Roots

ROOOOOOOOTS BLOODY ROOOOOOTS

Ok This is so fucking good. Best Metal album yet! Holy Shit so much creativity. And the energy is absolutely off the charts, would love to mosh to these guys.

There are some interesting things happening rhythmically here and the riffs are pretty heavy and fun, but I just can't cope with the vocals. The older I get the more trouble I have with such abrasion. The gutteral shrieks and howls just turn me off.

I can honestly say I’ve never heard anything in my life quite like ‘Roots’, across metal, or any genre really. It’s dripping with atmosphere and leans heavily into its Brazilian heritage: for example, I love that ‘Ratamahatta’ is sung in Portuguese. Or that the band went out to central Brazil and recorded with the Xavantes tribe, and that that music appears on the album. Or that they incorporated native instruments into the music: you can really hear the samba rhythms in the drumming across many parts of the record. It’s not perfect, but ‘Roots’ is ambitious and creative, brutally exhilarating, raw, and primal in a way many albums and artists are not. It’s a record that still floors me nearly 30 years after I first heard it.

‘You’re probably gonna think I’m crazy, but I’d like to record a concept record and it’s gonna be recorded with the Brazilian tribes’ - Max

I'm a big Sepultura fan and I listened to this just a few days ago in the car. So not actually going to listen again today... although coincidentally, as I load this project today I'm watching a live video of them from 1996 and tons of Roots material is on it, so eh. Normally I'd rate it in relation to the rest of Sepultura's (Max-era) catalogue and it'd get a 2 or 3; compared to their previous albums it's too long and half the songs have a dumb jam feel to them. When it came out I wasn't surprised it sounded like it did, but I was still disappointed - I knew there was zero chance it'd sound like Arise, but I was hoping it'd be more like Chaos AD than it was. The nu-metal sound was just everywhere, all my favourite bands seemed to be doing the mid-90s in a way I didn't like and I remember hearing Roots and thinking "oh for christ's sake, Sepultura as well?" These days I like it more than I did in 1996 (and the title track has always been A+) but it's still at the bottom end of their catalogue. I gave up on Sepultura after this album, simply because Max left the band and the album after it was just crap. I do have to give Kisser, Paulo and Green a tip of the hat because they've stuck at it for so long since, and their last album is actually really good, but I'm just a Cavalera tragic at heart. Roots was basically end of the line for me. But then again, compared to the absolute SHIT this project throws at me 6 days per week, Roots is a fucking masterpiece. I'm not judging it by other Sepultura albums today; I'm rating in comparison to the same late 60s folk/pop/rock yawnfests I hear over and over every day. And on that scale, Roots gets a 5/5.

Ah, now we're talking. Compared to other albums here, we'd need a truckload of stars to make this album justice. Damn good stuff

4.7 - Wow, I had very low expectations for this (yet another nu metal album?!) but I actually think it's amazingly innovative. Somehow the fusion of indigenous Brazilian beats and instruments, corny and misguided as it may look on paper, actually comes together and provides for some amazing moments. I especially love the instrumentals "Jasco" and "Itsari" that act as a sort of intermission in the middle of the record. Unlike other nu metal records I've listened to, this one is almost absent of the "I-hate-my-stepdad-and-want-to-kill-everything" vibe. Instead, Sepultura takes on headier topics such as civic disobedience ("Ambush" and "Dictatorshit") and ecological decline ("Endangered Species"). The record ends on a high with "Canyon Jam", a drum circle that sounds like it was recorded in the middle of the Amazon under the moonlight.

The metal choices on this list all feel like the contributors haven't listened to a metal album in 25 years. It has big "how do you do, fellow kids" energy. This album, though, is one of the best metal albums to grace this list. Unlike the hordes of painfully obvious inclusions, dated choices, and household names, this album continues to hold up. Five stars.

I've listened to about 70 albums of the 1001. This is my biggest discovery yet. Once I got used to the screaming I was amazed by the guitar work. There's a lot of "the prodigy" vibes. So many great riffs I often wish they would repeat them more often. Then the latin folk mix in Ratamahatta got me convinced fully. I even showed to my wife and kids who also digged it. Not sure we would listen to it as a family but they "got it". Highlight: Bloody Roots, Ratamahatta, Jasi/Itsari, Canyon Jam.

A fantastic blend of traditional Brazillian music into groove and nu metal. Even a little death metal influence in there. I haven't listened to this record in a very long time, I forgot how much I loved it.

Music is pretty good if a little hard for my tastes. The raw guttural screaming that passes for singing is just not to my taste. I have to admit that musically there's some pretty impressive playing. 2.5

With a mix of samba, soca and baticsds and lyrics in portuguese and english and including indigenous music this is easily top 3 of the greatest death metal albums ever and shows us the diversity Brasil has. At the highth of their musical career it shows how much they matured as musocians not just showing off their insane musical ability but actually making better arrangement choices and understanding only playing fast and with range it makes a good death metal song. Inviting other musicians from around the metal scene using their fame to spread this album and push sales around the world which it did. Its really hard and intense but very well done. Having 2 classical guitar songs right in the middle of the album lind of like an interlude to have the listener relax and rebbot the brain for the second part of the record which is even more intense than the first part. Great move by the producer. Sound of recording is clean and crispy

me before: no metal bands Sepultura: ROOTS! BLOODY ROOTS! me after: one metal band

Groovy fucking metal. This hits hard with a sound that sits at home.

For a genre I don't normally listen to, this slaps. Can deny the talent of the band.

What an album!

I haven’t heard Sepultura since high school, and I forgot how great they sounded.

Rooots!

So angry with good flow.

So outside of my comfort zone. So interesting.

Used to listen to this and Chaos AD with some friends in high school. A most unique fusion of musical elements and influences. I dare say one of the most creative and adventurous metal albums of all time. An album that brings the modern and traditional together in a deep and meaningful way.

I liked this more than most Death Metal. Guitars and drums were awesome. If they could just take out the vocals I would like this alot more. Really gets annoying having someone scream growling the whole time.

The music is pretty good but the “singing” ruins it

Immensely enjoying reading the droves of reviews crying about how this record is "too harsh" and "too abrasive." It's relatively tame, especially for the rather bland nu-metal riffs that suffuse the album. It's from fucking Roadrunner Records, lol. That being said, I respect the inclusion of Brazilian traditional instrumentation and rhythm, and recording with the Xavantes indigenous community is thoughtful and progressive. If you don't at least respect this, I recommend that you put your thumb back in your mouth and keep to Elton John or whatever milquetoast, sonically limp shit you consider innovative music. 5, just because this is far and away the most challenging listen for 99 percent of the people on this website and I like seeing them squirm.

Pretty crushing. I used to have Chaos A.D. and Arise but this is my first listen to this banger. I don't listen to this style of metal much anymore, but this album makes me want to stage dive into a mosh pit. 5 stars for the heaviness.

This was some damn good metal.

I now feel guilty that the sum total of my knowledge of Brazilian music up to now has basically been Getz/Gilberto and CSS (great as they both are). Really enjoyed finding out more about the Xavante people and the cultural context behind this one. The album chimed with the 15 year old nu-metal fan that still living within me (though I think I would have appreciated some of the lyrics more if I'd have discovered it at that age). The music hits a sweet spot between Deftones, KoRn and thrash, and the rhythmic interludes are hypnotic. Great discovery.

Man I love this album, it is definitely in consideration to be my favorite metal album. The louder you make it the better it sounds! Air drumming and stank face can also increase your enjoyment of this album. Everything on this is so heavy, the last 2 minutes of Roots Bloody Roots is some of the best/heaviest music ever recorded (I have been listening to this song basically once a week for the past 5 years). Max Cavalera's vocals are crazy and he may be my favorite metal vocalist primarily due to this album. And of course I can't forget about all of the indigenous Brazilian instruments and chanting, it is such a creative and unique sound. The only thing I can say negatively about this album is that they probably could have cut a song or two in the second half for better pacing, but I love them all so I don't really care. Also my vinyl copy of this album has demos on side 4 instead of Canyon Jam, so that is kind of a bummer (but it does have Kaiowas so that is a plus). Also shout out to Johnathan Davis and Mike Patton on Lookaway

A excellent blending a traditional music and heavy metal. A mix few have ever even tried for, let alone achieves at this level.

So primal. This album rules.

FINALLY some metal.

Raw fury!

All the stars aligned to make this a perfect Monday morning album. Sounds counter intuitive but for some reason it all fell into place perfectly and set me up for a solid week.

embarrassing I haven't heard it before great start to the next three years :))

This is so fucking sick. Makes me want to bench press a blue whale. Heavy, but not in that annoying "SATAN BLOOD DEATH! MY PARENTS ARE GETTING A DIVORCE" kind of way (Looking at you, Slayer). Mixing the screaming and insane guitars with Brazilian tribal music somehow works incredibly well. Favorite track was either "Ratamahatta", "Endangered Species" or "Roots Bloody Roots". Honorable mention goes to the 13-minute bonus track "Canyon Jam". A 2.76 global rating? Made me think I was going to be listening to Poundland Megadeth or something.

I love this album, though a lot of that is for nostalgic reasons. They really jumped on the nu-metal bandwagon with this album, but 16 year old me didn't care about that in 1997, I just loved playing this and Chaos AD over and over. In addition to being a gateway metal album from my formative years, Sepultura was also one of those bands that kind of opened my eyes to a wider world beyond the small conservative community I grew up in. To this day, I just love Max Cavalera's voice, and Igor Cavalera varies up his drumming so much that even songs with the simplest riffs end up being some of the most dynamic.

Loved this album as a youth, Brazilian death metal band bringing in a tribal sound to their recordings. My neice recently got into Megadeth and other 80/90s metal so I got her this, perhaps a little too much for her yet. I still very much enjoyed it which I cannot say about a lot of my old cds

Our second from Sepultura, and I like these guys! I'm still not much of a metal head, and there's a good bit on here that's not really my style or gets a bit monotonous, but they really do rock. I especially like the tracks on here with a native spin. The acoustics guitars on "Jasco" and the chanting stuff on "Itsari" are really awesome. If the album had another track or two like those I would've rated this even higher. But god bless 'em, cool to get a Brazilian metal band not once but twice on here. Bumping this to a four-star because it's just really cool. Favorite tracks: Jasco, Itsari, Ratamahatta, Roots Bloody Roots. Album art: Very disturbing, what seems to be a severed head of a woman, with lots of tattoos and roots all around. Visually, the roots are really creepy, they remind me of the disgusting tendrils that the Last of Us zombies have. But thematically, it's excellent, because it's a tribute to both the urge in metal to make things scary or gross, but also the musical roots that are apparent in the songs I loved. 4/5

Wow, this certainly shook the cobwebs off this morning! I've heard of Sepultura but never listened to them until now. What a great surprise! Incredible amounts of energy and anger here, but also much more melodic than I expected. I always imagined they were more in the "unintelligible-gutterally-screamed-lyrics" sort of territory. I've only listened as far as Itsári so far, this is another long album from this generator. That seemed a good place to take a break. I'd give an 8/10 so far. Finished the rest of the album, it did not disappoint! Although the 13 minute long meditation style song at the end may have been a bit unnecessary, still a solid 8/10 for me that I will definitely come back to.

Heavy, heavy. A lot of screaming haha. I saved a few songs (Roots Bloody Roots, Ratamahatta, Straighthate)

"Roots" is the sixth studio album from Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultra and the last one with vocalist and rhythm guitarist Max Cavalera. I was expecting a lot to hate about this album. Oh, and there is a lot of hate in this album but I actually found quite a bit to like. It figures. Sepultra is classified as both groove and nu metal. I think that's what scared me is that I don't like most nu metal. I heard both but more in the groove metal category which is more tuned-downed guitars, slower tempo and screeching/raspy lyrics (Pantera). This album continues where their album "Chaos AD" left off with slower and more latin tempos and goes further into Brazilian music rhythm and textures. The band actually went into the rainforest to write and record with the indigenous Xavante people which had a major influence to the lyrics and music. The percussion and rhythms are definite highlights in this album. The assault starts with their first single as well, "Roots Bloody Roots." Grinding, nu metal guitar. Great guitar solo and percussion. Angry, angry, angry...about saving culture. The second song and single "Attitude" continues the anger but starts off acoustically. Massive drumming. The later-song guitar is more in the groove metal area which I liked better than the previous song. The third and final single "Ratamatta" has chanting in Portuguese, multiple and tribal-type percussion and appearances by Korn drummer David Silveria and Brazilian singer/musician Carlinhos Brown. No let down on the second half of the album. Both "Born Stubborn" and "Ambush" hit hard with the guitars, percussions and themes of culture and the environment. Maybe the most interesting song on the album is "Itsári" recorded with the Xavante people...huge percussion, tribal chanting and a sitar. There is a lot going on in this album. It is hard and loud, definitely not for everyone. I am not big fan of either nu metal or groove metal but this album especially adding the percussions and added rhythms has to one of if not the best in that category for me.

Max to the Max.

Beaten with a Brazilian bludgeon

Rattamahatta

Heavy and groovy as fuck with some great touches of Latin music to make it stand out more than your standard nu-metal. It's a bit on the long side but I had a great time with this!

The best Sepultura album. The way it mixes thrash metal with the groove elements is still unparalleled.

Really solid metal album

In my opinion, Roots is not just an album by a mature ensemble, but an avant-garde work whose songs are well thought out. (7/10) FT: Roots Bloody Roots, Ratamahatta

Heavy and without the chaotic non-sense nosebleed-causing ruckus of other hardcore/metal bands, "Roots" is that dirty clean type of metal where the growling and screams might actually have an intelligible word here and there. In this reviewer's experience, metal generally was a pre-game music choice or something to encourage aggressive focus. Sepultura's "Roots" fits that bill. Melodic and heavy, the sounds/songs are progressive and orderly, yet when it is time to go a bit harder, so is the listener. While Sepultura certainly does not stand alone in achieving this kind of balance between the chaotic expression of metal and the demanding order of focused aggression, it should stand out that they do it very well.

Sepultura \m/

It's anyways tough for me to get past screaming vocals, but when I was able to, there was some very interesting stuff happening on this album rhythm and instrumentation wise.

While I’ve never been a fan of Death Metal I have to say I was impressed with the range displayed on this album, no doubt influenced by the many guest musicians who contributed. The Brazilian rhythms really added a unique context. Roots exceeded my expectations.

The vocals are so clear in this mix. i think its because the kick drum is so soft on the attack. Roots, Bloody Roots has my attention. Ratamahatta is a real cool groovy. Ambush has some classic hardcore metal gang vocals. I feel like I am obligated to take off a star because of a 12+ minute album closing canyon jam session, though one of the instruments is a gun?

This album goes through so many different subtle changes in metal genres. Great Album. Some tracks don't hit as well as others though.

One of the more unique yet intense metal albums I've heard. Their Brazilian roots are incorporated into the music in such a fun, clever way! It was cool to hear!

This is very good thrash metal that lives within the chosen genre’s boundaries: the limited range of low-end distortion, riffs with a playground rhyme’s simplicity, faux-scary growls, and a theatrical gloominess. But it plays well within, and scrapes against and undermines the tropes: it has a certain nasty rawness, bursts of glorious feedback, scat that I wouldn’t smear against a wall, and in “Jasco” and “Itsari” paired and rare examples of post-Zep metal folk excursion that tower. “Canyon Jam” could be on a weirder Sun City Girls album, which is both praise and damnation. The vocals are mostly of the “rargh I just shit my pants/ rargh I just shit my pants/ rargh me too!” school, executed flawlessly. The toddler likes them: “monster music”. Monotony may be unavoidable in this district

This was alright, the various indigenous elements providing welcome relief from the standard issue nu-metal grunt'n'thump, and the stupid vocal style seems a bit more palatable from a non-native English speaker.

This album does two new things in Sepultura's catalogue: 1. It adds a lot of inspirations from traditional Brazillian Folk Music and combines it with Groove Metal. This part is done very well and is the thing that makes this album so important and what most people point to as the thing done best on the album. But there is the 2. thing: It goes into Nu Metal which is a genre that I personally don't really enjoy. I wouldn't say that I hate Nu-Metal but I haven't heard a great Nu Metal album yet. So this album does some things really well and other things... not so much… The opening track ‘Roots Bloody Roots’ which in a way also is the title track, does the Nu Metal and Groove Metal mix pretty well while adding in a lot of traditional Brazilian and Indigenous American Music that does create a pretty strong start with the weird and interesting indigenous styles as well as the raw and loud Metal which is accompanied by some really strong and angry vocals. It’s a really awesome mix of ideas, genres and just styles that fit together so perfectly. Especially the drums and the way they sometimes are worked into the playing is absolutely phenomenal. Without a doubt, this is a perfect metal song and might be the best Nu Metal song that I know. They go a bit Industrial on ‘Attitude’ but also incorporate a genre called “Capoeira Music” which seems to be music made by Afro-Brazilian slaves back in the 19th century and I do really like they way they added these sounds and styles into their loud Metal sound. The big problem I personally see with this song is just the Nu Metal vocals which always seem to me as if they tried to do a screamy and loud singing but failed at doing so. To me it sounds silly and even a bit foolish as if they didn’t know how to do actual Metal vocals. But that aside, most of the song is really interesting and nice to listen to which is why I still think of it as a good song. ’Cut-Throat’ pretty much goes all in with the Nu Metal and because it does sound like Slipknot, I really don’t enjoy this song at all. I find it that it sounds tasteless and like “poser” metal. They try to sound harder and more agressive but end up sounding really stupid. I know that this is probably just me but I think this song is really boring. They do explore the Brazilian Music much more on ‘Ratamahatta’ which seems to take many classic Brazilian genres and make them do Rap Metal with their music. It sounds really silly but in a much better way. It feels energetic and fun and just really like they are having a great time recording this song. There is so much going on and even if I don’t really enjoy the Nu Metal as well as some of the Rap Metal parts, there is enough to make this song enjoyable enough to be at least a great song. It’s just so manic and weird, I mean they are laughing at the end and I am too. The percussion is the biggest highlight on ‘Breed Apart’ which even though I don’t really care for the vocals, really help the rest of the song to stand out and make a really enjoyable song. The vocals seems to switch between really deep which they do in a really good way and typical Nu Metal wannabe deep and manic which is the parts that I don’t like. Especially the start is really interesting and the times they vocals aren’t there and let both the Metal and the Brazilian Music parts shine a bit more with some really interesting sounds that you normally wouldn’t hear on a Metal project. For me it’s mainly the lack of structure and the Noise that doesn’t help the good parts stand out. It’s still a good song nontheless. The few Noise Rock parts on the previous track are explored more on ‘Straighthate’ which also brings in some Sludge Metal parts that while they add a dark and doom-y feeling, don’t really work as much with vocals. I could say the same thing about the vocals but I did before enough and by now you should know that I don’t like them all that much. This song in particular doesn’t interest me at all. The Brazilian Music parts aren’t there to help make the basic Nu Metal stand out and it just feels like basic Nu Metal… The entire song is just really boring and tasteless. I don’t care for it and not only do they strech it a lot, they also do stupid stuff that doesn’t help the song at all. It’s not bad but for the most part below average. ’Spit’ goes a bit into Trash Metal which does also slightly change the vocals but I still don’t really enjoy or care for them. In fact, most of the song sounds rather plain and simple with nearly nothing going for it. It is just not interesting. I could’ve been with some more of that sweet Brazilian Music mixed in but sadly it’s not. I’d even go as far as saying that this song might be bad… It at least is on the very edge of being it. The get a bit Avant-Garde with ‘Lookaway’ while also adding some Turntablism which is a really interesting mix of ideas but it does work with the Nu Metal ideology. I like the anthemic vocals that appear for a short while and they did make hope for the song but once these stupid echoed vocals come on, all of it was destroyed. Well, not totally ruined but I really don’t enjoy it. I don’t enjoy the entire song actually and it is without a doubt the worst track so far. It’s the bad kind of silly where you just nod your head because it sounds so stupid. The second half of the album starts with ‘Dusted’ which sadly does not bring back the Brazilian Music. It just goes further into the Nu Metal stuff and continues a stream of less than decent and boring music. Metal has to make itself distinguishable from every other song to be interesting because otherwise the loudness and rawness results in songs that sound exactly alike. Some bands are great at doing that. Bands like Death or Metallica but Sepultura just doesn’t do that here and rather follows a sound. The only interesting things here are some parts where the drums and some effects break out to make something different but that’s it. For the most, the song is boring. They finally return a bit to the Brazilian influences on ‘Born Stubborn’ which sadly are drowned out by the Nu Metal especially with the vocals. Going through the album is at this point really tedious and grinding at my sanity because I just can think of hundreds of ways that they could’ve made this better and more interesting. The Acoustic Folk Rock interlude of ‘Jasco’ seems really weird because it doesn’t sound like the type of interlude that should be here. Now I enjoy these genre switches in Metal albums like with ‘Orchid’ on “Master of Reality” but couldn’t they at least make something more Brazilian? Why so western? This feels weird even though it’s quite alright, it does make me wonder. They continue that stream of no Metal at all with ‘Itsári’ which is a straight up Indigenous American Folk song with some Acoustic guitar added. It works but it would’ve worked even better if they at least mixed in some of the Metal, maybe even previous tracks to make those better. The song is interesting and I like it but it doesn’t feel too crazy or special because you would’ve expected something like that. It’s still better than most songs on the album. They return to the Metal on ‘Ambush’ which luckily also continues the influences of the Brazilian Indigenous Music and after nearly most of the album has passed, they return to a bit more quality even though the vocals still suck. For most, the vocals actually ruin a good portion of the first half of the album but once the second half starts while some screams can be heard only in the distance, the song turns much more interesting and even a bit Avant-Garde with the way that it’s just the Indigenous Music with a bit of Metal in the background but quiet enough to not disrupt. Then they suddenly return and close out the song which overall stays decent and very middle ground but not as bad as some previous ones. ’Endangered Species’ follows and it again just sounds like basic and annoying Nu Metal that doesn’t really make much of an interesting song. It just feels so overly forced and basic and like we’ve heard this song countless times before. Sadly, the Brazilian influences can’t help the song much and it stays below average as most songs do. The “final” song ‘Dictatorshit’ closes with an Industrial Thrash Metal song that luckily isn’t as Nu Metal and actually sounds like a somewhat solid song even though it is quite experimental. The vocals aren’t the best but they sound better, at least a slight bit. It’s still just a pretty average and boring song that doesn’t do much because they try so hard to do something special but ultimately fail. The hidden track ‘Canyon Jam’ follows with a Tribal Ambient Jam that just plays on and on for 13 minutes straight. It’s sonically so different from anything before because it doesn’t follow a typical structure and just plays around to create something hypnotizing and relaxing while still having the certain dark themes that Metal is known for even if there is nothing close to Metal on here. The closest thing to “Metal” would be the crickets in the background that add a certain Drone sound but that’s really it. For the most it sounds like an Ancient Tribe doing New Age. I get that in comparison to the raw album that came before, this feels rather boring but there are certain times that actually create an anxious atmosphere and although it isn’t the best Ambient song to ever graced the earth, it does have certain interesting qualities that make it worth a listen, at least once. Yes, it’s not too crazy or special but it deserves a place in their discography as one of the craziest and most out there songs they ever recorded. I’d say it’s even better than most stuff on the album. It is an alright song. favourites: Roots Bloody Roots, Ratamahatta least favourites: Lookaway, Spit, Endangered Species Rating: strong 5 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Listening to the daily album pick has become a bit of a ritual with my wife as we unwind from a long day. For once, I’m glad she’s not home for this one—Sepultura’s Roots is an intense ride. My first memory of hearing the band takes me back to 1997 when I witnessed them live at a massive summer festival in Italy. Surrounded by over 100,000 fans kicking up an almighty dust bowl, that chaos instantly earned my respect. Produced by Ross Robinson—ubiquitous in the late '90s—Roots embraces many of the nu-metal tropes popular then. However, what sets it apart is Sepultura’s incorporation of traditional Brazilian instrumentation that makes it immediately clear who you’re listening to. The opener, "Roots Bloody Roots," remains an undeniable classic. Its iconic chorus and memorable guitar progression are instantly recognizable to a generation of MTV rock fans. Yet, that relentless assault can be overwhelming over the album’s hefty 1 hour and 12 minutes, which is a shame because some of the more interesting moments are interspersed in the album's tail end. Perhaps it’s a sign of getting older, but I find the abrasive vocal style harder to digest nowadays. Still, this is the first non-European/American album I’ve encountered from the list, at least offering an intriguing change of pace. While Roots may not be an easy listen, it reflects a time when a band from Brazil travelled the world and kicked everyone's ass. Repeatedly. Did/Do I own this release? No Does this release belong on the list? Unsure Would this release make my personal list? Not for me Will I be listening to it again? It's not something I find myself wanting to revisit, but that doesn't diminish my respect for the band.

una gran confusione, ma meglio di quanto mi aspettassi

Cool metal album with an interesting little indigenous flavor. Unfortunately, it drags on a bit too much and lacks highlight tracks. Simply not condensed enough to stand out.

Oh, Ross Robinson. The producer responsible for what most consider to be the worst Cure album (that said, it’s still a Cure album, so it’s better than a lot of stuff out there). Nu metal was never really my jam. I went through a brief period of listening to Linkin Park and Disturbed … fine, I’ll admit it, I owned a Limp Bizkit album too. But I never got into Korn, with the exception of Davis’ work on the Queen of the Damned soundtrack. And I was definitely not into the really growly stuff that came later (Slipknot, etc.). So, the vocals on this album are difficult to get used to. And a lot of the music sounds very similar. It's somewhere between thrash metal and nu metal. If you’ve listened to Pantera, Metallica, Korn, or Limp Bizkit, you’ve heard the heavy power chords a million times. What is cool about this album: the indigenous influence sets it apart and makes it sound different from all the other cookie cutter nu metal. The drums on songs like Ratamahatta, the guttural throat chanting on Ratamahatta and Lookaway, and the flutes on Ambush are pretty cool, although the cadence/rhythm of the scatting is still reminiscent of what Jonathan Davis and David Draiman would do (I wonder if they ripped it off from Sepultura). The concept of the album’s lyrics is also cool. These songs are about the oppressed indigenous and poor of Brazil rising up and taking back what was stolen from them. It’s the anger of nu metal channeled into something meaningful rather than just angry white dudes who seem angry for the sake of being angry — more Rage Against the Machine than Limp Bizkit. The execution of the lyrics isn’t always the best — some of the words are pretty cheesy and simplistic, and I’m not sure how much of that is down to language barriers and how much is just down to the limitations of the genre. Portuguese always sounds cool, so while I don’t know what they’re saying, the non-English songs are fun. Jasco and Itsári are probably the coolest songs on the album. Acoustic guitars, tribal drums, and traditional chanting take over, and the album takes a more mellow turn for a bit. It’s nice to get a break from the screaming and bravado for a few minutes and hear a more vulnerable side (as well as the true musicianship) of the band. Then with Ambush we’re back to the typical nu metal, though the tribal drums reappear at the end. The closing track Canyon Jam is … really weird. It’s basically 12 minutes of ambient sounds and tribal instruments made to sound like guns firing and saws (?). I get the symbolism they’re going for, and while it’s cool, it’s not the most enjoyable listen (but then again, that’s probably not the point). 3/5 (maybe a 3.5) — it’s an interesting concept, and I suppose they deserve kudos for being one of the earlier pioneers of nu metal, but it’s probably not something I’d listen to again (aside from maybe a song or two).

This album was very good… once the monster voice metal stopped. Otherwise not.

I admit that death and thrash metal is a bit of a guilty pleasure. I don't love the screaming but I love the frenetic guitar playing and booming bass lines. So Roots Bloody Roots hooked me in, and the singing made me wonder if I should stay hooked. Another issue with this genre is that it all kind of sounds the same. And I don't just mean this album - yes, some songs sound similar to each other but also to so many other Slipknot, Disturbed, etc. albums. Mixing in some Brazilian / Latin music (and bongos!) gives some songs a different feel, but absent those features it can get monotonous. Ratamahatta was pretty unique actually with its use of Brazilian sounds; didn't always love it, but kudos to the band for doing something different. Conversely, I really liked the mix of thrash and Brazil in Breed Apart, but the final moments with distortion was truly irritating. Loved the music in Straighthate, needed some melody somewhere though. Got kind of monotonous from there for about 5 songs. Jasco and Itsari changed it up with some nice acoustic, almost classical Spanish guitar playing. Showed a bit of chops there. Good album as far as death metal goes, need less screaming though.

heavy

Pretty solid metal with a cool Brazilian influence!

Not bad, I didn't know them so much.

Fun fact: for probably close to a decade, I've thought Sepultura was Canadian for some reason. Turns out they're Brazilian. Huh. Anyways, this was quite the aggressive listen! Tons of energy, no doubt, and some of the earlier tracks had some fantastic riffs. Some of the more tribal sounds on display were kind of neat too. That said, 72 minutes is a long-ass record when it's this heavy. And what was that last track? 13 minutes of instrumentation that sparse isn't for me. I didn't hate this listen, but I just don't see myself ever listening to it again. If it was half as long, it would have easily earned 3 stars.

Yo…the 90’s were fucking weird, man. Don’t take that as an indictment of this record, that’s not how I mean it. What I mean is that the 90’s, at least in the US…it felt like the sky was limit, like you do anything and there was a pretty good chance it could be huge. I don’t know if that really tracks for people who weren’t alive or cogent enough to experience that decade, but just think about the musical landscape throughout the final decade of the 20th century: grunge/alt/indie rock all exploded, hip-hop at a peak, electronica, punk and ska, nu-metal…shit, even swing music had a comeback in the 90’s. The level of creativity in that decade feels like it’s been unmatched since. Everything feels a lot safer these days, like people aren’t willing to take chance on things. It’s why there’s 900 Marvel movies…it’s a known quantity, consumers know what it is and the people making it know they will make a metric fuck-ton of money on rehashing the same thing over and over. Everything has to fit into a little box and be easily identifiable. I mean there will always be people who aren’t satisfied by the status quo, but in the 90’s, it often seemed like the entire point of everything was “let’s upend the status quo.” I don’t really know where I’m going with this, but I hope I’m not the only one that feels this way. This is just going to be another of my weird nostalgia-based reviews that ends up being more about me than the record. With that in mind, “Roots” by Sepultura. I saw these dudes on this tour and it was pretty damn good to 16-17 year old me. 27 years later, its not really for me any more, but I appreciate their willingness to do something completely different and unique. In fact, this record is probably a catalyst for a portion of my musical taste in some way. Roots was probably the first record I can remember loving that wasn’t completely tied to an American/Anglo musical sensibility. It was an eye-opener, in that regard. Anyway, this is probably the best of the nu-metal records I’ve gotten on the list, but even back in the 90’s, I preferred Chaos A.D.

Brazilian heavy metal. Loud, aggressive, precise, definitely virtuosic. But despite all their rage, I just don’t feel the music.

The mix of thrash with Brazilian instruments is interesting but overall not my thing. Took some points off for the length of the album

'Itsari' & 'Canyon Jam' are very listenable & show what this could have been. But the rest is so completely dreadful that even taking these 2 tracks into account doesn't raise it above a single star.

They don't come worse than that. Started like shit and kept getting worse. Shame you can't give zero. Only track I was able to listen to without wishing the world would end was the last one. Fortunately I think the vocalist's throat has finally given up and it simply sounds like someone organising their garage. Heaven though compared to the rest of the shit on this album.Sold some 3m copies apparently..pity the idiots who paid to listen to this shit. Having said that..if someone told me I dont have to listen to it if i pay £$10 I would have gladly paid. Too late now as alas I'm committed to listening to every album on this site. Just praying to god there's nothing else from this bunch of talentless Wasters!

truly awful

For my 500th album: my first DNF in a very very long time

"Sepultura" is the Portuguese word for "grave" which is also a place I'd rather be than listening to this assault on the living. Or perhaps will end up after (if) I finish this album. So yes - the name checks out. 0/10 wishing for a 0 star rating.

Well… after three pieces, I’ve decided this is NOT an album I have to listen too before I die.

Didn't get very far in. I really struggle with this genre, can't really differentiate one band from another.

I've already heard this album but it was awesome. Love the tribal aspects. ROOOOOTS, BLOODY ROOOTS

This is three years before slipknots first album??? Was slipknot not innovative at all? This is such a joy to roll after having my I think I need to quit moment yesterday. Slipknot is like a top 20 band for me somehow and this is like Slipknot meets Korn but none of it is cringey. It is so strange that that can exist and I love it. The only thing that this is missing from the Slipknot formula is Joey Jordison but their drummer is phenomenal as well. The Brazilian influence and representation is so sick too, this is a masterpiece. Canyon jam didn’t have to be more than 3 minutes though. 5/5/5/5/5/5.

And I thought Slipknot went hard. Absolutely face melting.

I love this.

I love Metal music what can I say. 🤷

Et af mine sjældne 5/5 metalalbums på listen. Jeg burde virkelig have hørt Sepultura for lang tid siden

Instantly hear Korn and Slipknot. They seem to owe this album A LOT.

Fantastic metal album

Perfect, very heavy and noisy! I like it. Brain cleaner.

Jedan od najoriginalnijih metal albuma devedesetih

I pretty much expected this but Roots is an incredible album. This album is the second album in a row that incorporates world like elements but in my opinion, handles them so much better than the other one. I also like this one more than the other Sepultura album since it plays way more into the world elements than Arise did. The world elements, like i said, are handled absolutely beautifully as are the metal elements with heavy guitars and vocals which sound awesome. Some of the songs here i would not listen to on their own but they still added to the album pretty well. This is one amazing album. Best Song: Ratamahatta Worst Song: Canyon Jam

banger of an album

Roots bloody fuckin’ roots!!!!

Excellent album.

What an absolute banger. This album goes so goddamn hard every single song that I'm surprised anybody found out a way to go harder than this. Fucking incredible stuff

Overall: 10/10 I was so incredibly happy to see this pop up today because it's an all time favourite album of mine! There was something special about the Max era of Sepultura, and even though it would have been better if he had stayed with the band, I'm glad that he left after such a high note. What makes this album special for me is not only the stylistic shift from previous albums (thrash/death -> groove metal) but the addition of brazilian elements and contributions from the Xavante tribe. This album is a showcase of their love for their home country and they wore their influences on their sleeves. Many will disagree with me but this is quite possibly one of the best metal albums ever made. Fav Song: Born Stubborn Least Fav Song: Jasco

A great and unique metal album.

Certainly hear how Roots influenced a ton of metal bands that came after them including the nu-metal wave. I'm a genre fan and I really dug this.

Loved it

I'm surprised I still appreciate this album as much as I do 27 years after first hearing it. Fans of earlier Sepultura often shit on this album for it's nu-metal sound, but it still ranks as top tier in their discography for me. If you let go of the expectation that this should be thrash, it's a wonderfully unique, heavy, groove-laden metal album. Nothing before or since quite sounds like this with its heavy tribal influences, and the lyrical themes were far ahead of their time. Sure, the album is a bit bloated at 72 minutes, but that often comes with trudging into new territory and not knowing what or where to cut. I'd rather have this album be too long than too short. Rooooooooots, bloooooody rooooooooots is an easy 5/5 compared to the albums on this list.

Savage Sepultura.