From the ashes and the dust to the rebirth as a demon ready to pulverize the past, this is the path that the brazilian band SEPULTURA took on in its years of existence. Stoned by past misuse, the band kept their streak of life in the hands of guitarist Andreas Kisser and it was their sepulchral stance for the genre that now raises the new era of the name SEPULTURA and dismisses the new and voracious album ‘QUADRA‘ as one of the most albums awaited and praised so far in 2020.
Released by Nuclear Blast on February 7th, ‘QUADRA‘ was a mixture of doubts and euphoria for a legion of fans before the release, after all it is necessary to consider the 35 years of career that separate this album since the release of “Morbid Visions” from 1986, and of course, the fear of a total shipwreck was also expected, but to the fervor of this crowd that reveres them in the temple of thrash metal the new album arrives burying the past and exploding to the ears as a thirsty effort in tracks of pure fury like “Ali” and its sharp riffs and crazy drums breaking the silence as Derrick swallows each letter to ruthlessly howl.
There is a little more effect on the vocals than I would like to hear but this is just a minor detail in the face of “Autem” and its wild composure tearing the timbre and bringing into the band some more modern elements paired with the genre’s harshness without losing its roots, it is even necessary to mention that there is a certain brazilianness in the background and this sounds wonderfully fair and timeless. And if the brazilian veins continue to undermine pure blood then “The Pentagram” steps back on more acoustic elements encrusted with the most agonizing metal and frenzied guitar solos within a really hallucinogenic instrumental track of against times and progressive tastes.
The female voices echo in your mind during “Fear; Pain; Suffering” and we come across SEPULTURA launching a more mature composure after so many years, the atmospheres sound more ethereal at various times, Andreas delivers the summit of his professionalism in melodies as suffocating as any other moment in their past and the whole ensemble just drives everything over and over for an amazing album that finally renews everything the band represents.
As a concept album and breaking through its own limits ‘QUADRA‘ brings magnificent interludes and epic moments with the colossal “Isolation” and all its orchestration, tribal percussion and floating corals that immediately cause a moment of glory and great impact to the listener, something that was evident since the release as a main single, but the catharsis is beyond that and the whole band ignites back to the thrash metal attack of “Means To An End” and “Last Time” hitting us back to the solid weight of this exponent.
“Capital Enslavement” rises as the most crucial vortex of this album, sounding like a power of invigorating groovy riffs, in the same weight we follow “Raging Void” and the thick variety of sections and atmospheres build great moments for the chorus.
From progressive passages to spanish guitars, from the brazilianness of cultural elements to the poisonous confrontation of thrash metal, SEPULTURA is regrouping its own horde and taking back control of its own battalion, all solidifying as a power of its kind but capable of deploying in a thousand facets. ‘QUADRA‘ broke through the barriers as much as the name itself means in portuguese as a delimited area where a group of rules impose themselves for a game, and SEPULTURA entered this game to win.
Stars: 4/5
Track listing
1 – Isolation
2 – Means To An End
3 – Last Time
4 – Capital Enslavement
5 – Ali
6 – Raging Void
7 – Guardians Of Earth
8 – The Pentagram
9 – Autem
10 – Quadra
11 – Agony Of Defeat
12 – Fear; Pain; Suffering
Line-up
Andreas Kisser – Guitar
Derrick Green – Vocals
Eloy Casagrande – Drums
Paulo Jr. – Bass
