Review:

on 2012-02-27 gutterseed Said:

I don't know what's gotten into me, first I say I'm not a fan of Death Metal and then all I do is reveiw it, but I recently deleted all my music by accident on my ipod when I synched it with spotify and then had a 400 mile drive to get my music back. So now that it's all back on the IPOD, I'm looking at stuff my wife has that I can delete. I was scrolling through my collection and came across this album. When I was first introduced to Seputura they were on tour with Pantera. Imagine a mosh pit the with the size and intensity of hell and this is what you'd have seen at Compton Terrace in 1993. Their live performance was raw and primal, and the only thing different about the CD/live performance was the crowd that made their show just THAT more intense.
It's been awhile since I've listened to this album. The drums are enough to drive you insane, but when you add the guitar and Max Cavalera's vocals it sounds like 2 mack trucks colliding head on and skidding into a train. The album is LOUD. It's supposed to be.
I was unsure that there was a band out there that could match Pantera live. This band was the perfect opening act for Pantera. Unlike White Zombie and Fear Factory, every band I've ever seen open for Pantera just can't seem to keep the audience captivated. The band is intense live, and I bought this album because of that intensity.
The album is heavy and unlike the other Sepultura albums, it's diverse. It's obvious the band was at their prime on this album. Refuse/Resist tells the tale of the Native American's and how they were fucked by Andrew Jackson, Territory continues the tale of the beginning of the trail of tears, you get a look at Native American Culture via the eyes of an ancient tribes as they introduce you to the Kaiowas, Nomad, a tale of those lost, Clenched fist, a song about oppression, Choas B.C, Slave New world, another song about the trials and the oppression that the Natives had to face. "Propaganda", a tale of how politicians will promise or say anything to anyone to get what they want, just like Jackson wanted the Primitive lands of Florida, so he made Oklahoma seem like a haven. I also think of the Gold Rush when I hear this song, which really has nothing to do with the Natives, but another story of oppression and how anyone with money will promise all the riches in the world and then once those without the means to even get there scrape their savings away get there to make a life for their family, their faced with nothing but turmoil and assholes who have lied about the conditions.
This album tells a great story about the evils that lie within greedy, powerful individuals. It's applicable to almost anyone who has ever been fucked over by anyone. For those of you who say you've never been fucked over, this album will make you appreciate it, though I'm sure everyone can relate to this album, because everyone at one point has been fucked over. This album just slathers the cultural aspects of class.
Musically it couldn't be tighter. It couldn't sound more diverse, and it could display any better the emotions tied to what comes with certain trials. Although it's related to one certain cultural group, I think it's great that a band can come out with something so polished and intense. I gave it a 7/10. There are some songs I just can't handle and I think they don't belong, they're great musically, but they don't flow with the album, but the first Kaiowas, and we who are not as others being the two I always find myself skipping over. They're not horrid, but the first 4 songs flow so well with the other tracks it seems they could have left those two out or put them on as hidden bonus tracks. Still a great album though.
Rating: 10/10