To see Soulfly live is an experience to savour. It is not easy to explain but very few bands ever hit the stage with the pure ferocity of Soulfly… and once you have seen a Soulfly show it is not something that you easily forget. In fact you find yourself comparing other shows to it for years to come.
I’ll admit that while I am a huge Soulfly fan I have not always been a fan of live albums. My hit rate of live albums I love is probably one compared to nine I will listen to and then never listen to again. Despite the buzz and the crowd noise a live album rarely re-creates the magic of watching a band live. Maybe it is because of the Covid lockdown has deprived me of live shows recently or perhaps Soulfly have delivered something very special but I have to say that I love their Live Ritual NYC MMXIX that has just hit the airwaves.
This EP is absolutely magical. “The Summoning” sees the band explode onto the stage with Zyon Cavalera sounding like he is going to lift the roof with his drumming. “Under Rapture” sees Ross Dolan from Immolation take to the stage with Soulfly and the result is some beautiful brutality with stunning guitar playing from Marc Rizzo. His brilliance is also on show on “Porroda” and you easily reminded why Soulfly should still be regarded as one of the best heavy bands in the world.
That famous Soulfly sound is there for all to hear on “Ritual” and “I And I” while “Back To The Primitive” takes us old school fans right back to the beginning where it all started.
The only downside to the EP is that “Fire” is way too short, otherwise this is a stunning EP that captures Soulfly in full flight. Bring on Soulfly and bring on live shows once again!