Album Review

Sepultura - 'Machine Messiah'

Mathematics can be a difficult subject for some people, a downright nigh on impossible task for a certain section of metal fans. Ask them how many studio albums the magnificent Sepultura have for example, and the answer for many of them, even when provided with the full discography, will be six. Six wonderful albums they will say. Some others will actually ask if you are talking about Sepultura, or "Sepultura" (actually partaking in the abhorrent act of air quotes). The answer of course, is that 'Machine Messiah' is the 14th studio album for this legendary band.

Now some of those people who answer incorrectly refuse to put the newer albums in the same bracket as the Max-era albums, and I actually know a couple of people who simply resist listening to any new material from the band, and by being oh-so-metal, they are missing out on a barrel full of great stuff.

This is a stance which has always baffled me. I bought 'Against' the day it came out, and have listened to every album since as soon as I could. I've always seen Sepultura without Max as like Black Sabbath without Ozzy. I completely understand the love of those early albums, but if you write of the Dio albums without giving them the due care they deserve you are just depriving yourself.

The Derrick era Sepultura has been an up and down journey, from the aforementioned brilliant 'Against' and 'Dante XXI', to the disappointing (but still with some excellent moments) 'Nation', and of course the low point of Igor leaving the band and creating more fuel for the fanboy hate.

However, there are somethings which have never been in doubt. Firstly, Derrick Green is one of the most powerful and impressive vocalists ever heard in a heavy metal band. Secondly, Andreas Kisser is one of the greatest guitarists ever heard in a heavy metal band. So when you combine these two, you always end up with something which should be listening to, regardless of your love of the Max-era albums.

This brings us to modern day and 'Machine Messiah', which is probably the best album the band have released with Derrick Green fronting them. Ever since the band released 'Phantom Self' in December, there has been an expectation that this is album was going to hit all the right notes, and it doesn't disappoint.

We open with the title track, a sedate intro for the first couple of minutes compared to some of the fury to come, some causal baritone clean vocals and melodic lead guitar gradually build upon each other until Derrick shows off his full range and expands into the aggressive monsoon of fury we have come to hear. The song proceeds into the first outstanding solo, of which there will be many to follow on this album, with Green asking you to "bow down to Machine Messiah", on this evidence, how could you possibly refuse.

"I am the Enemy" is a quick 2-minute hardcore punch to the face, with multiple excellent solos and adrenaline pumping drumming, the sedate intro of the title track is well and truly forgotten. Tribal drumming and eastern influences are abound in 'Phantom Self', a classic Sepultura song, combining those musical influences from around the world and grove metal together perfectly before we hit 'Alethea', one of the slower songs on the album, another opportunity for Derrick Green to really show off his vocal prowess. The medium pace bludgeons the longer it goes on and allows Andreas Kisser to slay a noble and proud solo to its knees.

 'Iceberg Dances' is an instrumental juncture for the album, with no let up in power from the band or dexterity from the guitar, it's a storm of lead guitar, melodies and breathtaking riffs. An instrumental album from this band would be an incredible album on this showing. The vocals are back on 'Sworn Oath', a 6 minute epic, the proud centre piece of the album, and the linchpin which holds the whole thing in place, staccato chugging riffs and epic keys sounding like the band Sigh at times propel this through a maze of elusive defiance and majestic euphony, the rhythms and percussion are a high point on a cascading series of hits.

'Resistant Parasites' takes us back to a hardcore style and hits you with a shovel with which you are required to dig a shallow grave for all the fan boy haters of modern Sepultura, after which we hit a classic thrash riff and throwback in the excellently named "Silent Violence, combining speed and dexterity the band force you to think you've gone back two decades and they are writing Chaos A.D. After enjoying that trip down memory lane, the band then drop back even further in time and throw a brilliant, even thrashier, faster song, "Vandals Nest" is one of the songs of 2017, as perfect a song as anyone could want to hear from Sepultura.

But this album is far more than a throw back to good times past, they have evolved to a more mature monster these days, as shown on "Cyber God", the sort of track which presses home how far they have come, and how much a band can achieve with such a powerful vocalist, the song rises and falls through waves of intensity and is a fitting end to a great album.

The extended version comes with two bonus tracks, "Chosen Skin" yet again goes full thrash with some of the best riffs you will hear this year, a true neck breaker of a song which really deserves to have been included in the standard version, its not often a bonus track is one of the very best dongs on the album, and "Ultraseven No Uta", which is more of a standard bonus track, a 1 minute obscure cover song.

This album is probably going to be one which is preaching to the converted, those of us that know how special this band have become, will get to enjoy yet another great album, but hopefully an album this strong will get more recognition from the metal community and this version of Sepultura can be be appreciated for how special it is

9/10

KC

Top Tracks - "Phantom Self", "Vandals Nest"