Soulfly Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
After mercilessly teasing Sepultura fans by reuniting with long estranged baby brother Igor for the Cavalera Conspiracy project in early 2008 (quite possibly a one-off deal), Brazilian heavy metal icon Max Cavalera waited just a few months before refocusing on what had been his primary concern over the previous decade: Soulfly. Be that as it may, and with the exception of those jilted Sepultura supporters, there was good cause for the metal community in general to look forward to Soulfly's sixth album, Conquer. After all, its 2005 predecessor, Dark Ages, had represented something of a creative and qualitative rebirth, going a long way to rescuing Max's ostensible solo project from years of post-nu metal iniquity. Luckily, that same spirit of stylistic diversity abounds once again throughout Conquer -- as does Soulfly's career-spanning juxtaposition of scholarly cross-cultural exchange and primitive Neanderthal violence. Opening number "Blood Fire War Hate" may be the best example, contrasting sweeping symphonic flourishes against pulverizing metallic brutality, Cavalera's legendary lyrical simplicity (as effective as it can be hilarious at times), and guest vocals from David Vincent for good measure. And even though the next song, "Unleash," comes dangerously close to unearthing lousy old habits -- an imaginatively mellow solo from guitarist Marc Rizzo only barely staves off gimmicky groove metal breakdowns and a wholly unnecessary co-vocal by Throwdown's Dave Peters -- the album rarely falters again after that. On the one hand, it offers up numerous awe-inspiring returns to Cavalera's ancient death/thrash roots in tracks like "Paranoia," "Enemy Ghost," the devastatingly riffed "Fall of the Sycophants," and "Warmageddon," featuring a throwback Rizzo solo filled with flashy swoops and dive-bombs. On the other, it makes room for Cavalera's trademarked tribal percussion bits and "world metal" hobbies, including a nifty reggae breakdown midway through "Doom" and several evocative passages derived from his recent Egyptian travels, often as codas for "Touching the Void" and "For Those About to Rot" (also featuring French dub artist Fedayi Pacha). Naturally, there's a sixth, predictably lame and new agey installment of the band's ongoing eponymous suite closing these proceedings, but its arrival late in the game hardly affects the album's otherwise formidable forward thrust, nor can it stop Conquer from writing one of the stronger chapters yet in the Soulfly saga. And wherever Max Cavalera heads off to next -- even if it comes to that dreamed-of Sepultura reunion some day -- Conquer seems to assert that Soulfly will forever remain his primary home. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There's not much to be said about Dark Ages that hasn't been said about Max Cavalera's several other masterworks to date. Whether you're talking about his masterworks with Sepultura (Chaos A.D. and Roots) or Soulfly (Soulfly and Prophecy), or even his one-off Nailbomb album (Point Blank), the praise often seems the same: bloody-meat raw production, subtly dynamic songwriting, the obligatory ethnic experimentation, an in-your-face delivery, varyingly passionate conception, and a ceaseless emphasis on rage and revolution. Sure, his Soulfly catalog has its share of miscues -- namely Primitive and III, which were both spotty -- but for the most part, Cavalera rarely ceases to deliver fascinating music, even at this distant point practically 20 years into his career. Dark Ages is no exception in this regard. The 15-song album never does hit a lull. It arcs slightly, kicking off with a punch to the face and peaking with "Molotov," "Frontlines," and "Innerspirit" before drifting into edgier waters of experimentation that ultimately recede with the album closer, the ten-minute instrumental "Soulfly V." Some would say that Dark Ages is one of the least "Brazilian" of Cavalera's Soulfly albums to date (an unfair metric that pointlessly gets dragged out every time he releases a new album), and sure, it certainly does seem more straightforwardly metal than some of his previous albums. Still, it's far from straight metal. Rather, it's alternative metal in the proper, welcome sense of the term. It's rare to encounter such a surefooted metal album that plays so well -- one that is fresh-sounding without being forced to be, and one that comes from a veteran act yet still seems vital, if not downright unique. This has come to be expected from Cavalera, however. So is it just another Soulfly album, then? Not exactly. It actually might the best one yet, if only because it takes the work of the past albums one step further. For instance, the self-titled Soulfly album from 1998 was a monster in its day -- a really exciting album to hear, and a trendsetter to boot. Relative to Dark Ages, though, it seems meager. So at this point, five albums and seven years into the Soulfly canon, you have to wonder how much closer Cavalera can tread toward perfection. He's damn close here, for sure. Remember that, because after all these years of fascinating music and few miscues, it's all too easy to take Cavalera for granted. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The venerable Max Cavalera unfurls another diverse sonic tapestry with Soulfly's fourth album -- and where the former Sepultura man of ideas floundered a bit with Primitive and 3, Prophecy simultaneously returns to his roots (pun intended) while successfully integrating the myriad of organic influences that resulted in his being tagged the "Bob Marley of metal." That being said, Prophecy's first five cuts come armed with stone-carved riffs that are ragged, sharp, and fresh from the grinding wheel, and hulking steamroller rhythms, until "Mars," halfway through, deviates into a placid oasis-jam of Caribbean percussion, organs, and nylon-string mariachi guitar. "I Believe" and "Moses" are perhaps Cavalera's most powerful and spiritual endeavors to date, the former a heartfelt, unpretentious excursion into melody and spoken word expression, and the latter being a fascinatingly meandering, reggae-inflected jam with Serbian group Eyesburn. While the biggest criticism leveled at Soulfly on albums past was their lack of continuity, Prophecy isn't a hodgepodge of unusual instrumentation and guest stars (although former Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson plays on a few tracks with minimal distraction), hardcore screeds such as "Porrada," "Born Again Anarchist," and "Defeat U" meshing coherently with Cavalera's ever-present ear for experimentation, usually integrated in segues between songs. It all makes for an equally inspired and inspiring dozen tracks featuring some of Cavalera's best straightforward metal, possibly since Sepultura's Roots ("Execution Style" is particularly riveting and visceral, as is a cover of Helmet's seminal "In the Meantime"). Now that Soulfly is essentially Cavalera's guitar, voice, and songs plus a revolving door of musicians, the often-spectacular Prophecy finds him coalescing nicely as a solo artist, and solidifying the truth behind the initially superficial Bob Marley comparison. ~ John Serba, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Soulfly's third album, the appropriately titled 3, serves up the expected collection of tribal metal fans of the group have grown so fond of since Max Cavalera left Sepultura and began this new project. One major alteration to the Soulfly sound is the apparent lack of guest appearances on 3. While the past two Soulfly discs have been crammed with high profile guest musicians, 3 instead allows many to hear Soulfly the band for the very first time. Make no mistakes, they sound almost identical to all their other material, yet it should be noted they are not aided by guest vocalists to propel each song along. There are a few minor appearances, as Ill Nino's Christian Machada makes an uncredited appearance, providing his melodic vocals to "One" while Asha Rabouin (who first appeared on the song "Fly High" at the end of Primitive) appears in a larger capacity on "Tree of Pain," along with Cavalera's stepson Ritchie. Cavalera remains unchanged, as his signature voice is just as guttural and bestial as it has ever been, and lyrically many old phrases find their way into the new tracks. The band have cut back on the abundant tribal elements of their prior discs, as many of these new tracks sound much more metal and less organic. Another interesting musical aspect is the inclusion of programming randomly throughout 3, which seems to be a Soulfly first and is worked exceptionally well on the song "Tree of Pain." The addition of "9-11-01" carries a respectable tribute, yet the minute long silence really kills the momentum of the album, and if the group felt it necessary to recognize the American tragedy they should have let it open the album. "Call to Arms" is a brief, blistering hardcore metal track that brings to mind Sepultura's "Policia" cover from Blood-Rooted. 3 delivers everything one could ask for in the traditional Soulfly vein, yet as the band release their third album, the cracks are beginning to show. With little growth musically and virtually no outstanding growth lyrically, it seems Soulfly have not released three albums, and instead continue adding songs to their self-titled debut. 3 satisfies, but it is evident the group are still hesitant qhwn it comes to changing the formula they have worked with for years now, and that avoidance may ultimately lead to the downfall of this solid metal band. ~ Jason D. Taylor, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When push came to shove, few metal fans ever had any doubts that Max Cavalera would do just fine on his own after his acrimonious split from Brazilian death metal heroes Sepultura. In fact, the guitarist/singer/songwriter quickly proved himself the better of the two parties with the release of his new band Soulfly's eponymous debut in 1998. Primitive, Soulfly's sophomore solo project, introduces the listener to yet another slew of new musical styles, experiments, and collaborations (including Slayer's Tom Araya, the Deftones' Chino Moreno, and the entire Mulambo Tribe from Brazil) and boasts a punchy production courtesy of Korn and Alice in Chains producer/engineer Toby Wright. Among the highlights, "Son Song" is a lucid collaboration with Sean Lennon that succeeds because it is so downright catchy and off the wall, and the closing "Flyhigh" is truly surprising with its female lead co-vocal and bludgeoning detuned guitar groove. ~ John Franck & Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Longtime fans of Sepultura who feared that ex-leader Max Cavalera would conform to the tempting (and lucrative) alternative music scene upon his departure need not worry. Like his last release with Sepultura, the superb Roots, experimentation (Brazilian tribal drumming/rhythms, samples, unearthly sound effects, etc.) is a catalyst here on Soulfly, but gut-wrenching heavy metal is the foundation for almost all of the tracks. The energy and intensity don't let up for a second throughout this debut, as heard on the grinding tracks "Eye for an Eye," "Bumbklaatt," and "The Song Remains Insane." Max had stated in interviews his fondness for reggae legend Bob Marley, and the title track proves to be his first foray into reggae/dub territory (and serves as a nice break from the rest of the album's over the top metal). The album also contains guest appearances by several leading hard rockers -- Chino Moreno from the Deftones, Fred Durst and DJ Lethal from Limp Bizkit, Eric Bobo from Cypress Hill, and Burton C. Bell, Dino Cazares, and Christian Olde Wolbers from Fear Factory. Soulfly is the perfect vehicle for Cavalera's unique heavy metal vision, and a great way to kick off the second part of his recording career. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
