(SPV/Target)

Most people have written off Sepultura post-Max Cavalera, undeniably their driving creative force up until he left the band in ’96, even if their first albums with new singer Derrick Green, “Against” and “Nation”, introduced a new, much more basic hardcore punk energy to their music, while Cavalera went off on his world metal rastafari spiritual journey in Soulfly. Now, with Max’ younger brother Igor having also left the fold to be reunited with his brother in Cavalera Conspiracy, the only original member left is bassist Paulo Jr., guitarist Andreas Kisser joining for “Scizophrenia”, the second full length album, so what’s left of Sepultura?

A sound that’s uniquely Sepultura, even if it has gone through immense changes since their early primitive thrash metal, through their death thrash era over the punkish world metal records. These days, Sepultura are every bit as vital and fast as they were on those first Green albums, but, as with their last album, they’re aiming a bit higher with momentous concept albums. This one is based around “A Clockwork Orange”, the title a wordplay on the main character of the novel and the Russian term for having “no law”, thus uniting it with Sepultura’s long association with anarchist thought, first expressed on “Chaos A.D.”

Heavy metal concept albums have a tendency to be unwillingly funny and pompous, and in all honesty, “A-lex” is no exception to that rule, thanks in no small part to Sepultura’s take on Beethoven in “Ludwig Van”: Metal trying to be classical is even funnier than metal trying to be clever and literate, but hey, it’s charming in its own way.

In conclusion, Sepultura are in no way to be counted out yet.

http://www.myspace.com/sepultura

If you dig: Sepultura