Soulfly is back with another dose of tribal influenced metal. While listening to this album, I realized that it has been awhile since I heard any new Soulfly music. Shortly after that I realized that I had missed their last album! Not sure how that happened, but I have not heard a single note from 2004's Prophecy. So, I am down one album, I'll have to rectify that soon.
In any case, I am assuming you are all reading this to see what I think of their latest offering, Dark Ages. This is an intensely raw album, it is a lot different than what I have come to expect from Max Cavalera. It feels less produced, but with amped up energy. I can just picture the band entering the studio with a sneer and a "Let's do this!" attitude. Then proceed to just rip through every song on the album in one take, recorded right for the album with no overdubs. Of course I don't actually believe that to be the actual events, but the spirit of it is there. It has a strong sense of urgency, an urgency which grabbed me and made me listen to it.
Gone are a lot of the tribal sounds that were weaved throughout their previous releases. They are not gone completely, thankfully, but across most of the album they are much more subdued, only occasionally taking control of the music flow. The guitars are more shredding, less refined, Max's voice as gruff as ever, rising above the cacophony in that unique voice of his.
Dark Ages opens with a brief album titled intro, leading directly into "Babylon." An injection of brutality that sets the stage for what was yet to come. The music keeps that brutal edge going through "Arise Again" and "Molotov." Continuing on to one of my favorite tracks, "Corrosion Creeps," I'm not quite sure what it is about the song, but it has some crushing guitars and that great Cavalera scream.
It wouldn't be a Soulfly album if we didn't get tribal! It is toned down on this release, but it takes center stage on the downright infectious, that's right, infectious, rhythms of "Riotstarter." It incorporates a number of instruments that don't normally appear in metal music. But that is something that is so unique about Soulfly as a whole. They are a metal band, full of anger and intensity, but Max never lets the metal label constrain his musical ability and desire to express himself. Whether it be by voice, or on a guitar, sitar, or berimbau, he finds a way to create unique music that has a elements of modern metal, tribal beats, and a unique creative voice.
The album picks up steam as it rounds the last turn. "Bleak" and "Staystrong" command attention, ratcheting up the guitars, screaming his lungs out and once again taking control of your cranium. When the end is reached, we are treated to a mellow acoustic instrumental in the spirit of the past albums, "Soulfly V." A spiritual reflection, soothes the soul, and acts as counterpoint to the anger expressed in the previous songs.
The new lineup sounds great. It features Marc Rizzo, formerly of Ill Nino, on guitar, Joe Nunez on drums and Bobby Burns, formerly of Primer 55, on bass. They come together and deliver some down hard and heavy metal, backing Max Cavalera who has been carving out a place in metal history over the past 15+ years. The album also features ex-Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson on the tribal track "Riotstar."
Bottomline. This is a very good album, not sure it is my favorite Soulfly album. I actually prefer it when they stray further into the tribal influences. Still, this is a powerful metal blast that stands out from the plethora of generic nu-metal acts. This is definitely an album to listen to loud!
Recommended.
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