let's talk about "Arise." A lot of changing up in aggression, some songs are fast as hell such as track 1, but overall the changes are dramatic and wholly aggressive as all hell.

Great guitar work here, some like this album the most, but really, in all originality sense, "Beneath the Remains" is more original, "Arise" it seems as though I've heard some riffs very similar before, however, in overall estimation and criticism, I would say that "Arise" is definitely a Sepultura album not to leave out in your collection. Holy way better than "Chaos AD", a newer one by the band when Max was still around. But I think the band started off with dedication to their thrash metal genre, but diminished over the years. Kind of like some bands just changing genres to sell more records.

If you want an mostly original thrash album that is filled with utmost intensity, aggression, technicality, originality, and utmost speed, "Arise" hits home for you. YouTube songs try "Dead Embryonic Cells" and see what you think. I would say that Max and Andreas really put in a lot of time to make this album work so that Sepultura still can say that they have some albums that are definitely original and kick ass thrash metal. Andreas improved, his leads are less so on this one, but they still show his aggression and intensity along with technicality. There's some acoustic licks meshed in here as well.

Definitely don't leave this out of your thrash metal collection. I'd say that the production quality is superb, and all instruments were mixed well and nothing was left out. A dramatic and amazing concoction of songs and music that just damper your eardrums to the core. I think the band hit it's peak here, then went on that gradual decline like I said. So in effect, "Arise" would be the best overall thrash metal album that measures up to Sepultura's longing talent, a talent that dissipated over the years, and to me and other fans of the band, are to hold in a precious memory. So as far as what I think here, "Arise" hits home in all aspects. Get it now, you won't regret it!

Comedian Bill Hicks put forth one of the most direct and ironically compelling arguments for the decriminalization of marijuana when he said "You're wrong, stop your internal debate right now!". It's the sort of bold, cutting through the rubbish assertion that is always appropriate when something is so obvious that any appeal by an opposing view for evidence is tantamount to insulting everyone's intelligence. In the same respect where Sepultura's body of work goes, "Arise" stands as the last bona fide metal album to be released under the moniker, any further internal debate regarding the utter garbage that followed it being thus foolhardy and unnecessary. It might be harsh and there will likely be those who simply can't stand the idea of dismissing over 2 decades of studio output since, but it's the cold hard truth, take from it what one may.

In similar fashion to a number of parallel thrash metal albums in the early 1990s, "Arise" is an album that clearly remembers the basics of how to throw the vertebrae out of alignment, but opts for an approach that seeks to control the intensity and the frequency of neck-breaking mayhem with strategically place groove elements, owing in large part to the growing influence of Slayer's "South Of Heaven", Metallica's "...And Justice For All" and Exhorder's "Slaughter At The Vatican". But where it differs from all these other albums is that the aesthetic comes much closer to the emerging death metal explosion of the 90s, particularly in so far as the combination of deeper, more percussive guitar quality and Max Cavalera's grunting vocal style, which has more in common with Chuck Schuldiner and David Vincent than it does with the gruff shouts of Hetfield or Araya. The input of Scott Burns into the overall mechanics of this beast is very noticeable, as it hints at that familiar blend of pounding fury and reverberating mystique common to his work with Deicide and Obituary.

It has been stipulated by some that circa 1990-91 when this album was being conceived that the band was running out of ideas, but that notion doesn't really hold up when considering a lot of the really advanced songwriting ideas and nimble riff work going on from one song to the next. Admittedly, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that they were running out of steam when trying to square all of the slower sections of this album, the occasional acoustic guitar passages, and the growing amount of ambient interludes mixed into the fray with the unrelenting fury that was "Beneath The Remains", particularly when this album begins with a machine gun blast of death thrashing intensity that is the title song "Arise", cutting the listeners head off in just over 3 minutes with a similar brand of mayhem to what was heard on this album's predecessor. But even when dealing with the more moderated thrashers on here like "Altered State", it's very clear that any slowing down to a mid-paced groove doesn't exude a sense of fatigue after 3 undeniable classic full lengths before this one, but rather displays a denser layering of creativity that, while not quite as berserk as its predecessors, is a worthy endeavor by all standards.

Perhaps the most difficult thing to fathom about this album is how it managed to share the same band as the lump of holiday coal and shit that was "Chaos A.D.", to speak nothing for the sonic dung factory that this band would become soon after. With bands like Kreator, Testament and Overkill it's easy to see where the path of stylistic evolution ended up, but the sheer 180 that occurred after this album is only really rivaled by Anthrax's 100% embracing of grunge on "Sound Of White Noise", and in no way should this album be associated with the next 2 that just so happened to share the exact same line up of musicians. Just the adventurous and technical lead guitar work on "Under Siege" alone tells a very different tale from the mess of noise that passed for a guitar solo in the mid 90s groove scene, one where a logical progression of ideas and the occasional flash of virtuosity leaves the listener anxious to hear the song all over again just to hear 20-30 seconds of high end fret board showmanship.

Newcomers to the thrash metal style who may have discovered the genre through bands like Evile or Violator will find a sound here that's a bit darker and brutal, but still something close enough to the vintage mid 80s sound being rediscovered of late to rope in most of them. It would actually be interesting to have a younger version of Scott Burns emerge in the current revival craze to bring back the sound that made Cancer and Massacre short-time contenders in a crowded field of aspiring death thrashers looking to move the beast pioneered by Possessed into the 1990s. Music, like a number of things, tends to go in circles, and Sepultura's "Arise" wouldn't be a bad point in the curved path to revisit for a year or two, either through emulation via new bands or by discovery of this album by a younger crowd.

Back in '92, I desperately wanted to go see a Ministry/Helmet/Sepultura concert in New York City but couldn't make it happen. Being 14 at the time, I would've needed a ticket, a ride, and a fake ID because it definitely wasn't an all-ages show. But coming up with the above combo proved difficult and I ultimately had to abandon the idea (I've regretted it ever since). Afterwards a friend of mine who'd gone regaled me with tales about what an awesome show it was, how all three bands killed it, and how Sepultura got fans to rip the seats out of the front of the Paramount in order to get a pit started. Awestruck by how badass that seemed, I immediately went out and bought Arise. I'd had no exposure to Sepultura previously. Death metal at the time was a new and intriguing (not to mention frightening) genre for me but if they were cool enough to open for Ministry and Helmet, that was cred enough for me (though I kept the Arise artwork hidden from those whose prying eyes might mistake me for some kind of Satanist -- older rural minds being entirely closed to the symbolism and imagery of the nascent death metal scene).

At the time however, Arise didn't quite work for me, and it still doesn't entirely. It's a sick record loaded with clusterbomb fragments of sharp-tipped death-thrash but the balance weighs more towards Slayer and less towards those heavier, scarier bands I was discovering. It was fast but I'd heard faster. And it wasn't very heavy. Even to my then untutored ears, it doesn't sound all that good. Whether on my tiny cassette boombox or in my parent's fancy stereo, I always fucked with the EQ, trying to get it to sound thicker, heavier, and more evil. And these adolescent biases linger, in that I still think the Morrisound production job robs this record of much of its vitality. Attempting to sound dry and sharp, the band falls flat, punctured of the heft necessary to convey their darkened atmosphere. Take the heaving aggression of the Chaos A.D. production tone and retroactively place it on here and you'd get a better idea of what I was looking for. Alas, all of Sepultura's thrashterpieces sound less than stellar, a sad reminder that Scott Burns has as many botches as notches under his belt.

The songs themselves are good-to-great but again retroactive bias sets in. Compared to the live versions I have heard, some of these tracks move at half-speed. There is a distinct lack of energy, a passion I feel was vacuumed out of these tunes by Scott Burns, though the band themselves may have consciously slowed down a peg in the studio. I want these tunes to burn incandescent but they radiate more warmth than heat. That said, the band has firm chops and know how to write strong songs. The riffs from 'Arise,' 'Dead Embryonic Cells,' and 'Desperate Cry' are all catchy as fuck and the chorus to 'Dead Embryonic Cells' is embedded in my brain forever. These tracks front-load the album and the overall songwriting quality takes a dive afterward. 'Murder' and 'Subtraction' have always failed to connect. Both 'Altered State' and 'Under Siege' are epic, grandiose even, and a strong signal towards Sepultura's changing intentions: strong mid-paced riffs, chugging grooves, and broad dollops of both tribal and industrial influences that go a long way towards explaining Chaos A.D. Fun songs but I don't often hit repeat on them either. 'Meaningless Movements' is more mid-paced headbanger material, enjoyable but lacking sharper definition. 'Infected Voice' releases the record with a bang however, channeling the deep vibrational energies of the earth's darkest death-tinged thrash.

In the end, Arise maxed out Sepultura's then-current approach. Change was in the wind and as many fans fled as were gained. Depending on where you fall on the divide, Arise is either their last great gasp, a decent holdover before new inroads were made, or a moderately successful rehash of Beneath The Remains. Regardless, it has made a lasting impact and is a record I enjoy frequently despite whatever minor frustrations remain. Being caught between the bruising grooves of Chaos A.D. and the death perfection of Beneath The Remains is a dicey proposition for any record and Arise acquits itself admirably.

This is the last death/thrash metal album by Sepultura and still one of my favourite ones in this genre. The mature side of the group already arose in the awesome Beneath The Remains and here we have a natural follow up with some new elements. The production is one of the cleanest, if not the cleanest one in their discography and all the instruments have a brutality load from it.

If the title track shows no mercy in pure death/thrash style, going on we can have some gloomy sounds created by keyboards or I don’t know from what but the main thing is this: never before they used such atmospheres between songs and I love it. Some riffs too are more oriented in what would have been Chaos A.D. but surely more violent, for example in “Dead Embryonic Cells” where the mid-paced parts are full of weird solo parts. The up tempo parts are clear-cut and devastating.

“Desperate Cry” is incredibly gloom during the arpeggios part to end in a long mid-paced section. The drums work by Igor is always devastating and the crunchy guitar riffage here is more focused on the catchiness of the pattern than on the pure violence. I love the fast bass drum final with great Max's screams. The very first tribal influences come with “Subtraction” but just at the beginning, with great tempo changes and awesome refrain. We can find them again, in bigger quantity this time, with “Altered State”: the song that shows a completely different approach with odd guitar lines and mid-paced parts with doom vocals.

“Under Siege” is true gloom in the guitars, always well balanced between arpeggios-lead and violent palm muting parts. The use of some filtrated, whispered vocals makes this song even stranger and ritualistic. “Meaningless Movements” really gives you the idea of the title with schizophrenic/catchy riffs, always in semi up tempo at maximum, with the arrival of the up tempo at the end. With the final “Infected Voice” we go back to 1989 for the vicious attack and the fantastic solos. Killer song.

All in all, this is a fucking great album to me, with awesome songs that now are more focused on the catchy side than on the pure violence with a production that is finally adapt to this genre. Anyway an album that already showed us how would have been the band’s future.

I'm not going to try to break this album up too much in this review, and it will stay fairly simple. As stated above, every minute of this album just feels like one massive riff, and it's a damn good one. Every song melts into the next one, and sometimes it feels like there's no end to the last one or a beginning to the next, which works very well on this record. Max Cavalera and Andreas Kisser are Thrash riff-masters to be revered. It's hard to hate a guy that "likes to write riffs on the big string."

Every song on this album has a very hard-driving rhythm to it, and makes you wanna bang your head with regularity. To add to this, in every single song on this album, there's at least one riff that changes the pace notably, be it faster or slower (but always heavier) that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. That isn't to say that the lead work done by Kisser here isn't superb, because filling in between these amazing riffs that are found behind every vocal and beyond is some very impressive stuff.

The downside is that this is the first album showing the new direction that Sepultura would be heading towards (listen to "Altered State" to hear a tribal Roots type sound). Upon multiple listens (which should be mandatory in our public schools) this album separates itself a little more song by song than anything they did previously. The variations suit it nicely, which I would say nominates it for best Sepultura record. The more refined and cleaner sound in a way makes them more accessible, but every song is still manufactured by the riff machine that is Cavalera/Kisser. They would never reach these heights again unfortunately, as the experimentation from here on out was never to the advantage of the music in my opinion. With Arise there's no wasted space, there's a reason for everything.

I'm not going to bore you with a long review. Every thrash-minded metalhead should simply own this album. Obviously it was an almost impossible task to come up with a worthy follow-up to their opus magnus 'Beneath the Remains' that had put them at the top of the thrash metal genre. But they certainly came close to providing something equally superb.

Two major changes can be found on 'Arise' compared to its predecessor. First thing is the production. Whereas 'Beneath...' was mostly brutal, this time there was more transparency in the overall sound and especially the drums had a cleaner sound. I'm not going to say which sound is better, 'cause i.m.o. both Beneath and Arise both sound exactly they way they should for some reason. Secondly the average pace was slightly lower and the use of clean guitars increased.

Were it not for some fillers, the album would surely have become an even bigger thrash metal classic. The titletrack and 'Infected Voice' are two typical speedy Sepultura thrashers with some excellent yet simple and catchy riffs that continue where 'Beneath...' had left off. It were the songs 'Desperate Cry', 'Altered State' and 'Under Siege' that were a large step forward, incorporating more breaks, clean parts and a very dynamic extended structure. The intro to 'Altered State' was an omen of things to come on later albums.

Another great highlight on the album is the single 'Dead Embryonic Cells' which combined their well-known uptempo brutallity with some marvellous midtempo ranged pounding catchy thrash.

Unfortunately 'Meaningless Movements', 'Subtraction'and 'Murder' were not equal to the rest of the material. They weren't bad songs. Not at all! They were actually pretty great. If they'd been on Chaos A.D. for that matter, they would have been highlights on that specific album. It's just that on 'Arise' the other songs were just...better.

Not only did Max and Andreas excell on this album, so did Igor. He not only had the technique but also developed his own specific style. Paulo by the way has never played an important part to the sound. 'Arise' proved to be the last classic thrashing Sepultura album and I for one still cherish it.

Probably the album that got me into metal for real. At first I hailed this as a masterpiece but, fuck, I didn't know the truth so I was satisfied by all that this LP gave me. I was satisfied with something like: WOW three super kick-ass fuckin songs, another two very good, one quite good, and three pieces of shit. Then I finally listened to their previous LP, Beneath the Remains and I finally understood...

This is not a bad album, don't misunderstand me, it is quite good, but only because it's standout tracks really kick ass. The mediocre tracks are so fuckin boring. I tell you now, if this albums falls into your hands, just think that songs Altered State and Under Siege (and maybe Meaningless Movements) don't exist. Then you have a great 25min-or-so album. If you get the remaster you are more lucky because there is one other track C.I.U. (Criminals in Uniform) which is equally good with the good ones.

Now, to the point. This album begins with the kinda catchy "Arise". Yeah, it is catchy but is fucking great. Thankfully it doesn't follow verse-chorus patterns but only the thing that it is something like 3:18 means it's kind of a short song for Sepultura (for Schizophrenia, Beneath the Remains era). Anyway, all this shit doesn't matter as the song is very good, a videoclip was also made for this one. Then we have "Dead Embryonic Cells" which has it's fast moments along with mid-paced stuff, generally not as brutal as the first song but a great one too, i think a videoclip was made for this one too. Now, "Desperate Cry" for me is the highlight. This is a fuckin trademark for Sepultura, the song starts in a slow manner then we got the mid-paced verse and chorus stuff and then the fast stuff fuckin kick in, fucking awesome, everytime I fuckin hear this I can feel this primitive and raw feeling, I mean they fuckin prepare you for the first two minutes and then you rip your own head off. The song then goes mid-pace again and has a melodic solo. Excellent song, probably my personal favorite of the album. Then we got "Murder" a song that thrashes quite good. I don't really see something in the first half, but the second half of the song really KICKS ASS. "Subtraction" is a very good thrasher. Now, welcome to the shit. Altered State is some kind of slowed down "do-you-remember-when-we-played-thrash" stuff which I don't really understand, seems like riffs and ideas they had (or probably even played in the past) just played in slow tempo. Yeah, this is a fuckin foreteller of the shit that's about to come in the next year. They even played this shit live I mean they were satisfied by this kind of work. Why the fuck were they satisfied? Don't ask me, cause I'm gonna tell you that even ONE riff from Schizophrienia or Beneath the Remains is better than this whole song. Same goes for "Under Siege" I don't know what of these two pussies is better, probably the second pussy. "Meaningless Movements" is something like the title of the song, I mean this thrashes good at some times but it seems to me like it is something that was forced out of them, It didn't come out natural, seems like they said, okay this is supposed to be a thrash record so let's just not put more pussy-crap inside, and they all agreed but not because they really wanted to compose thrash, they agreed with sad look on their faces... Don't worry boys, you're gonna have infinite time to suck dick after this LP. The final track is "Infected Voice" which really brings us back to thrash. All is great and it's boiling heat and some riffs might remind me even of Beneath the Remains. Anyway, excellent song, only thing that's fucked up is the solo, I really don't like this solo it is kind of anti-metal it reminds me of the shit they'd play later in their "career" I don't know, they probably got tired of the metal solos they played some years ago.

My personal opinion about the production is that it is worse than Beneath the Remains. I mean there's a heavy guitar sound which is not needed in THRASH but probably in this "stuff" they wanted to start playing in this album. The thrashing songs in this album seem kind of strange, at moments, with this sound. The others however seem totally cool, yeah, when you start running out of riffs, you do shit like that to fill the gaps of your music. Nevertheless, it seems that this production was unavoidable since they decided to put some tracks like Altered State and Under Siege inside.

Lyrics are kinda in the mood of Beneath the Remains but looking much more tired. First of all some songs got pretty much shitty lyrics like "Arise", they seem like fuckin cheesy to me sometimes, looking back in Beneath the Remains and seeing that there was no such crap. Anyway, generally, and ideologically probably, they are in the patterns of Beneath the Remains.

Overally, a good album with three shitty songs. My recommendation is VERY simple. If you know about thrash etc go buy Beneath the Remains. If you are a beginner and you want to know about thrash this is a good album for you. If you have Beneath the Remains and Schizophrenia etc and you WORSHIP that albums, it is kind of dangerous, but I think you'll like it. Signs of the decline DO SHOW here but they are not so much to fuck this record up. It is ready to suck dick but it doesn't, not like their next LP Chaos A.D.. However, don't expect to find another "From the Past Comes the Storms" here...

Listen to: "Arise", "Dead Embryonic Cells", "Desperate Cry"
Don't listen to: "Altered State", "Under Siege", "Meaningless Movements"

Without this album, the thrash scene would have shriveled up and died. In the year 1991, it seemed every single thrash outfit had moved on to bigger, better things (or so they thought). The Black Album, Countdown to Extinction, Sound of White Noise, and eventually Divine Intervention weren't really bad albums, but they seemed to write the epitaph of old-school thrash. A few years later Sepultura themselves would seal the tomb with the heavily tribal CHAOS A.D., but as of ARISE, they hadn't heard the news yet.

The album opens with one of the greatest and most representative title tracks in all of metal, a full on thrash assault with nary a moment for one to catch their breath, and then kicks in without pause to the opening cold chills of "Dead Embryonic Cells", the album's "hit" single. It slows it down a bit, but the thrash is still absolutely there. The crystal-clear production facilitates the headbangery.

The intro to the third song, Desperate Cry, seems to tell of a new direction the album wants to head off into, with acoustics dominating the soundscape. But as soon as the first strummed chord comes in with electrifying intensity, you know you're right back into the possessed realm that Sepultura spent the first seven years of their career creating. The thrash really kicks in a little bit later, around the minute and a half mark, and makes Desperate Cry possibly the best song on the album.

The next two songs, "Murder" and "Subtraction", continue the thrashing and are extremely memorable through their main riffs and choruses, even if one reminds the listener of the other. The album gets carried on sheerly by song strength.

Max Cavalera in ARISE-era interviews often talked about the shortening of lyrics so more focus could be put on short, barked growls and especially on the instruments, and the next few songs certainly show that. The album progresses along effortlessly if not unspectacularly until you reach the closer: Infected Voice.

Ho-ly shit.

If you listen to that song and don't scream "INFECTED VOICE!" along with Max when it gets to the end of the chorus, you aren't fully enjoying the album.

In my book, the only thrash album that can top this is Megadeth's RUST IN PEACE. Sepultura continue to kick ass with a different vocalist and somewhat different sound (DANTE XXI is a return to form), but they will never top this thrashterpiece. We shall arise, Amen.

Best songs: Arise, Dead Embryonic Cells, Desperate Cry, Infected Voice

Yes, I think this is Sepultura's finest hour. It might not have as many riffs as Schizophrenia or Beneath the Remains, but Arise has a perfect flow inbetween the songs, Max's vocals have never been so great, the acoustic parts are awesome and absolutely not cheesy and the solos are fucking lethal.

The album starts with one of the greatest thrash openers of all time: Arise
After the rather intro noises, we get a kick in the face by an awesome riff which explodes into a fast, relentlessly brutal thrasher. Max's vocals kick in and together with the awesome guitars they completely kill everything. Let's not forget Igor, who's a furious beast behind the kit. Oh and that sick solo starting at 2:06...fucking lethal. Excellent song.

The next song is called Dead Embryonic Cells and while slower than Arise, it is even better. Yes, it fucking is. It's rather midpaced but the guitars are crushingly heavy, yet catchy as hell. The vocals are in perfect harmony with the guitars and the drums alone are a fantastic experience. The solo at 3:08 is totally vicious and then the track slows down and....oh my fucking god, THIS is one of the best headbang sections in Thrash. It is that good. An essential listen.

Then we get Desperate Cry.

Starts with an excellent acoustic intro and breaks intro a rather fast distorted guitar riff until it become an absolute headbanger of a song. And you thought this song is midpaced? At 2:09 the shreddings begins! At 2:38 comes a rather short but extremely awesome solo and the song breaks down into these beautiful acoustic guitars again until another neck-crushing part begins. The song never gets old, and all the solos in this song are fucking beautiful. Your neck should be seriously injured by now. Like the first two songs, a fucking winner.

Murder. A very fitting title. Starts out very fast, sounding a little like the title track until it slows down a little. The time change after the 1:33 mark is again, a total neckbreaker. The track wouldn't be that good as if it wasn't for the solo. Even though it's rather short, it's just sweet. Still, great song, but not on par with the first three.

Subtraction. Another fast-as-fuck thrasher. Oh and how great it is! It crushes along and this one really makes you thrash around like you were insane....and then the riff at 1:41...fantastic. The following speed section is nothing short of breathtaking.
2:50 - another great solo. Kisser WAS(until he decided to throw away his talent) one of my all-time favourite guitarist. There again! 3:52, another great solo, almost as good as the first one. The "chorus" is great too. "Subtraction, of personality!" Max's trademark vocals don't even have one weak moment on this album. Another killer track.

Altered State begins with a tribal sounding intro that sounds like it would come straight out of a movie. The riffs come in at 0:51. They are slow but sound extremely good and you just can't stop headbanging. Another perfect vocal performance by Cavalera. I can't stop loving Kissers lead work, ALL of his solos on this album are extremely memorable and sound absolutely great, which he shows us on this song. The clean guitars at 4:38 are beautiful once again. The riffs at 5:09 grab you by the balls once again until the song slowly fades out. Great.

Under Siege (Regnum Irae): Another track with a great acoustic intro. Then a great but slow distorted riff comes in and suddenly some great reverbed vocals kick in. After this point, the riffs get faster and Max gives one of his best performances on this album. "Insane, Insane, Insane, Insane!" How can you not love this? At 3:47 this song gets just so fucking great, it's like the guitars are screaming "YOU MUST OBEY" . Oh bloody hell, I will follow your order! At 4:11 there comes another vicious solo and it's one of the best on the album. KILLER.

Meaningless Movements starts. It sounds a little generic in the beginning, but it picks up at 0:30 and turns into a decent thrasher and the short solo at 0:52 sounds very good as well. Sadly, the song isn't that memorable until the nice riff at 2:38 starts. Sadly, the solo after it is not as great as the others on the album. Luckily, a more than just decent solo makes up for it at 3:19. I dare to say that this is the weakest song on the album But that doesn't mean much on an album like this.

The album's closer "Infected Voice" is probably the fastest and most brutal track on the album. The opening riffsdestroyes everything on it's way. INFECTED VOICE! You just can't listen to this song without screaming along with Max. The only slowdown in this song starts at 1:57. But the song soon explodes into a thrash monster again, at 2:24. One of the fastest and sickest solos of this album. Did I already say that Kisser was god? By the last time Max screams "Infected Voice", you know that your neck has just been broken by an enormous amount of Thrash Metal.

Sadly, Arise also marked the end of an era. The end of one of the greatest Thrash Metal bands of all time. "Chaos A.D" was a tolerable release, but nowhere near any of their past works. Since Max left for his shitty mallcore group Soulfly, Sepultura have progressively gone worse. Every album they released was worse than it's predecessor.

Get this. Seriously. This is a must for any Thrash Metal fan, or every metal fan in general.

Best songs: Arise, Dead Embryonic Cells, Desperate Cry, Subtraction, Under Siege;

Arise is usually seen as "the" thrash album of Sepultura, but this affirmation is countered by facts; all the elements make hard to distinguish Arise from a death metal album, that make this product far from ages by the magnificience of thrash as Slayer's "Seasons in The Abyss" in terms of solos and technical application, to a more brutal and constant sound that better recalls the atmospheres of death metal rather than the refined and razor-shaped sound of thrashing contemporaries like Slayer.

This obsessive role is played most by drums, that are continously forced into a combinations of 16th or 32th notes that may be sintetized by a too-pah-too-pah-too-pah-too-pah-dish, repeated to nausea at 170-180 bps and somewhere delayed by an occasional roll. For my pleasure, I'm habit to Lombardo's skyrocketing accompainment, so I have a weird sensation listening all the songs starting with the combination intro riff/little roll/too-pah-too-pah... and this for ALL the entire play.
I don't find this negative, I love this kind of stuff and I would listen the same drumline for hours, and I actually do it. But when the too-pah-too-pah comes to annoy me, it means it's enough to wear off all the kids that aren't so heavy-minded like me.

The guitars are pretty cool, and they're the way to distinguish one song from another, though they don't have great exploits in solos, due probably to the economy of songs than the technical limit of Andreas. The singing is in the usual Cavalera-style, that isn't bad if you want growls all along the way.

Somehow, despite the review I'm doing - you bet it isn't positive, dude? - I have to say I like this album. The right atmosphere to make the people realize they're truly in front of Apocalypse, and it's time to headbang, because we're doomed.

(I hope that era of destruction never comes...)

What a tremendous piece of thrash work! This is an excellent album in the vein of Reign In Blood Slayer, as Max Cavalera (vocals, guitar) and Andreas Kisser (guitar) shred in the same vein as Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman. Max Cavalera almost never sings, but his shouty vocals give the album an agressive feel. And fast and heavy is the norm for the drums. Expect mosh pit and headbanging joy with this one, kiddies, because this album rips.

The title track opens with eerie sounds like what you would here if you played Doom or Half-Life most of your life, before working into very fast guitar and drumming. Musically, it sounds a little like "Angel of Death". "Dead Embryonic Cells" covers the topic of stem cell research, long before it would go on to become a hotly debated topic in the news in the late-90's. Musically, there are tempo shifs in this song - especially toward the the middle of the song before the last verse. The chug riff in the middle of "Cells" is a true headmover. "Desperate Cry", "Murder", and "Subtraction" feature brilliant guitar solos to go with Slayer and Master Of Puppets-style riffing, with fast double-bass drumming accompanying it. "Altered State" and "Under Siege (Regnum Irae)" feature a very dark sound, especially with the guitar playing. "Meaningless Movements" and "Infected Voice" are excellent pit fare, with even more fast riffing and drumming. Also included on the digipak is Sepultura's cover of Motorhead's "Orgasmatron", where Max Cavalera and company do Lemmy's band proud, especially with the vocals. And man, the groove on that song! The digipak also features "Intro", which was used at the beginning of all of Sepultura's concerts back in the day, "C.I.U. (Criminals in Uniform)", and a remixed version of "Desperate Cry".

This is the first album you should consider starting your Sepultura collection. A brutal masterpiece!

My first full taste of metal music, and a big risk it was too, a risk that payed off big time. Everything was exciting about this album, and even from the first inital glance at the incredible cover art, I knew this was for me. Once in the player, this little disc surprised me even more, it was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Simply the heaviest, intimidating, but crisp, firm and tight guitars melded with memerisingly pounding and fast drums and powerful bass. The total cross of thrash and death metal, which is both styles and doesn't sound quite like either is the best description of this album in every department: vocals, guitars, bass, drums, lyrics, songwriting etc.. The short, mood enhancing intro to the title track gives way to one hell of an opener, speeding through your brain and when it's over about 3 minutes later, you have no idea what just hit you. "Dead Embryonic Cells" is less quickly over, the focused, intricate but concise songwriting that dominates the album is taking over here, with occasional grinding groove laden riffs, also a part of keeping me hooked to this album the entire way through (if only the first time). "Desperate Cry" is my favourite Sepultura song to date, creative and almost progressive, it's the longest and most interesting song here. Changing riffs, long passages and a mixture of fast and erratic and slow and melodic solos, it epitomises the whole album in one song. "Murder" is another blast of short, compact and satisfying songwriting. "Subtraction" and "Altered State" follow the formula of the tracks 2 and 3 again to the same effect, though they still remain two of the album's more overlooked tracks. The vocal effect in "Under Siege" is excellent in conveying the sense of the lyrics, which on this album, made me look at lyrics more carefully and objectively. Carrying powerful political and social messages in concise lines that would appear simple if not for the range of language and understanding they bring across. "Meaningless Movements" another showcase in the same style of writing, though no filler with all too similar riffs to what we've heard before thrown in, the strength of the album wouldn't allow it. "Infected Voice" is the short, punchy closer along the same lines as the other 3 minute tracks, nice and neat in it's delivery.

Now we get the bonus tracks, and they are a cool set of goodies. The only way I can describe the Motorhead cover is "cool"! "Intro" the same, especially cool to be heard on the DVD, opening the concert before the band slam into the title track of this album! "C.I.U." is similar to the other songs on this album, though not as memorable, and the Scott Burns mix of "Desperate Cry" is just great to hear just for a slightly different perspective of the song.

This still remains my favourite effort from the Seps, and not just because it secured metal as a new part of my life. "Beneath The Remains" may be widely considered to be their classic, and this may not be the same fantastic riff fest, but for what it is, it impresses me much more every time I listen to it, almost two years on.

To begin with, this is a pretty good album, but it pales in comparison to "Beneath The Remains". It is not the utter crap that Chaos AD was, but the majority of the songs tend to fall under the "didn't I just listen to this track?" category.

The first three songs, all fucking masterpieces. "Arise" is pure mayhem. Great guitar riffs, fast as hell drumming, if you can't headbang to this song you've now lost your mind, your balls, and your musical tastes, in that order. If you don't believe me about the second one, I'll be coming along in a red jumpsuit and a pair of gigantic scissors any moment now.

"Dead Embryonic Cells" is another winner. At this point you'd think this album was going to be better than "Beneath The Remains". Some of the best riffs Sepultura has ever written come into being through this thrashterpiece.

"Desperate Cry" is no exception either. Haunting accoustic introduction... some good riffs... and the accoustic intro comes into play later on in the middle section of the song as well. Without a doubt, these first three tracks are the best songs on the CD.

"Murder" is alright, but it sounds like it's already been done on "Beneath the Remains". And then after that pretty much all the songs fall into the monotonous category. None of them are overly spectacular or truly worth mentioning. Good riff-work, but if you want their best listen to the first three songs over again, followed by several thousand repeated listens to "Beneath The Remains".

All in all, good album. It's good to listen to, despite there being only 3 standout tracks, but this album looks like they are running out of ideas. It seems like they used all their energy on "Beneath" and then after a quick breather decided to patch up another album with all the leftovers from "Beneath".

But this is definitely an album to get. And although they might have been running out of ideas on this one, this is, compared to their followup - Chaos AD - total genius.