Roots

Excellent, intense metal. I had fun jamming along to this. Sepultura have personality in addition to technical chops, which made this more accessible to me than some other metal albums. The chanting and tribal drums were cool additions on certain songs, and the brutally raw vocals were powerful. The call and response vocals at the top of “Ratamahatta” are awesome! Really fun song. Nice to hear some acoustic guitar led tracks in the back half of the album. I don’t hear that kind of style switch-up much on metal albums. Great change of pace for a few minutes, and those songs were really good too.

Happy to see Sepultura get a second album on this list. Real fans of heavier music know that they are one of the most influential bands to ever grace the genre. "Roots" is great, with "Roots Bloody Roots" being the standout track. Max Cavalera's vocals are primal, the drumming is tribal, and when it comes to Brazilian thrash metal, Sepultura has no rival. Seeing this album here, along with "Arise" earlier on the list is a bit of a let down though, as it means there's a high likelihood that the album "Chaos A.D." won't appear on it... even though it's regarded as their best album (it is!). I gave "Arise" a 3/5, and while I think this one is better, I think it's only maybe a 3.5 or 3.6, with "Chaos A.D." being a clear cut 4/5.

I am generally not a fan of the Nu Metal trend. It's a lot of the same growly, screechy vocals and tuned down guitars (sometimes with a DJ thrown in there). A lot of the artists from that scene were insufferable and full of themselves. It was maybe a bit novel at the time, but how much can you really listen to of the same thing. Sepultara however were a different beast entirely. They abandon the loose hip hop connection in favor of collaborations with the indigenous Xavante tribe of Brazil. As far as cross-genre collaborations go, I'm hard-pressed to think of many that are more interesting than this one. Not only are indigenous people featured on the album as performers, they're in the lyrics, the artwork, the symbolism, and the spirit of the entire album. The album raised awareness of the existence and plight of these suffering people. What's more metal than that? My only complaint is that I wish Sepultara had leaned into the concept even more. I want to hear so much of the indigenous drums and chanting and how it could work with their brand of heavy metal. Aside from "Itsari", their direct influence is easy to miss if you're not listening closely. I feel like it could have been completely hyponotic to be laced through the entire tracklisting. But hey, what they did is still very cool.

some bangers in this, great songs, great instrumentation and vocals, really enjoyed it

Look you gotta appreciate the diversity of this list when a Brazilian Metal band is included. No question about it, these guys make good head-banger music. I was jamming to the early parts for sure. However, it is extremely hard to get past the constant screamo shit. And with over an hour runtime, it gets old fast. Putting this one as a 2 and would've went higher if the album wasn't so damn long. Now if you excuse me, I need to go find some shit to break...

Listened to this a few times over the weekend - who would have expected nu metal to hit so right when mowing the grass. Impressions from some distracted listens... (1) this album is far too long, (2) felt like some of the better parts of early slipknot intermixed with Korn leanings, (3) thoroughly enjoyed the breakdowns and changes of direction. The ending of Breed Apart is so terribly abrupt. I guess they were trying to make it sound like it was coming apart with the fuzz, but I feel like they could have blended that a bit better. Otherwise, really enjoyed the song. Really hard to pick this one apart when all of my listens have had this very much in that background. That said, I have really loved this for driving background music. Wonderfully angry and melodic with some songs that took quick turns in interesting directions. Only gripes are that this ran a bit too long, lingered in the tribal instrumentation a bit too long for my liking, and some of the lyrics were just stupid. Otherwise some solid power-through music. Low 4.

Was enjoying the actual shredding in this album, but the vocals just got worse and worse as it went on.

Looked back at the last Sepultura album and coincidentally I also listened to that one at 930am on a Tuesday. I really do like this type of heavy metal but only in small doses, and this album was a bit long. Luckily the instrumentals songs in the last 3/4s were a nice breakup of the heavy stuff. But I had to give my ears a break about halfway through this album. Canyon Jam at the end was pretty wild. Not as good as the last one so I will go high 3

Props to you if you like this but this is just not for me. Too screamo even if the music rocks hard af. Still hating the vocals....The end of Breed apart is static I do not like this. Again the music is great and if it wasn't screamo I would be into it. Low 2. My head hurts.

If this was an instrumental album I could have maybe given it a 4, but I really can't take the vocals seriously. I had a fun time but every time the singer opened his mouth I couldn't help but laugh

Melkoista tykitystä.

Roots bloody roots on joskus salitreenin aikana soinut. Muutoin en oikein välitä tällasesta soundista.

Olipahan heleä ja soinnukas ääni solistilla. Toisaalta kivoja rytmityksiä

Kyllähän Sepultura toimii, aamulenkkikin kulki paljon leppoisammin sen tahdissa. Hyvä levy, vaikka pidän vielä enemmän alkupään tuotannosta.

Metalli kyllä uppoaa mutta kyllä siellä pitää olla myös kliiniä laulua ja melodiaa. Kitarariffitkin on kivoja jos ne erottaa mättämisen joukosta.

Kick ass Nu Metal! "Dusted" goes hard. I've always appreciated their tribal, Samba infused style. Respect.

Metal is a genre I'm not familiar with, overall I enjoyed the album, great energy, thought the stronger songs were near the start, feels a little repetitive and long after a while though.

1996 Screamo. This one was tough to endure. Really rough and loud and made me feel bad.

Pretty sick metal with big Doom vibes. I love how heavy the guitar feels and this album accomishes a lot without ever doing too much to make the music unapproachable. All three of the first tracks were bangers for me, with my favorite probably being Attitude, but it was close. I even liked the pure vibes in Canyon Jam. Most metal, for me at least, starts to sound samey and around 40 mins in I was having a hard time differentiating the music. Still really enjoyed it.

From the wiki article it sounds like an interesting project, to blend metal with their Brazilian roots and use the influence of samba and music from indigenous tribes. I must be a philistine because it just sounds like a lot of heavy guitar riffs and roaring to me for pretty much the whole album though. The closer then comes in which is nearly 15 minutes of drums and cricket sounds, so i guess that's where the world music is, but it's really boring. I was going to give 2* until that last track - not my kind of thing but can see some merit. However I have no desire to listen to this again now.

Hated

Makes laugh. Then it’s just boring.

Not for me

1-2

I've never listened to Sepultura before but this was really cool.

I'll have to take your word for it. I did like the variety.

Stop it

I think I've heard something from the album before. The album is quite cool but way too long 2/5

I was so excited to see that I got my first metal album on this generator. Unfortunately, this excitement did not last. The music itself was good. I'm a sucker for some good riffs and a killer drummer, which this band definitely has. The last few songs also had a cool tribal theme with all kinds of chants and different instruments being used. What was difficult to swallow was the vocals. I had to take multiple breaks from listening due to it becoming too overstimulating at multiple points. The lyrics often became almost unintelligible, which is a shame as part of the reason I love rock/metal music so much is because of the combination of great instruments and great vocals. This was just, what I would consider, an enjoyable listen for me personally.

Too heavy for my liking but I can appreciate their work

WTF? Unlistenable. Just screaming.

I usually don't listen to this kind of music, but this in your face album rocked.  I look forward to thrashing around the room on my next listen. Igor Cavalera is a wicked and versatile drummer.

This is the first I'm really noticing how metal screams use overtones. Sounds really cool with the harmonics on the bass and guitar Good album, The second half blows the first out of the water in my opinion

Nothing more to say other than hell yeah

Bro im 30. Im wayyyyyyy past my metal elitist phase. I don't ever listen to it anymore, though I don't have anything against it just not my go to. But damn this rocks. I've been aware of sepultura for a long time and roots bloody roots is just like a metal standard right? But damn the drums on this are too sick. They really drive the whole project. The vocals also are pretty standard but they get some chants going sometimes that I can only assume are Brazilian folk/tribal in origin. Or they could be football chants i don't know but they rule. The guitar is sluge and chunky. Not too crazy and the 4 second guitar solo on a single song was a laugh out loud moment for me. I love it.

Essential groove/thrash metal. Very high production quality and crisp sound.

Angry shouting, incomprehensible, difficult to find any redeeming value whatsoever.

MARYLAN, YOU CAN READ MY BLOG'S; IF YOU ARE INTERESTED?, BETTERTHANHARMONY.COM, HAHOMIISM.COM AND, ABSTRACTOFMYMIND.COM

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

Complete

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.

Good heavy album. I was honestly surprised by some of the tones that this album had considering it was from the 90s. I decided to play disc golf while listening to this album. On brand. I really enjoyed this as a passive listening experience. I'm giving this a soft 4.

Still making my way back through all the albums I've missed. Wasn't happy to see that this was like 75 minutes long, but this thing kinda rocks. Definitely influenced Gojira, who are probably my favorite metal band. Definitely also influenced Slipknot. These dudes were grooving so early, a lot of what I thought was started by Pantera may've been these dudes instead. Only two complaints, first, what the hell is that closing track, why is it 13 minutes of nothing. second, sometimes this strays into caveman oonga-bunga chanting. It's funny, but also a little cringey. A groovy 4/5 for me. So much better than listening to David Byrne free associate cities

So in my review of Metallica I described myself as "incapable of taking metal seriously". That is still true, I can get hints of how important this album is, it sounds at times Nu-Metal-ly before that genre really kicked off in 1998-2000, but in terms of actually listening to it? Couldn't finish it, just got too annoyed at the growl screams and repetitive riffs.

And I thought Slipknot went hard. Absolutely face melting.

Not a fan of angry music usually, but I see the point, and they’re obviously talented musicians

This would be great without all of the ridiculous heavy metal thrusting all over it. Quite enjoyed Canyon Jam.

Refused to listen. Played Matumbi's Seven Seals instead. Aye.

This aged worse than I remember sorry. I used to like this record a lot, I don't know what changed. I think part of the problem is that it's way too long.

Total crap that is insulting even to other albums that are total crap.

I love this.

Oof. Yeah not my thing.

Cool concepts, some cool things done with instrumental parts, but nu metal themes and screamed vocals off ramp me real quick. I know this is a me problem but it didn’t go for me.

Not a metal guy, but I was keep getting more and more into it as it kept going. Really gave me a new appreciation for the genre.

Ugh. Over an hour of that.

This album was really cool because it felt like raw energy and primal emotion. I don’t listen to a lot of metal but this album might have hooked me. Unfortunately, the album peaked in the first half and the second half kinda let me down a bit at least compared to the first half. Would be a 5/5 if the second half slapped a bit harder.

Shit was absolutely fire, it lost a bit of its steam near the other half of the album but still had hits

Good metal album. Some song choices, like the entire last song are questionable. But ultimately, an extremely fun time.

Why yes I'll have some Brazilian funk metal, thank you. I've never heard a metal album quite like this, which feels like a high compliment. I could see myself actually revisiting. Like many albums from its decade, it's at least 20 minutes too long.

I think this hit me on a slightly wrong day. I enjoyed their “Arise” album less than 2 weeks ago, but liked this one a little less. No big criticism from me, not sure why I liked it less. 3/5

In the Murmur entry, I mentioned buying that album on a school trip to Germany. I also bought Doolittle. My roommate on that trip, Gaven, bought a copy of Roots. And he played it! This was much better than previous school trip where one of my roommates played a bootleg dance remix of Loser late into the night: "I'm a raver, baby, so why don't you kill me." My memory is that Sepultura were harsh and impenetrable. I was much relieved when Gaven put on Black Sabbath's second album instead. Naively, I thought Sepultura was extreme metal, which it isn't. But, in that first listen, I certainly missed the integration of Brazilian instrumentation and indigenous performance. To be honest, it only came through occasionally and, when it does, it either feels like a field recording (much like the 'spiritual' at the end of Birth Slide Show by Badnose) or an affectation (the Spanish guitar on The Unforgiven). Of course, Sepultura's usage here is deeper and more sincere and, with closer listening, it is apparent in the percussion more generally. But can you listen more closely? Yes, I can and there's something to be found in there. However, many of the reviewers here say they can't. Max Cavalera's vocals are too abrasive and guttural. If only they could hear the grooves without that vocal style! Well, that's what happened: Cavalera left Sepultura and nu-metal rose to prominence, the exact same grooves but with distinct vocals. It should have been obvious that this was coming. The title track opens with the same needling guitar sound as on a bunch of Korn records. There's the Ice Ice Baby riff. And those caesuras are very nu-metal. My experience with Sepultura hasn't been kind. Once, I was too ill-informed and too unfocused to hear the songs through the rough exterior. Now, I'm too focussed and can't ignore the awful scene that groove metal birthed. I don't blame Sepultura for what followed and I respect their commitment to the folk music of their nation, but, compared to the other metal albums we've listened to, they put their own focus in all the wrong places. 2 This is an album of superficial charms; mesmerising heaviness, good death voice, dramatic riffs, a sense of the exotic/non-generic in the sporadic tribal stuff and the Portuguese…. I shouldn’t have read this album’s lyrics. Anyway, even at my thirstiest for low-tuned groove rage an hour is more than I needed of this. Some of these tracks are admirably concise - the opening trio, Born Stubborn - packing musical and textural detail tight. Why isn’t the album more concise? 2/5

I love Metal music what can I say. 🤷

A bit too heavy for my tastes but the latin tinged interludes and the politics behind the music make this an interesting enough listen and tolerable to the senses.

1 stjerne

'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.

Honestly, liked this a lot more than I expected. Too long but some real bangers on here.

A bit hard for my taste. Can appreciate though

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.

Pretty kickass classic nu metal album. Vocals are raw and furious. Bass is bright and driving, double kick is going. Not my cup of tea necessarily, but certainly interesting. The Brazilian/Latin vibes the Wiki mentions are more on the periphery, and I would not have caught them if not listening (aside from the few chants).

Enjoyed it way more than I expected. I listened on the plane to Hawaii. The vocals weren't my thing but the instruments rocked.

3.7 2x cool and great sound for metal + Brazilian

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.

Alright

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!

Finally some more metal, haha. This list is in desperate need of it. Not usually a big fan of groove metal. Previously gave Pantera's album Vulgar Display of Power a 3/5. And while this album has a lot of that feel, it's got enough death metal in it along with the Brazillian tribal grooves to elevate it for me. Weirdly, the biggest song from the record, Roots Bloody Roots, is probably the weakest track for me, but its still solid. The album is on the long side so can't really pick songs out specifically, but its very consistent the whole way through. I'd cut the album down personally, but there isn't a wasted minute on this thing either. Edit: After getting Sepultura's Arise, I'm bumping this down to a 3. Arise is better and definitely worth the 4. I'm not as huge on groove metal, and Roots is a little on the lengthy side.

Musically it's great, especially the drumming, but the roaring just isn't for me

Excellent album but a few samey tracks

The opening track is sung with such unapologetic anger that I can’t help but enjoy it, even though it would be significantly better with a properly delivered vocal and melody. The horrific atonal singing is absurdly hard to listen to for more than a few minutes... as I would soon find out. It’s pretty funny looking at the listening numbers on Spotify as the album progresses. There’s an obvious negative correlation between progress through the album and number of track listens – punctuated by the opening track having the most and closing track having the least. And for good reason. This genre (nu/atonal metal) is hard to listen to, appeals to a very specific demographic, and hasn’t aged well. There's little to enjoy here other than the novelty of drunken screaming and a few decent instrumental tracks dotted around. Ratamahatta is one of the better songs. It gains points for being fairly early in the album (and hence not being unbearable) and having some good sub-melodies. Itsari is a more acoustic track without screaming, making it much better. The final track, while generally lacking the crazed screeches, resembles proto-prog in the worst way possible: 13 minutes of instrument noodling and quiet, passionless chants. It's a waste of runtime on an already bloated album. Not an album you must hear before you die. As another reviewer wrote: "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 guttural shrieks and howls just turn me off." True that – I'm not even particularly old and I can't imagine anyone unironically enjoying this. 1/5 Key tracks: Roots Bloody Roots, Ratamahatta, Itsari

Crazy creative. Not my jam, but the reason I love this project and this list.

18/1001 I couldn’t bare it. I like metal, but the metal where they yell all the lyrics like Cookie Monster with a tracheotomy is just too much for me. I listened to the first 6 tracks. After the first 3 I was about to quit and change the album, but decided to give it one more chance. Then the 4th track “Ratamahatta” happened. It is so good, so unique, so different, with minimal and well placed screaming, and I should listen to more. Well the next 2 tracks were more screaming. And it was starting to ware me down. I couldn’t listen anymore. If this were an instrumental album, it would probably be a 5 star work of art. The screaming was just way too much to fight through. I will revisit this album a song or two at a time over the next few weeks. I want to hear the whole thing (my plan for all these albums).

Pretty angry groove metal with some tribal stuff going on, the execution was decent but there were some tracks that were pretty meh and experimental bits that kind of flopped

Оставлю как непонятную запись. Не любовь к ню-металлу искажает восприятие. В наушниках и в колонах впечатление разное.

Favorite Track: Ratamahatta

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

DET ER FORDI DE ER SURE!!! (for lige at svare på spørgsmålet jeg stillede sidst vi hørte en Sepultura plade) Slående hvor anderledes det er fra Arise, synes det er marginalt bedre mest bare fordi det lyder lidt mere unikt. Bedste nu metal plade jeg har hørt, tror jeg. Bliver aldrig rigtig for langt, hvilket er dybt imponerende.

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

Such a fun album to listen to, especially for the instrumentation. The variety and use of different traditional instruments is so cool.

Bloody Rawts - A Gordon Ramsey Album

listened to like 3 songs. not my thing.

truly awful

Technically, this is an outstanding album, and I can definitely see its appeal. I liked the use of the native Brazilian instrumentation to some of the songs. It was a little too heavy for my personal liking, but overall, a solid album.

It's hard, it's fast, and it's loud. Nothing really stands out as "amazing" to me, but if you like this kind of music, it's a pretty good listen.

these riffs man. solid. could i write poetry to this? n

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. The various elements of World Music, Thrash, Nu Metal, and Alt Rock keep a delicate balance that doesn't get boring. Add a half-star for Mike Patton's guest vocals on "Lookaway."

More like a 3.5, but I'm giving it the ol' Metal bump. This is album is still fairly disparaged by Metalheads and it's definitely not as good as their older stuff, but I think it's a good example of what could be done well with Groove and Nü-Metal.

A couple of tracks in I was thinking this would be a 3. The music was good and the screaming had a bit of melody to it. Surprisingly I didn't hate it. But then it just kept going. And screaming. And the vocal melodies started all sounding the same. Nope.

I liked this a lot! I know the title track but don’t know why I didn’t get into it earlier. I think there’s a couple of really heavy tracks after the first track that always put me off. But after that there’s a level of thrash I can handle. It almost sounds like Faith No More! I will revisit.

Those Roots go deep….

i don’t really enjoy it but did nod my head along to some songs ngl.

Sounds like a rainforest declared war on a metal band and they just decided to jam it out instead. 3/5 because I respect the chaos, even if my ears are filing a noise complaint.

Not for me!

Das Album setzt stark auf rohe Energie und brutale Intensität, was für Insider des Genres sicherlich reizvoll sein kann. Allerdings wird diese Erfahrung durch ein Übermaß an Geschrei und eine spürbare Schwäche im konzeptionellen Bereich getrübt. Es fehlt an klaren musikalischen Strukturen und einer stimmigen Erzählung, die das Album hätte besser verbinden können. Zwar sind die Einflüsse brasilianischer Rhythmen interessant, doch leider können sie die fehlende musikalische Tiefe und Kohärenz nicht vollständig ausgleichen.

J'ai apprécié autant la violence que la recherche musicale et la réalisation soignée.

Not for me. Didn't listen to any full song.

Fantastic metal album

How is this called music? Itsári and Caynon Jam were the only pieces that were interesting (basically the guy with a bad hemorrhoid wasn't attempting to sing).

I was very into this genre in the mid 90s and never got around to listening to Sepultura. Wow. Great friggin album. Adding many songs to my 'heavy' playlist. Not something I'd listen to often these days but really high quality album for this genre.

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

Very heavy... If I liked this type of music I would probably enjoy this. But I do not enjoy this genre of music. But I'd rather listen to this over Nice Cave and The Bad Seeds.

Oof, two growled metal albums in a row. I can't take it. The second half of the album was better than the first.

Heavy metal has grown on me but going through 60 mins of it is still too much to ask . I did enjoy the fusion here, although I think I was hoping for more Brazilian and less nu metal … I will work my way through this and have a few songs for my workouts now though

Crap

Not for me. Feels like I'm summoning a demon while listening to this

Very important to have something A. Brazilian B. Heavy Metal in this list. sadly, not my stuff. Cool aspects but heavy metal gives me headaches

Another metal album and is over an hour long. Sure the Brazilian influence in some of the songs was refreshing but the album is such a drag.

16 year old me is absolutely jamming right now

liked the tribal influence but still dislike metal unfortunately

While I enjoyed the idea of the concept of the Brazilian band making music with some of the most isolated tribes in their country, it's still a bit buttrock-y. I believe everyone acted well and seemed to havea good spiritual experience and connection, but I wish it came out more in the music

I didn't think I would like this album at all but I was pleasantly surprised. The mix between metal and more traditional music was pretty cool. There were a lot of great guitar riffs too. Still not quite my favorite kind of music, but I'm glad I gave it a listen. Favorite Songs: "Attitude", "Canyon Jam"

I’m so glad that this gives joy to people. But I couldn’t stand listening to it. As with most metal I appreciate the musicianship but it just puts a frown on my face. 2/5

This goes hard while I’m sitting at work staring at spreadsheets. The explosions of energy combined with the injections of Brazilian music create something truly interesting. Favorite songs were Roots Bloody Roots, Ratamahatta, Straighthate, Born Stubborn, Itsari, and Ambush.

It's funny how the lack of variety in dynamics and musical structure seems to be a shared problem between electronic and metal albums. Not all of them, just a lot of the mid tier ones. Anyway, the end track was an experience, fair play for something different even if I never want to hear it again.

mi fanno sempre un po' senso gli album di questo genere

I don’t think this was supposed to make me laugh, but it sure did anyway. 0.5/5

I don’t mind some metal once in a while. But this was a bit too much screaming and just a lot of noise.

No thank you. I gave it a try.

I used to listen to this stuff. Not sure why.

Not for me - noise

ew

Seriously, think I would give every heavy metal album a 3—minimum—if they were solely instrumental. The music is that good. But I can’t with the screaming.

The absolute worst kind of music, sorry

Death metal is like a very hot Jacuzzi — unpleasant at first but tolerable and even pleasant once you get accustomed to it. Still, for me, this genre has a low ceiling. I did like how it was rhythmic and spooky, but I wouldn't seem it out.

I can hear you, you don’t have to scream. Can’t/didn’t/won’t finish tho..

not sure how much room I have in my life for 90’s nü metal that is nü to me. That said, the percussion is excellent, the guitar tones are sick, and this generally holds up a whole lot better than say, Limp Bizkit.

Almost a 3. The whole screaming into the mic and not singing any notes at all get really tedious. Really detracts from some good music.

This is intense tribal metal. I don't hate it, but the lead singer's guttural screaming instead of actually singing knocks the rating down by 1/2 a star. It makes it less enjoyable overall. I think this would have been significantly better as an instrumental record, but what do I know?

4.5. I really enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. It's a solid metal album with some tribal rhythms interspersed throughout. It loses half a star because of the vocals. The gutteral singing style wasn't quite for me.

Felt it was enjoyable but a bit one note in the first half but the second half showcased variety that made the rock really rock

I don't dislike the genre, but this isn't the best example of it.

iznenadilo me koliko je dosadno

Jedan od najoriginalnijih metal albuma devedesetih

This album was a welcome addition to the list and I was really looking forward to it because it seemed like such a departure from the regular stuff you hear. My curiosity was met with absolutely groovy guitar shugs, nasty bass lines and a sheer overwhelming power that gave me the feeling that I should honestly be angrier about things in life. Now, I was never truly into metal but what does that even mean? The diverse and micro genres of metal are hard to discern to me. Despite having flirted with a lot of genres such as Doom and Stoner Metal or Drone, Sepultura was never on my radar. Hence, sites like these really push you to actually engage with artists (if you feel inclined). Roots is really great and feels like an absolute classic and despite absolutely disliking screaming and harsh vocals like the ones bein presented here, it still worked for me. The songs are just that powerful with engaging riffs and drums that kick you in the nuts. The vocal delivery is seething with fury and creates a somewhat unhinged vibe that is contageous. There is an underlying grooves to this song that make me want to vibe so hard and it's great. The best part about Roots is the incorporation of latin grooves and unusual brazilian chanting. They permeate through the album but it never feels just like a gimmick. Root by Sepultura just feels authentic and is a bloody good time even if it's not really my genre. I'll be blasting this stuff for sure in the future.

what a crazy combination of genres. i really enjoyed it even though i don't normally like guttural metal screaming. more of this kind of stuff rather than endless britpop please!!

this is a very cool brazilian (nu-)metal album with indigenous influences. it took a second listen to actually begin to appreciate it, plus reading the wikipedia article, but the context is definitely helpful. it's nice to hear a nu-metal album that is so outwardly focused and not just "I'M mad because MY life sucks". i was only aware of this band by name before but i'll definitely come back to some of these tracks in the future. favorites: roots bloody roots, cut-throat, ratamahatta, breed apart, jasco, itsari

While rythmically interesting songs are in there as well, and others having some fun riffs, I get heavily turned of by the gutteral shrieks and howls, which probably can be considered typical for Metal.

For 90s metal, this is very solid. Didn't feel as long as it was, had interesting variety, I can't complain. Gonna give this the ol' 3.5 rounded up actually, I could come back to this.

This rocked.

Love, but what the fuck is up with canyon jam

Nice to have some metal in the mix. It is a good album with some heavy riffs and nicely worked latin vibes. Not too many tracks that made me want to keep going back though.

While I by no means consider myself much of a nu metal/screamo appreciator, there's lots about this that I DO like - powerful, driving guitar lines, and really amazing percussive arrangements. I don't think I can really say anything innovative about this album that hasn't already been said, but it features such a seamless blend of traditional/regional Brazilian sounds into such a harsh format, and for that should be applauded. However, I just can't get past the vocals, which are great for what they are, but really just don't do it for me. This was an interesting listen, and although I didn't actually make it through the full 16 SONG RUN (crazy), the 6 or 7 songs that I listened to were sweet. It wasn't necessarily an enjoyable listening experience, but I can appreciate what the band achieved with this LP; because of this, it's kinda hard for me to put a numerical value on this project, because it was like a 2/5 for listenability, but a 4+/5 in terms of construction and sonics. With that being said, I will settle on a 3/5.

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.

Each to their own I suppose.

Ballroots

No fucking way. Not even gonna rate this. Makes me wanna go postal. Fat fucking 0.

Heavy

Never going to enjoy this scream singing Made it through one song

What a pathetic rubbish! Screw the cultural "roots" Where do I hear a berimbau? It's all just disturbing, loudly squeezed out rubbish. If you like it, so be it, I don't. how many minus stars can I give? Oh, none. So imagine at least minus 3 or more and I'll give you a star here, as always on such occasions, but of course I'm not serious

I don’t usually go in for pebble-gargling grind metal, but my god did I need to hear this album yesterday.

Well this is not going to be good or necessary. I like this kind of music but not this album

I like when they sing in Portuguese better.

Can’t do the voice

Still can't get past the screaming, but it's very interesting musically and conceptually otherwise.

Definitely a step up from the recent Napalm Death. I enjoyed the background info about them exploring their Brazillian roots and it came across in the music.

This was some damn good metal.

I’m on board with the music, it’s quite good and the Brazilian roots make it interesting. However, the singing is a huge turn off. Screamed vocals are so corny and undermine the message.

Metal dudes, eh. Do they ever like, you know, just take a day off and chill? 🥲 This record does get interesting when the band introduce more indigenous Brazilian sounds.

The music is good, but the vocals really ruin it. I would appreciate this album much more if I didn't have to listen to the screaming. Why must there be so much screaming?

the instrumentals are so good but I’m cursed to hate lyrics

The times when it is not Nu-Metal are good. Thrash, heavy, makes you want to bust through a wall. But the Nu-Metal bits? Makes me want to hit my head into a wall.

heavy metal, dark rock, 1996 -> 1

I’m afraid I am unable to finish this type of heavy/thrash metal.

Wtf

15/02/24 I enjoyed the album, I've only ever listened to a few of their songs before.

Sepultura's *Roots* is a landmark album in the metal genre, released in 1996. It marked a radical departure from the band's earlier thrash and death metal sound, embracing elements of groove metal, nu-metal, and Brazilian tribal music. While the album has been lauded for its innovation and cultural significance, it has also faced criticism for its stylistic choices and perceived lack of coherence. Below is an in-depth analysis of the album's lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, along with its pros and cons. ## **Lyrics** The lyrics on *Roots* delve deeply into themes of cultural identity, political resistance, environmental concerns, and personal struggle. Tracks like "Roots Bloody Roots" emphasize pride in one's heritage and individuality. Max Cavalera described the song as a call to "believe in yourself" and "be proud of your roots"—a simple yet powerful message that resonated with fans globally. Other tracks explore specific aspects of Brazilian culture and history. For instance: - "Ratamahatta," sung entirely in Portuguese, celebrates life in Brazil's *favelas* (slums) and references figures like Zé do Caixão (Coffin Joe) and Lampião, a notorious outlaw leader. - "Ambush" pays tribute to Chico Mendes, a murdered rainforest activist. - "Dictatorshit" critiques Brazil's 1964 military coup. - "Endangered Species" addresses ecological destruction. However, the lyrics are often criticized for their simplicity and lack of poetic depth. While they effectively convey raw emotion and political urgency, some listeners find them repetitive or overly blunt. ## **Music** Musically, *Roots* is a fusion of heavy metal with Brazilian tribal rhythms and instruments. The band incorporated traditional percussion, chants, and melodies inspired by their collaboration with the Xavante tribe. Tracks like "Itsari," recorded with the tribe in Mato Grosso, showcase this unique blend. Key musical elements include: - **Riffs:** The guitar work by Andreas Kisser is heavily groove-oriented, with downtuned riffs influenced by the burgeoning nu-metal scene (e.g., Korn). Tracks like "Roots Bloody Roots" feature simple yet crushingly heavy riffs. - **Percussion:** Igor Cavalera's drumming is a standout aspect of the album. His use of tribal percussion alongside traditional drums creates a dynamic rhythmic foundation. - **Vocals:** Max Cavalera's vocal delivery is raw and aggressive but polarizing. His shouting style aligns with nu-metal aesthetics but lacks the depth of his earlier growls. While some tracks like "Attitude," "Spit," and "Breed Apart" are praised for their energy and innovation, others are criticized for monotony. The album's reliance on groove-based structures leads to a lack of variety in some listeners' eyes. ## **Production** Ross Robinson's production played a significant role in shaping *Roots*. Known for his work with nu-metal bands like Korn, Robinson emphasized rawness over polish. The guitars have a droning quality that some find atmospheric but others describe as dull. Similarly, Max Cavalera's vocals are heavily distorted and muffled at times. The bass is prominent in the mix, adding weight to the grooves. However, some listeners feel that the production sacrifices clarity for aggression. Critics have also noted that the album's overall sound can feel dry or lifeless due to its stripped-down approach. ## **Themes** Thematically, *Roots* is an exploration of identity—both personal and cultural. The title itself reflects Sepultura's attempt to reconnect with their Brazilian heritage after years of success on the global stage. This theme permeates every aspect of the album: - The use of indigenous instruments and collaborations with native tribes underscores their commitment to authenticity. - Lyrics address issues like colonialism, environmental destruction, and social inequality in Brazil. - The artwork features an indigenous man from Brazil’s Karajá tribe alongside Sepultura’s tribal “S” logo. While these themes are ambitious and groundbreaking for a metal album, some critics argue that their execution feels superficial or forced in places. ## **Influence** *Roots* had a profound impact on both metal music and Brazilian culture. It helped popularize the fusion of metal with world music elements and inspired countless bands to experiment with non-Western sounds. The album also cemented Sepultura’s status as one of metal’s most innovative acts. However, *Roots* also marked a turning point for Sepultura. Shortly after its release, Max Cavalera left the band due to personal conflicts—a split that many fans view as the end of Sepultura’s golden era. ## **Pros** 1. **Cultural Innovation:** *Roots* broke new ground by incorporating Brazilian tribal music into heavy metal. 2. **Raw Energy:** Tracks like "Roots Bloody Roots" deliver anthemic power that resonates with listeners. 3. **Percussion Excellence:** Igor Cavalera’s drumming is dynamic and integral to the album’s sound. 4. **Global Impact:** The album expanded metal’s boundaries and influenced future genres like nu-metal. 5. **Authenticity:** Sepultura’s commitment to exploring their heritage adds depth to the project. ## **Cons** 1. **Monotony:** The groove-heavy riffs can feel repetitive over the course of an hour-long album. 2. **Vocals:** Max Cavalera’s shouting style divides opinion; some find it visceral while others see it as lacking nuance. 3. **Production Issues:** Ross Robinson’s raw approach sacrifices clarity for aggression. 4. **Nu-Metal Influence:** Fans of Sepultura’s earlier thrash sound often criticize *Roots* for embracing nu-metal trends. 5. **Execution Flaws:** While ambitious in concept, some tracks fail to fully integrate tribal elements with metal. ## **Conclusion** *Roots* is an ambitious yet polarizing album that redefined what metal could be by merging it with Brazilian cultural elements. Its strengths lie in its innovation, energy, and thematic depth, while its weaknesses stem from uneven execution and stylistic shifts that alienated longtime fans. Regardless of its flaws, *Roots* remains a landmark release that continues to spark debate among listeners nearly three decades later.

Not really my thing but the drums and guitar work are amazing . I had no idea that they were from Brazil but now the album makes a lot more sense. I will listen again

I'm not a fan of the heavy metal screamo voice, so this isn't really doing it for me. I do like the Brazilian influences and instrumentals (Itsári and Canyon Jam were cool), but not enough for me to get past the singing style.

A little too heavy for me

Pretty heavy stuff here but not horrible

Ég er rokkhaus og Sepultura flokkast líklegast sem goðsagnir í rokkheimum. Mér finnst þeir samt ekkert skemmtilegir og mun bara halda áfram að hlusta á mitt melódíska rokk og ekki á þeirra hamra-á-hljóðfæri-og-öskra rokk.

I don’t like death metal music. All the vocalist did was a lot of screaming. Sounded like a deranged toddler having a temper tantrum. Instrumentals had the banging beat throughout the album. If i listen to something like this for too long, it would seriously put me in a bad mood!

Great heavy tribal themed metal. Just hits. Great mids and guitar tone

J’étais vraiment excité en lisant la description de l’album, ainsi que les tops commentaires: Metal au rythme plus lent, fusion latine, éléments tribal traditionnel brésilien… Quel ne fut pas mon désarroi en entendant le chanteur BEUGLER dans mes oreilles, osti c’t’un album de scream, y’aurait pu le dire dans la description crissme. Mais, enfoui sous le braillage, je détectais une super instrumentation, mixant bel et ben des percussions trad et même du didgeridoo (du moins, ça y ressemble). Je fit donc quelques recherches, tombant sur une version instrumentale des 4 tounes les plus populaires de l’album; ça slap sa mère les poteaux! J’accorde donc ma grâce à cet album en lui accordant un 3, au lieu du 1 traditionnellement accordé aux albums de scream

No me va

CD

This is a classic and personally nostalgic for a time when I was living with the two metalheads who helped broaden my musical tastes, but I hadn't given it a listen in years. Aggressive, unrelenting, tribal, and angsty. The songs have so much groove and the riffs are solid. I appreciate how passionate Max sounds but I also think it's a little much at times. It's still a metal staple.

i liked them better im my youth when i had to pretend that i liked them to be cool. still, memories...

I like a lot of what they’re doing: tight guitar and bass and drums, lots of energy, some Brazilian influence… it’s the screaming I can’t stand. Ruins it for me. The same album, with a good vocalist, would be great.

Noice. I know this one! Can’t wait to listen. Surprised to see this here. I know the other sepultura records better than this one so I’m curious. You can definitely hear the progression to the almost nu metal soulfly sound. Production is so much better. Incorporates South American rhythms into it. Love it. This is a powerful angry metal record. More importantly it’s a great metal record at a time when metal was dying. Legends for keeping it going during the grunge hype. Side note last 12 minutes was a waste.

Very good album.

I can't get anything out of the genre. I only knew Sepultura by name. I don't know the album. And it will stay that way. I played the first 3 tracks. Admittedly, the instrumental part wasn't as bad as with other representatives of the genre. I had heard enough by the time the so-called vocals kicked in. 1/5

I like metal but I guess I need to be in a certain mood for this kind of metal. The instrumentals are good and I did enjoy the Brazilian twist that was intertwined throughout. However the vocals fell flat, this is the type of metal vocals that just doesn’t do anything for me as I cannot understand anything that is being sung and it just comes across as guttural screaming. It’s especially grating when the album is a long as it is. I had to tap out on the last song when it was crickets and experimental bongoing for 13 minutes. 3/10

enjoyed quite a bit! don’t get around to sepultura much

do I like this album? No. Will I listen to this album ever again? No. But, I can see why someone would like it and listen to it. I’m not mad about it, but as soon as this album was done, I switched over to listening to Lofi. Maybe I just lack culture.

I usually don’t like this genre but I liked this!

Too liud

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

Nie trawię za bardzo metalu, ale to jak z rapem - dobra muzyka przekracza granice. Tutaj, mam wrażenie, że Sepultura się na tej granicy zatrzymuje. Są momenty eksperymentalne, melodyjne, rytmiczne nawet, ale są też dźwięki, które prawie na pewno są tarką do prania. Ciekawe, interesujące, momentami nawet przyjemne (o ile tak można powiedzieć o metalu), ale jednak 5.5/10

I like Chaos A.D. always way more but I guess it‘s a kind of critics thing because of the political importance

I’m like a reformed smoker/drinker with metal, used to like it in my younger days but now I would rather hear anything, and I mean anything else. I mean Shit a second album by these. Why? I mean WHY. Having listened to every album so far at least once, having already tasted this…music… didn’t make me feel too happy this morning. Over an hour of the same tedious one speed riffs and that vocals ffs. Presume it’s supposed to pervade aggression but it’s just sounds very silly. The glimpses of authentic instruments/ rhythms make it better than the last giving it it’s only change of pace and high point Itsari, but that’s faint praise. 1 star -cause they won’t let me give zero, not my thing anymore, plodding, monotonous, for all the supposed rage it’s just tiresome. Footnote, kept train alive and made it through, but please no more let this be the last time I have to hear this. Each to their own aye.

Loppua kuunnelssa ja käsittämättömän upeaa selliats kunnellssa mietin että olenko ollut tajuamatta muuta albumia nimittäin loppu paras kappale jota vuon 2025 kuunneltu ei olla echoes vielä kujnneltu 2205.... #2 all time song heh.. Noh ei sentään... Katsotaan kanssapuoli sama side... Onko mileipide jahas ollaanko skipattu kun manufaktuuriviha... Sama juttu nykyajan leffoissa pum pum pum ammutaan.. jahdataan kun jänistä... NOH EI OLE EDES JÄNISJAHTI EXCITING JAHTITASOA... vaan paskaa paskaa mukamuka väkivaltaa HEHH KJEH MINÄPÄ KERRON MIKÄ ON TODELLISTA VÄKIVALTAA... Kuvitelkaa tämä: Olette sidottuna pimeässä huoneessa, jossa ei ole ulospääsyä. Aika ei ole enää jotain, mitä mitataan kelloilla, vaan se on muuttunut kivuksi, epävarmuudeksi ja toivon hitaaksi lahoamiseksi. Ei ole musiikkia, ei hidastettuja räjähdyksiä, ei sankarin viime hetken pelastusta – vain kahleiden kalina, vieraan kielen karjunta, ja tietoisuus siitä, että teidät on unohdettu. Tämä on Danielin helvetti. Ei Hollywoodin räiskintäfantasia, vaan todellinen vankila, jossa aseiden pauke on vähemmän pelottavaa kuin hiljaisuus ennen lyöntiä. Nykyelokuvien väkivalta on pelkkää kornia balettia – kehoja lentelee ilmassa, veri piirtyy kauniiksi roiskeiksi, ja katsoja saa nauttia tunteettomasta, esteettisestä tappamisesta ilman seurauksia. Mutta Danielissa väkivalta on todellista. Se ei ole pelkkiä ruhjeita ja verta – se on odotusta, henkistä kidutusta, tietoisuutta siitä, että jokainen päivä voi olla viimeinen. Se on kiduttajien jalkojen ääni käytävällä, jokainen askel lyö sydämen tahtiin: tuleeko hän minun vuorolleni? Aito kidutus ei kaipaa aseita. Se tapahtuu mielessä. Se on riisuttu ihmisyys, hitaasti pirstoutuva mieli, tarve pitää kiinni yhdestä viimeisestä muistosta, kun kaikki muu on riistetty. Siinä missä Hollywoodin toimintasankarit ampuvat sadalla luodilla ties kuinka monta vihollista, Danielin maailma on yksi mies pimeässä huoneessa, odottamassa, milloin nälkä, pelko tai iskut vievät viimeisen palan siitä, mikä teki hänestä Danielin. Sitä on todellinen väkivalta. Ei koreografioituja iskuja, vaan raa’an elämän epäinhimillistä armottomuutta. chatgpt Mutta tuo vika kappale... holy....

No me gustó mucho. Tiene interesantes mezclas de ritmos y coros primitivos, pero me aburrieron todas las canciones.

I did not understand I single one of the words sung in this metal album. 4 stars

I'm not much into Metal. But this (as well as a few others e.g. by Metallica or System Of A down) I really like. It will never be my favourite album or music but on the right moments it's really, really nice :-)

Didn't rate it much back in the day, but it goes hard still.

i just really don't think heavy metal is my kind of music lol. i think its a cool concept to merge Indigenous music with heavy metal, and i think its great that they wanted to do that to celebrate Brazil's marginalized Indigenous population. I did enjoy the moments on the album without the screaming where it was more melodic- or the songs like "Jasco", and "Itsári" with a more traditional Indigenous sound. but overall this was not for me. i'm just really not a heavy metal fan and i don't think this project is going to change that lol

Pretty good

Not listened to this before and for good reason! From the get go I was immediately transported back to the Swan pub (early '90s) in Liverpool when the adolescent metal heads seized control of the juke box with devastating effect. Shouty, grunty, angry & silly. And it did not relent. I persevered and finally some discernable melody broke out during Jasco & Itsár. I could even hear the tribal sounds of Brazil that this album is famous for. And then, back to shouty, angry man again. I can admire in some ways the people who like listening to this type of stuff. Fair play on them they have ploughed a singular furrow for themselves & one that any sane person would never enter. Unfortunately, this is not for me and I would award 2 points only, if only for some nice acoustic guitar work in the aforementioned tracks listed above.

This record has its upside and downs. Not their best but not bad either

Started strong. Wore out its welcome.

Is singing like this supposed to be awful? If so, success. It brings the entire thing, whose instrumentals are actually pretty good, down so much that any track with vocals is unlistenable. Bringing myself to listen to 72 minutes of this trash was a real struggle.

A few nice musical pieces like on "Ratamahatta " or "Breed Apart" but the metal-typical screaming is annoying!

Probably never would have ended up listening to Brazillian Metal if it weren't for this project.

This album is a lot different than other Sepultura's albums I've listened to. Much more NuMetal-esque, but still rocks. I enjoyed it.

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.

While not as awful as other nu metal I’ve heard, I still don’t like this

banger of an album

Not personally for me though I am not a huge metal head. My favorite song was the very sparse soundscape called something to do with canyons. A bit too industrial for my tastes

I kind of like Ratamahatta, Jasco, Itsari, Canyon Jam

For years I thought Ratamahatta was a Korn song but I guess its only the drummer, I just remember my brother blasting it to wake me up in the morning. Loud and abrasive are the two things that come to mind for this album, like most of this genre its better in small doses, after an hour I'm drained and annoyed.

They can play the hell out of their instruments and there was some cool Brazilian instruments and rhythms but this was overall a thoroughly unpleasant listen. Why are the most difficult to enjoy albums so long? If this was a tight 40 I would have enjoyed it a lot more but much like the Slipknot albums we’ve gotten… I don’t want to be screamed at for over an hour. “Ratamahatta” was pretty interesting at least… wait is this where the Korn man got his Badu nam na hemas from?!?!?

3.75 Very enjoyable. That's some music to get shit done to!

Brazilian tribal KoяN. I Liked inu metal when I was a young teenager but most of it is pretty bad going back and revisiting. I liked Sepultura’s thrash sound before the full transition to numetal with this album.

Not usually into this style of singing anymore. At least since being a teenager. Album is played really well and I definitely got into the singing. Solid 3-3.5 stars

Solid and heavy stuff! Oddly enough, works well as background work music 4.3

Certainly not an album I would typically put on, but found this more rhythmic and melodic than most of this genre.

Highlight: Ratamahatta In a nutshell: innovative nu-metal. Yes, you read correctly. Innovative nu-metal. It includes tribal music and some lyrics are in Portuguese as well as English. In 1996. Wow. I gotta give props to the band. Playing instruments and singing/growling/shouting with this kind of ferocity requires endurance. The energy is always up, I didn’t hear it dip at all. Do I like it? Not really. The riffs were repetitive and I’m not into nu-metal. Does it need to be heard? Absolutely. Overall: 5/10

Weird ending

Braziliaanse Groove Metal.. oké het klinkt al iets charmanter en aangenamer, maar het blijft Metal. Dat typische gebrul, het is in your face en je ontkomt er niet aan. En als je er de zenuwen van krijgt, dan kun je je nauwelijks concentreren op elementen waar je warmer van wordt. Dat lukte dan ook niet, ook al hebben we miserabelere muziek voor onze kiezen gekregen uit dit verdoemde genre. 5/10

Al draagt een aap een gouden ring, het is en blijft een lelijk ding. 4/10

This is such a unique sounding metal record. There are elements of thrash, elements of nu-metal, and then it's also mixed with some Brazilian tribal sounds which is so cool. Ratamahatta was so sick being all in Portuguese. The nu-metal with the bongo drums honestly worked so well together haha. I think overall my favorite thing about this record is the unique drumming/percussion for a metal album. The only beef I have with this album is I was kind of fatigued by it by the end. It was a little long.

HEAVY!!! This was fun and pretty varied across the board. This album has lots of cool elements and kind of plays with different genres. It starts out with more of a thrash and hardcore and then kind of dives into Nu Metal (my least favorite part of the record) and then ends almost prog metal. I really liked the whispers and hints of traditional indigenous music throughout. It's a good additive and keeps it interesting and engaging. Musically, the drums were probably the thing that intrigued me the most on this record. I really have to be in the right mood for metal, but once I jump in, I can get behind something like this for a minute. This was fun.

The first track is a straight up banger and a great into to the album. However, I feel things taper off, become almost repetitive, until the last track. The final track is just warbling and screeching nonsense. Sad finish.

Okay Brazilian metal I see you...

Too long. 3/5

Never would have given this a listen otherwise, but for metal, I kinda liked it. Not sure I'll come back to it but glad to have listened.

Fucking terrible

en jaksa tätä feikattua aggressiota. onneksi on muutama järkeväkin biisi siellätäällää... ette ole vihaisia... hohhoijjaa nukuttaa tämmönen.. manufakturoituja tunteita... ette tunne vihaa.. ette tunne edes vihan nimeä (perkele.. satan's great-grandfather...) raa raa raa. nyt vedän kaljuksi koksa oon niiin känkkä ränkkä.. nyt kasvatan yököttävän letin koska oon niiiiin tuhmalla päällä...perus metallijaska pölinää..kyllä brassikengät alkaa kalkattamaan poispäin kun vastaan tule......... SUOMEN POJAT......... Put your middle fingers up Take a shot, throw it up and don't stop I'm, I'm, I'm living that life on the dark side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCKING LEAAAAAAAAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! itsari (tehkää se heh..)

Pretty sure there's not enough anger in me to enjoy this. There are a couple nearly redemptive tracks late in the hour and a quarter (Gimme a break!!) but not nearly enough. Basically, it's a crap genre.

Sepultura's crowning achievement.

This sucks*. *For a non-metal fan. Wish I could, as it's got great energy.

Roots bloody fuckin’ roots!!!!

Some decent metal jams here, with guitar play that reminds me of System Of A Down. Too repetitive though. Favorite Track: "Itsari".

Screaming shrieking loud banging is not music

Brazilian heavy metal. Not my favorite

Excellent album.

I'm so glad to see a thrash metal band like Sepultura get their due, and Roots lives up to the hype in its own heavy, experimental way. I’ve had various Sepultura tracks on my playlists since high school, but this was the first time I sat down and listened to Roots front to back — and it didn’t disappoint. “Roots Bloody Roots” kicks things off with absolute power. It’s raw, aggressive, and easily my favorite track on the album. That riff hits like a truck. “Ratamahatta” is another standout, bringing in indigenous Brazilian rhythms and vocals in a way that actually works — a really cool blend that makes the album feel unique in the metal world. “Breed Apart” has a banger of an opening riff, and “Jasco” was a surprising acoustic moment that added a nice breather in the middle of the chaos. On the flip side, “Canyon Jam” was my least favorite. The gunshot sound effect was a nice touch, but after that, it kind of just wandered around for way too long. There’s a proggy, experimental edge to the album — not just in the 14-minute closer, but throughout, with all the tribal instrumentation and ambient textures layered into the mix. It’s bold, heavy, and has more depth than you might expect from a band known for thrash.

No

I know that a ton of people like being yelled at. I'm not one of them.

This is definitely just a taste preference but whatever is going on with the vocals I’m way to anxious for.

The singing destroys it all. Music's ok, 'tho I'm not a fan of that kind of metal.

Party im Irrenhaus? Unhörbar!

This is a great metal album. Its tone, flavor, production is amazing. Sepultura became really famous thanks to Roots. However, I think the album is extremely front loaded, I do not know why they needed to add most of the tracks at the end of the album. I would kept this under 45 mins. 3.5/5

Like if Slipknot was way better and also had Brazilian influence. This is a really good and unique listen.

Demasiado hard para mi. Infernal

This album is far removed from the band's blackened-thrash beginnings that yielded such brilliant records as "Beneath the Remains." They've exchanged their heavy metal credentials for (early) Nu Metal trappings, and, as far as Nu Metal goes, it's not bad. The liberal sprinkling of traditional instrumentation is nice and provides variation for the band’s primary songwriting method – A simple, heavy, repetitive riff. Nevertheless, the aforementioned repetition can get tiresome, especially over the hardly justified 72 minute runtime. As a piece of heavy metal history this is an influential and controversial album that is worth listening to, but it lacks the songwriting chops, actual heaviness, or variation to reach the 5 star level.

Beaaaahhhh, Grunt, Wooooaahhh, gutteral raaauuugh.

Some interesting ideas with the mixing of metal and tribal music, but it would have been much better if they had done this while maintaining the Chaos AD sound. Their turn towards nu metal doesn't work so well and there are way too many filler.

Slipknot in the jungle.

I always had a sweet spot for this album, as I listen to it since my teenage years. But giving it a listen now made realize the strong influences this album had on band like Slipknot and System Of A Down... And on Nu Metal in many ways. The end of the album with the canyon jam is so wild, love it!

Nah

Groupe et album connu. Pour moi le meilleur album de Sepultura est "Beneath the Remains". C'est même un des meilleurs album metal de cette époque, voire de toute époque confondue. Je trouve les albums suivants bien moins réussis, de plus en plus mous et moins créatifs. Roots est celui qui m'a fait arrêter de suivre ce groupe ... Riffs simplistes, morceaux monotones et moins créatifs, même si certains mélanges de sonorités avec des instruments traditionnels donnent une certaine originalité (+1). Cette nouvelle écoute ne m'a pas fait changer d'avis ... Je vais plutôt réécouter "Beneath the Remains". =>3/5

Metal 🤘 Hay que preguntarse en que momento escuchas esto... Mejor sin niños

Really interesting album. Lots of quite interesting sounds, and it had quite a scary atmosphere. It feels really ahead of its time for 1996 and you can hear it’s influence throughout the years since.

Omöjligt att ta sig igenom det här albumet. Brukar alltid försöka men här går det inte.

# Album Name: Roots # Artist: Sepultura # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Meh # Top Tunes: None that stood out. # Would I listen to it again? No.

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

Almost all the best moments on this album are where they lean into the Brazilian side of things (Ratamahatta, Itsári - Born Stubborn has a bit of groove about it too). For these tracks I'll give it a bump up from Arise, but I still found it quite gruelling to sit through. 2.5

I would bump this up two more stars if the vocals were more that throat scraping screams.

It's very interesting conceptually, but that doesn't mean that my ears enjoyed all of it. 2.6.

Where was this album when I was in high school? Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5

I don’t know that this list needed multiple Sepultura albums, but this one is my favorite.

Nah

Some months ago, I listened to and reviewed Sepultura’s “Arise” with a weary but faintly charitable two-star rating. While listening, I was intrigued to read about their follow-up “Roots”: that it’s widely viewed as a more successful and cohesive recording, that it sees the band exploring and embracing their Brazilian heritage, and utilises more tribal rhythms (including recordings with indigenous Brazilian tribes). It sounded fascinating, like the kind of album that could finally turn me on to nu-metal. Imagine my disappointment and disdain, then, when we open with the same-old down-tuned riffs, same-old double-pedal wallop, and same-old throat-scorching bellow of “ROOOOTS. BLOODY ROOOOOOTS”. To my unrefined ears, it was interminable and inseparable from anything else in the genre I’ve heard. The first three tracks continued in much the same manner: they all just felt so flat and lifeless, with any dynamics or light and shade choked out of them by omnipresent sludgy riffs and thudding bass drum, or overbearing screamed vocals. I was on track for a one-star rating… and then I sat up when “Ratamahatta” rolled along. Putting the groove in groove-metal with a killer rhythm, expanded percussion set, and vocals delivered like an incantation. Truly ear-grabbing stuff, giving me all the goodwill I needed to hear the rest. Later, we get a MUCH needed reprieve from the vocals (and almost everything else) with back-to-back acoustic instrumentals “Jasco” and “Itsari” (the latter with performances by the Xavante people). Less successful is “Ambush” stitching in some tribal drums in the middle of a metal song, which comes across ham-fisted and awkward. And “Canyon Jam” is a thirteen minute, faintly indulgent percussive workout to close the set: I can’t help but admire the ambition, though. As for the rest: despite these really intriguing moments, “Roots” winds up being an exhausting and wholly unnecessary seventy-two minute listen that I’m unlikely to ever have in my collection. I may as well copy and paste my verdict from “Arise”: “…emphasis on chugging, grinding riffs played out against a steady beat… low end taken up almost entirely by sludgy rhythm guitar… a tough, often grating and increasingly repetitive listen, but not as irredeemably awful as a lot of the metal I’ve sat through so far… …while the pace is lively and the technical prowess is undeniable, the main thing turning me off here is the vocal performance… draining the songs of any nuance, range or depth that they could have otherwise had. It makes this a really difficult listen and unlikely to be something I’ll revisit, though I’d stop slightly short of abject hatred.”

3.5 rounded up quite good but also. as always. quite long. i also wish there were more songs in portuguese highlights: attitude, ratamahatta, ambush, canyon jam (july 15 2025)

I haven't listened to Sepultura in a very long time. Hearing them again makes me nostalgic and reminds me that they are one of the best Metal bands around. Really - pick any album of theirs and you'll get a quality metal album. Roots in particular is a great blend between classic Thrash and modern (2000s) Heavy Metal. 3.5 |ii| / 5

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

You might as well just have sent me to the crazy house

Album 587 of 1001 Sepultura - Roots (1996) Rating : 1 / 5 What a mess. Sam Kinison could have been their lead vocalist. Not my thing. Some Metal is fine. Not this.

Second Sepultura album, the first didn't deserve to be on this list so i'm not listening to this one. This is a really bad list.

Yeah this is pretty good.

That was ok. Surely an interesting concept, but its execution was ho hum

That was a brutal listen

No no no. I tried, I really did. Listened to 4 songs, couldn't take it. They all sounded like the first one to me (ROOTS! BLOODY ROOTS! ROOTS! BLOODY ROOTS!) Ugh. Now, I like some good screaming and anger in music. My problem with this album(thesongs I listened to) was that it was ALL screaming and anger. When it is all the sane "level", it has no impact and is boring, IMO.

Cookie Monster does spinal tap

A great and unique metal album.

Nope!...Just nope!!

This is album #412 and I'm still forcing myself to listen to the whole thing. A couple, maybe 3 songs were ok.

I like Arise, but I could never get into the music they made afterwards. Each song has half a song worth of riffs and too much repetition. Favorite song: breed apart

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

Annoying

Reminds me of music from pingu

Not for me, I'll trust the guys that like this kind of music and accept that its good though.

I don't know how to appreciate this variety of metal.

Badger music

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.

88% Best: Roots Bloody Roots; Ratamahatta; Breed Apart; Straighthate; Spit; Born Stubborn; Ambush; Endangered Species Must-Hear? Yes

A little too screamy for me after the first song.

Well, this definitely starts off super heavy and definitely understand why they are as popular as they are

This is one of the only albums on this list I DNF. Not at all for me.