Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Although I’m not a fan of this kind of metal with the screaming, harsh voices, it was cool to hear some Brazilian-Caribbean rhythms infused into the metal genre. Also the instrumentals honestly rock
Okay honestly not as bad as i was expecting. The brazilian funk elements do add quite a bit. But its still screaming metal so not for me
Well…. This is my first “metal” album here, and I simply don’t appreciate the genre. The vocals are the sound of angry puking, which seems to be a real “thing” in metal. It’s almost like every band is a parody of the style. I looked up the lyrics, and they seem benign, but the “chorus” is generally a single phrase repeated 4-6 times. The music is really driving, high energy…. Relentless…. Perhaps exhausting. And there’s not a lot of variation from song to song. By the time I was 40 minutes (10 songs) in, I was worn out and had to take a break. There’s some moments here. The percussion / rhythms are often interesting. I almost liked Ratamahhatta, which seems to be in a foreign language (but not one that google translate could figure out). On the other hand, Breed Apart found me thinking of a Spice-Girls-in-Hell kind of vibe…. I could almost sing along Wannabe’s “slam your body down and wind it all around”! The instrumental Jasco and the tribal Itsari are pretty cool, but jarring it its deviation from the rest of the album. The last song is basically 12+ minutes of ambient jungle(?) sounds. It makes Beatles’ Revolution 9 seem like a pop song. When I was in university, I went through a period where I would listen to the 1st side of Sex Pistols’ “Never Mind The Bollocks” to get pumped up before heading out to campus parties. I can see this might have a similar appeal. But that was many years ago, and was only for a few months. And only ~20 minutes at a time. I see a similar appeal here. Not my thing, but better than a lot of stuff I’ve heard here. 2/5
It's not my cup of tea, but I get why people like it so much. It's a great metal record.
Sounds like the singer's got a sore throat!
The only redeeming track was Jasco. and if you're looking for instrumental in the woods (drums and percussion) Canyon Jam might be ok. Otherwise screaming metal blach.
This is thrash metal, so it's obviously not going to be enjoyable to everyone. It's not really my thing either. However, if you can at least tolerate it, give it a chance and understand the subject matter and history a little bit, you may find that -- within the scope of this sub-genre -- it's fairly innovative and meaningful. It will still hurt your ears, though.
hahahahaha okay!! giving this a three because i feel like this is a solid screamo album and maybe if i were more passionate about screamo that i would rate it higher
Gear: Meze 109 PRO Mix: groovt und kickt auch heute mindestens noch so hart wie Anfang der 2000er auf 100% legal überspielter LP-MiniDisc mit abgerockten Koss Porta Pros Musik: ROOOOOOOOTS BLOODY ROOOOOOTS Wertung: 🍟🍟🍟🍟/5
Over 70 minutes of raw, bloody mids from a rabid guitar section + the most guttural throat singing you’ll hear this side of the Himalayas. This was the exact kick in the ass I needed from this project right now, and Sepultura more than delivered. Given its lengthy runtime it’s inevitable that things begin to lean homogeneous when it comes to songwriting, but when the riffs are this heavy and brutal I don’t mind being sonically pummeled for over an hour.
This is probably great if you like this style. Personally I can’t get past the vocals so I’m going middle of the road. 2.5
Not my jam. It's probably great for those who enjoy this genre.
Not a big screaming fan.
I hope they got the help they needed…. Sheeeesh.
Why so glum, chum? The musicians jam pretty well but Cavalera’s vocals are insufferable. I’m not 14, my mom didn’t ground me from the big dance, my teeny bopper girlfriend didn’t dump me. I don’t want to listen to some hoarse asshole screaming in my face like a heavy metal cliché. I have no teenage sorrows to drown with mock rage.
Max himself didn't want to lose the connection to his ancestral roots. Especially, his later works with Soulfly expanded even deeper Fav Track: Lookaway
I misread the title thought I was looking forward to a new roots album I haven’t heard, as I’m a big blackthought fan. The first song caught me completely off guard. But for metal interesting sounds.
Ack. Unlistenable. If I NEED to listen to this before I die, I will die unfulfilled.
Na dertig seconden wist ik al dat ik gillende koppijn van deze (letterlijk) grafherrie zou krijgen en werd niet teleurgesteld. Enkel de stukjes etnische Indianenmuziek geven wat verlichting, maar niet genoeg. Lang leve Ibuprofen.
Luister je later terug, dan voelt veel van die tienermuziek fake. Maar soms ontstaat door het afzetten juist interessante nieuwe muziek die een nieuwe muzikale lat legt. Het filtert zich wel uit. De meest interessante muziek blijft ons nog decennia vermaken. Wij kregen laatst Little Richard die binnen de Rock & Roll de grenzen nog wat oprekte. En we kregen The Sex Pistols, waarbij de zang ons niet eens stoorde. Ik ben toch bang dat Sepultura dit niet na gaat doen. Het ontstijgt zijn eigen tijd totaal niet. Ik die tijd vond ik bijvoorbeeld Fear Factory veel interessanter. Ik ben benieuwd of dit stand houd als ik dit nu terug luister. Wellicht klop ik eens even aan bij een luistermaatje voor advies welke muziek uit dit genre beter de tand des tijds heeft doorstaan. De 1001 gaat het mij in elk geval niet leveren.
Ik heb in de nu-metal tijd meer gedraaid van Korn en Deftones. Sepultura heb ik eigenlijk links laten liggen. Maar als ik het nu zo hoor, heeft het ook wel die agressieve drums en groovy gitaren. Het is wat harder muzikaal, met af en toe wat experimentele oerwoudgeluiden. Deze muziek is niet voor iedereen weggelegd natuurlijk, maar ik vind het fijner om dit soort muziek af en toe voorbij te horen komen, dan het zoveelste postpunkgedrocht. En doordat het zo weinig voorkomt, ben ik geneigd het bonuspunten te geven. Alleen vind ik sommige nummers te hard en te veel op Ministry lijken, industrial metal, waarbij het een soort monotoon gehakketak is. De nummers waar meer afwisseling is qua drums, of die hele dikke groovende gitaren hebben, die zijn verreweg het beste. Afgerond kom ik nog tot een hele mooie 4.
Juuret! Punajuuret! Täähän on tavallaan aika jännä kansanmusan ja metallin yhdistelmä. Oon suuri vanhan Sepulturan diggari, mutta tää levy on niin numetallin sävyttämä että pelkkä brassien kansanmusa olis toiminut ehkä paremmin. Kyllä tällä on musta ihan ansaittu paikka tällä listalla kaikessa onituisuudessaan. 3/5
Joitain ihan ok hetkiä, mutta eipä silti mun juttu.
huoh ei jaksais tällästä aavistuksen onanoivaa perusmetallia yli tuntia. Miten voi ysärilevynkansi muuten näyttää näin paljon AI:n tekemältä?
Fantastic album that I ahve listened to many of the songs from but never the entire album
I made it through about 5 songs. Not my thing at all. I feel like you either really like this type of music, or you don't. I'm part of group 2.
Just not my thing. The things I like best were the things that made it not-deathmetal, so it's really more about the genre than this particular album.
Fuck no. Zero stars
The vocals are just dumb. Music was great though. Hmmm.
Who would’ve thought one of the best metal albums of the 1990s would be brought to us by the lovely country of Brazil! Sepultura mix indigenous tones into their headbanging and it melds so well quite honestly. They never lose steam while plowing through a rather long album that never FEELS as long as it is. Excellent record!
This was an interesting listen for me and I didn't completely hate it. I sorta liked the songs that brought in the more tribal aspect and give them props for creativity here. Blending any other genre into demon shriek metal has got to be tough, nevermind adding indigenous drumming and chants, bravo. By the end, I thought this was the soundtrack for a movie like Apocalypto or 10,000 BC.
Demon wretch. Some good ones and some bad ones on here. I imagine their shows had some insane shit going onstage, like human sacrifice. One song made me feel like I was in a dungeon watching toture. They threw in some pauses in the chaos with good instrumentals and ancient shaman ritualism which I liked. Not sure why they jammed out in a canyon for 13 mins at the end.
Not a heavy metal fan. Demon wretches surrounded by admittedly skilled musicians. I'm sure it's influential in the metal community but I'm just not into it. Incidentally the songs I liked the most were the ones that deviated from metal and included some of tribal mode. Not my bag baby. 1.00 stars.
Итс окэй. Ожидал чего-то гораздо более тяжелого для восприятия и резкого. Традиционные вставки гораздо интереснее всей этой нюметальщины. Лучшая песня - Itsári.
Not my jam Super heacy metal
The music isn't bad but I cannot do these vocals
Wow. Was für ein Metal-Album! Großartig!
Finally some good stuff! Incredible album! Just don't care for canyon jam.
3.5
Heavy metal is not really my style.
i did not like that
Metal. Didn’t listen much.
Bad heavy metal.
Great album. It's at it's best when it is incorporating all of the folk instruments of the indigenous population. Vocally it does get stronger over time. I do think it was a weird decision to end the album on a 13 minute instrumental track that is extremely slow paced given the rest of the album which is why it get's a 4/5
Well, it's some kind of vibe. Not the worst metal we've had on the list (damning with faint praise), and some of the bits that weren't metal were interesting, but still, mostly, generic dumb metal.
this one did not pass the “getting ready in the morning with the family” test lol then evie accused me of failing to expand my musical horizons (“isn’t that what the project is for??”) so i made them listen to it on the way into school. +1 bonus star for the drama
Not for me
I feel like I enjoyed this more when it came out, it was good for the time but I dont think I can listen to it often anymore
me before: no metal bands Sepultura: ROOTS! BLOODY ROOTS! me after: one metal band
not my thing
Didn't really "get" Sepultura until this listen, but this rocked. Loved the sort of tribal inspired moments, and of course there's some nasty grooves here.
Man this was such a good album. Loved the Brazilian bit. The perfect balance of groove metal and Nu metal.
Good stuff, enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Really enjoyed the Brazilian influences.
Wannabe Slipknot.
Heavy, not exactly breakfast music but good. 4 stars.
Grei jobbemusikk
No thanks. There were a handful of somewhat interesting moments but this never stood a chance.
Decent metal but I’m not sure what sets this apart besides them doing a song or two in Portuguese
Absolutely horrible. Don't understand how this got put on this list. Made it halfway through before giving up. Wish there was a zero stars option.
Could not get through more than one song this was so horrible. What an insult to every great album not included on this list.
I can’t do the screaming, but I appreciate the energy
YEAH
Not my thing.
Not into screamo metal, but love the percussion and guitars in this album. 3* for me, because of the screamo. The instrumentals and a couple of great tracks bump this up from 2*. Just can't cope with all the vocals being yelled at me. I love Korn, Slipknot, and other nu-metal, but maybe pure screamed metal isn't for me. Maybe I would have really enjoyed this in high school. Because it was so different from everything else, I enjoyed Jasco. Itsari, which features a native chant, was very cool. This put me onto a Korn kick.
This was not good
Groovy, heavy, and I liked the aboriginal elements. A little slow at times, but overall pretty good. Never really listened to sepultura, but I might have to check out more. 4/5
I never listened to Sepultura until a year or so ago when my friend recommended them to me. I'd like to go through their entire discography, but I've only istened to 3 or so albums, so far. This is the second time I've listened to Roots, and I do really like it. My main complaint is that it feels too long. An hour and twelve minute album can feel epic and intentional, but this album feels like they just wrote too many songs and put them all on one record, instead of releasing b-sides or maybe doing a double-disc or saving some for another album. I'd actually be very interested in trying to cut out a few tracks to make a lean 45-50 minute album...or see if fans have already proposed leaner cuts. I think that, if Sepultura would have cut 20-25 minutes of the album, I would give it 5 stars.
I'm glad this album exists for someone who needs it. Itsari was unique. Otherwise, not for me.
Jarring at first, but soon settles in to what feels like a deep-tissue massage.
“Roots” starts so screamingly aggressive, but the second song provides hints of the potential of blending Brazilian and indigenous elements into Sepultura’s thrash metal sound. Unfortunately, that potential is mostly squandered. “Ratamahatta” is the best example of what could have been, and “Itsari” is a welcome respite from the metal. But the transition in sound that was more of a problem was the drift towards the 90s trend of nu metal. A problem, in that most nu metal is pretty awful. But less of a problem since Sepultura’s original sound was pretty awful too.
Is there a Sepultura album with no vocals? I could get down with that. I'm glad I heard Itsari, that is about the only nice thing I can say about Sepultura.
Making this an instrumental album would result in +3 ⭐️. First, it would shorten the album to a reasonable length. Second, it would remove the most wrenchingly offensive vocals. I understand that the guttural growling goes with the genre, but that’s a no from me. The sad part is that the music is pretty good. There are riffs that I can get down to.
I started to listen to this at 8:30am. Now I don't need coffee. First impressions: this is much better than I expected. Good, aggressive vocals, interesting percussion (is that the snare sound or a timpani?), and the guitar tone is impressive for this type of 90s metal (pre-Nu Metal?). It's brutal, but also kind of accessible. I'm pretty sure the last track is gun shots and someone intensively cleaning a cooking pot.
Maybe impressive for its time but yeah, not as stand-out as many other nu-metal albums of the era.
Wasn’t sure how to rate this. I liked it, and it was pretty interesting as far as metal goes (incorporates Brazilian sounds/rhythms), but it was bad timing - I was tired, had a headache, and it felt like it went on too long. At another time, I might’ve given it a 4; I settled for 3 because I’m unlikely to listen to the whole album in one sitting again.
Terrible!
Some very good stuff in here. Ratamahatta was the biggest surprise and sticks in my head. Canyon jam was too long and unnecessary, for that -1 star.
Comically bad.
It would be pretty good if it wasn't for the screamer... I mean singer
It's better than most American Metal, which might be a backhanded compliment.
First few songs are great, the heaviness is excellent, the riffage is solid and the screaming is high quality I listened through twice and it was good both times, this is a great album
It's alright, though very much a product of the mid-90s. There are a few solid tracks, but the album would need to be seriously trimmed down to be great.
solid and refreshingly unsatanic
I’m not a metal fan but musically this ok. But the vocals: I absolutely hate the throat singing vocals prevalent in this type of metal. I ruined the song even if the music is decent. Canyon Jam was cool though.
Didn’t expect to like it, but I did. I think I’m realizing I just have a really diverse taste in music. I still don’t love the vocals, but I was able to get over it.
Some bangers but a few head scratchers. Pretty good metal.
Liked the rhythm section. Didn't care for the yelling.
Olisiko ensimmäinen ”hevilevy” vuorossa. Raskaampaa rokkia vähintään. Ei välttämättä ennakkoon lukeudu suosikkeihin, mutta kaikelle täytyy antaa mahdollisuus. Ei mitenkään kovin huono, muttei kyllä mene ykkösenä omalle kuuntelulistalle. Aika rakasta kuunneltavaa.
Znany. Trochę podobny do KorNa dlatego tylko 4/5.
Heavy metal is not really my thing so I wasn’t a huge fan of this album however objectively I can say they were a good band and the album would be good if you are into that type of music, but unfortunately not for me.
Totally not my thing.
I really liked the metal parts, would have given 4 stars if the end of the album were still metal.
It’s a typical metal album.
Not usually my jam, but have always been intrigued by the native Brazilian elements that they include in the music. 2.5/5
I really like metal and most of its derivatives, extreme/harsh vocals are usually a plus, heavy and groovy guitar riffs are also a plus. How exciting to be given an opportunity to listen to some of it, with tribal/aboriginal influences! Sadly it sounded good only on paper. Riffs arent particularly groovy, there is little technicality other than power chords and guitar-dissonance-bends. Percussion in some songs was kind of boring, and the tribal parts of it didnt mesh well with the rest of the songs. Lyrics and vocals are the part where this album really falls apart. I appreciate that the album was made like 30 years ago, but its so dated. Low-quality poetry and somehow even lower quality fry screams and abysmal false chord screams. Sometimes Id see a music video from an underground band with like 15 views and awful production, but their vocalist sounds so much better. I guess thats just his technique, but its definitely not for me. I dont care much for nu-metal, but if I did, Id just listen to Korn or something, which did the same thing but a lot better. Overall, just not a pleasant listen, but I really wish it was. Suppose aboriginal influences make it stand out a bit more. Significant 22/58 Liked 9/58 Added 2/58 NNN
Paikoin tosi hauska. Genressään hyvin onnistunut albumi. Mutta tunti tätä? Ei jaksa.
Miinusta ajoittaisesta samankaltaisuudesta nu metalin kanssa, väkinäisistä "chanteista" sekä "Roots"-teemasta, joka ei taidakaan olla parodinen.
They sounded great. Still not into metal
No thanks. Didn't like any tracks. 1 out of 5
ROOOOOOOOOOTS BLOODY ROOOOOOOOOOOOOTS
I liked this a heck of a lot more than I thought I would. Metal is a strange genre for me. I love punk, alt rock, grunge, but I think I was born slightly late to appreciate Rock-rock. So listening to this was enlightening. It ticked so many of my boxes. A good listen that really engaged me.
based on the album cover and first minute of the album i thought i was gonna HATE it. i didn’t enjoy most of it but the music was more prominent than the screaming and the last song was a 12 minute long percussion jam so it gets points there
decent
find metal album
9/10
Maybe a bit too nu for me
Burrowing deep into their nation's culture and therefore gaining more expertise in the long-term, Sepultura crafted what was, perhaps, their most consequential and impactful album in their catalog. Roots is exactly what was experienced in their journey and what was documented in its wake, for the embrace of Indigenous culture within Brazil comes across as purely authentic and lacking in pretentiousness. Whether or not you could make do with it towards the end (Canyon Jam may be seen as inconsequential but it wraps an effective bow on the album), it can't be denied that Sepultura have topped themselves with this. Favorites: Roots Bloody Roots, Cut-Throat, Ratamahatta, Straighthate, Spit, Dusted, Born Stubborn, Itsári, Endangered Species.
Loved this, raw, exciting, innovative
very pleasant surprise, the vocals are usually what make or break metal for me, and this has exactly the vocal style i typically dislike, so i immediately was a bit down on it but i tried to keep an open mind. good thing i did, because while i never really came around to the vocal performance, the blending of sounds and styles here is really something, and excellently performed. I don't know that I'll be listening over and over by any means but it's definitely interesting, and very enjoyable
This album is on fire, a total classic. I'm not even a fan of the genre, and find the vocal style jarring, normally I don't listen to albums like this, but this one is special.
Überraschend gut eigentlich
It's fine.
Thoughts before listening: I'm pleasantly surprised to see this on the list. I was a teenager when this came out and I remember it being a big deal to my friends who were into metal. I was more into punk rock than metal but I did hear this at the time. It was too dense and the vocals were too much of a growl for me. I'm interested to see what I think of it now as an adult. Review: This is definitely dense and I'm still not a huge fan of the growled vocals, but I'm not hating this album. There's definitely a cool groove and great percussion to these songs even though it's not necessarily my style. The music sounds a lot like what Korn and the Deftones were doing around that same time. The songs with tribal chants are cool and interesting.
Great metal album. Will need to hear more of them
The 5 star rating system strikes again. I really want to give this 3.5 because this genre and the roaring vocal still just ain’t my thing. However I do appreciate the musicianship, particularly the percussion, and the collaboration with the tribespeople is interesting
RAAAAGHB BLOODY RAAAAAAAAAGHB The best example of a shitty genre is still shitty. But hey, it's better than the fogey rock (Clapton et al) on this list so there's that.
I think it's easy to dismiss this type of metal as gimmicky and easy to do, but Sepultura is a talented (and weird) group of dudes. It's definitely a unique sound - thanks in large part to the incorporation of world and native chants/instrumentation. But there is some skill involved in this too. I found the guitar work on Jasco to be impressive.
General culture
fuckin weird
This gets a solid four and a half, simply cause I couldn’t listen to it aaaaalll the time. But as Kelly says, this shit slaps harder than the hand of God, but it’s also kinda campy and silly at times. Highlight track Attitude
Words cannot express how much I disliked this album.
Not my cup of tea.
NGSJSJTSTURAHHHHHH
Enjoyed this far more than the last Sepultura album on the list
Not a fan of metal albums where it's just guttural screaming. The Brazilian influence in the music is interesting, and there's a few good heavy riffs, but... ehh.
One song added
Woah
Brazilian metal is obviously some of the most metal out there, and this album in particular has some of the best riffs. It is also cool that you can trace the influence of Portuguese and Brazilian music styles in many of the songs. The second half of the album gets a bit too indie, but I'm going to ignore that and just give it 5 stars.
Not my taste. Has vaguely interesting Brazilian percussion at the start of some songs before the noisy metal begins and I press the next song button.
My low expectations were met. Interesting rhythmically but mostly an unlistenable racket and as for those vocals … what’s wrong with that lad?
Beurkkk c est vraiment pas ma tasse de thé ce bruit 🙄
Pls no
Oh so THIS is where all my favorite metal tropes came from
FINALLY some metal.
Intrumentals are great, Vocals made this personally unlistenable 1/5
- metal, finally - still it's not totally mine - some cool stuff in there - 3/5?
Good for a certain mood and to play DOOM to.
Not for me
Gid, but a little too heavy. Not as too heavy as I used to think though.
Best one yet holy shit
metal's not usually my cup of tea so this was an interesting foray
I liked the interludes and the experimental elements much more than the actual songs. I’d listen to a a whole album of Itsari-type songs over anything else on Roots. Obviously talented at what they do, just to heavy and angry for me at this time. Do love the name Dictatorshit as a song/concept. Nice way to delegitimize/ridicule power. Probably would have loved this album at 17.
none of those squealy guitars and ultimate speed drumming so as metal goes this is fairly acceptable.
A murder of crows descend around the grave of my miserable life. I've died after listening to this shit record. Girls can play baseball too.
Scotland to win Euro 2024. McTominay top scorer. Get all your money on it.
Quite the variation of sounds in this one.
Well, I'm glad that's over.
I don't have the genre bona fides or right ear for Roots's production or I would be rating it higher. The album's got a nice amount of tempo variation and experiments with the standard thrash base they start with. While that covers "experimentation", the blanket impression of the disc is quite similar, though, and not in concept record terms I love. Heavy, loud, earthier than Arise, sure.
I am brazilian. I respect this album. I just don't enjoy the genre.
As my dash cam can attest, as soon as the singing started on this, I went, "Oh boy." I really don't like metal. I didn't mind the instruments, but the growling -- sorry, I mean singing -- is far too much for me.
Niet mijn genre, wel vet
Instrumentally this is a well put together album, interesting rythms. Vocals can be harsh sometimes 2.8
I listened to this album for about ten minutes, read the global reviews which were overwhelmingly positive, and then tried to go back and listen to the rest of the album. I can't do it, i'm sorry, this just doesn't do it for me.
I can't finish this.
Not my thing. even so, more bearable than some of the albums on here. for that I'll give it a little bump.
Stupid growling vocals automatically means one star. Only because we can't vote zero.
Not my thing, but seems like a good version of the thing
In my younger days I was tortured by my metal friends who discovered Sepultura and made us listen to it all the time. Since those days I hate everything that involves growling and screaming. Now I can tolerate this album and see some great moments when the Latin percussion elements come in. That's when this album is really interesting to me. Everything else? Not so much.
Ah, ik mag vandaag de boze voorloper van Bløf's 'Umoja' luisteren. Ik zie op Wikipedia dat ze inspiratie hebben opgedaan bij Korn en Deftones dus ik heb er meteen zin in. Ik kende alleen Roots Bloody Roots en Ratamahatta (niet te verwarren met Ramaganana van Treble want dan gaat het echt mis). Ontzettend harde maar geweldige tracks. Naast de eerder genoemde invloeden klinkt het ook een beetje Slipknot-achtig ("Spit"). Vol geluid, lompe gitaren, fijne manier van schreeuwen. Af en toe de wat meer duistere stukjes met gefluister en licht dreigende gitaren met veel effecten. Ik hou hier zeker van. 5 sterren.
So much good musicality. So much shouting. So long.
way too long brothers
1/1 tribal metal
Bonkers. Standard predictable metal thrash hokum then goes bongo with classical guitars. An experience. Bonkers
Nope
Føjjjjj. Kan godt nok ikke lide
Cut my life into pieces ⛓️🩸, metal will never appeal to me no matter the album
Holy shit
If you take the vocals and instrumentation out of this album, it is perfect. Otherwise, it's an hour and 12 minutes of your life you'll never get back.
Better than expected
This was better than I was expecting but it got a bit much after the first 30 mins
Thought their other one was alright but this was fucking pump. Dunno what made the difference.
This was one of my first metal records. Max has been a large influence on me since the 90s. This record is an easy 5 stars and should be considered one of few non American or European classics.
As Brazilian metal band Septula progressed through the '90's, they started to move away from their thrash metal roots. While Chaos A.D. still maintained elements of thrash, it would be Roots that see a more complete embrace of new metal genres for the decade such as alternative metal, nu metal, and groove metal. It almost certainly indicates a desire to change and evolve the sound from their past decade of albums. More than that, it's a proud display of the band's Brazilian heritage and culture; This includes recording with the members from the Xavante tribe. Brining a unique blend of percussive elements to the heavier aspects of the metal gives Septula a whole new dimension for their music. They raised the bar. Examining the metal itself, it's extremely well-crafted. Heavy, fresh, and groovy without coming across as corny or trite. Although a bit bloated, this record never tired me out or felt stale. "Jasco" would have been a perfect closer track. Regardless, Roots feels like a consistently excellent showing from Sepultura. You can skip the Canyon Jam if you want; I wouldn't consider it to be a formal part of the album.
The music is pretty good but the “singing” ruins it
Look, I understand that this just isn't going to work for most folks but I'm a metalhead and this is right up my alley. It's a legitimately great metal album. Throughout the whole album, everyone is locked in to the groove and every note feels intentional. That's not exactly normal for a genre that's often characterized by fury and chaos. On "Roots" there's a definite vibe of pure, raw power kept under complete control. Like a pro driver knowing just how much to break around the curves and when to open the throttle and let the engine off the leash, Sepultura knows when to dial it in and when to let loose. It was some kinda ride and I legitimately loved every moment of it.
90s groove metal is far from my favorite thing to listen to, so I was not excited to listen to this album and my expectations were not high. And I really disliked it for the first few tracks, but then there was a moment around Lookaway where it kinda clicked for me, and I really enjoyed the last half. There's a kind of epicness and importance to this album that I think is really cool, it's one of those metal projects that feels like a journey. The song compositions are consistently pretty cool and diverse, and the influence of traditional Brazilian folk music is really cool and well implemented. There are some moments on this album that are actually terrifying (namely on Lookaway and Endangered Species), and the whole thing feels so massive and hard-hitting. That's a lot of praise for an album I'm gonna end up giving a 3/5 here, but maybe if I relistened to it knowing what to expect, it would grow on me
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.
Couldn’t listen to it -awful
It’s fine and I really appreciate some metal, but over an hour of those vocals is enough to give me a panic attack. Not for me.
This album would be so much better if you could mute the vocals. I love the heavy metal drums and guitar, but the screaming of the vocalist is just draining and detracts from the music.
MAKES ME WANT TO FUCK!!!!!!!!
Brazilian heavy metal band.
mostly dull metal with noticeably poor vocals, but with occasional sparks of brilliance with indigenous chants and mixed percussion
booooooooooooo
Couldn't get through this one. It's quite heavy, which in itself is not a bad thing, but all the tracks sound alike, and the growling gets old pretty fast. 2/5
The inclusion of Latin American beats at times is interesting but the guitars and vocals are pretty standard thrash, which is not my thing at all. Sorry. And another overlong album.
Back when I was an angry little 12/13 year old, I absolutely loved Soulfly. I never managed to get into the frontman's preceding band, Sepultura though. I don't know what it was that made Sepultura less accessible for me. Maybe the higher density of sound, maybe the lesser amount of groove, or the growls instead of shouts as with Soulfly. Whatever the case, 20 years later, I am a lot less angry and definitely enjoyed the musical juggernaut of an album that is Roots. The highlight of the album is probably the fantastic drumming which seems infused with ethnic rhythms. Somewhat less convincing are the vocals, which nonetheless absolutely fulfill their purpose. The last couple of tracks peter out a bit weakly compared to the beginning of the album. On the whole, this album was a fantastic ride though, encompassing everything metal is supposed to be and then just a little bit more - ethnic influences to make everything more interesting.
This may be the best metal album ever. I was way into this, Korn and Limp Bizkit in when I was 14. Still holds up.
I am not familiar with Metal, never heard of Roots, but this was most definitely Metal. I cranked it up to feel it and can see it's place in getting adrenaline going. I listened to this while making dinner and I can safely say my fried rice was near perfect. Probably had nothing to do with the music though. This album would also function as torture.
This is what I thought it would be. I’ve seen the cover art but never given it a listen. After you get through the gutteral vocals. There is some great music in here.
I said previously that 1001 has sufficient depth but not enough breadth of Brazilian music and I wish they had explored other Brazilian genres. Hmmm. Perhaps I change my mind on that, lol There are some interesting fusions of Brazilian styles with metal but I'm just not a fan of thrash which is the backbone of this album.
This ain't Brazilian Bossanova.
I knew of Sepultura but I had only a vague awareness of this album and had never actually heard a single track from it before today. I figured the mixture of metal and world music wouldn't be great, but I actually really enjoyed this one. It was surprising how well this has held up for an album made in the 1990s and it's amazing to see how much Gojira has "borrowed" from this material. The vocals sounded very like early Slayer, the groove-metal just reminded me of any number of bands, but the tribal elements fitted in well and kept things interesting. It's definitely worth a relisten, but it wasn't quite a 5-star experience, probably close to a 9/10, but not quite perfect enough for 5/5.
An abysmal symphony of cacophonous dissonance. An opus of relentless auditory aggression, characterized by a disarray of timbral textures and incessant polyrhythmic assaults. A lamentable display of disorganized musical form, bereft of melodic cohesion and dynamic subtlety. An exorbitant barrage of guttural utterances, bereft of intelligible enunciation and lyrical profundity. An abhorrent manifestation of sonic pandemonium, characterized by an absence of harmonic resolution and rhythmic finesse. A dismal assemblage of distorted articulations, failing to demonstrate compositional elegance and thematic development. A disheartening exhibition of nihilistic thematic exploration, eschewing intellectual depth and cultural significance. A woeful showcase of tonal atonality and incoherent musical architecture, betraying a lack of artistic direction and creative ingenuity. A deleterious cacophony of percussive excess, lacking in precision and instrumental virtuosity. A distressing foray into disorganized chromaticism, lacking the structural integrity and harmonic sophistication characteristic of accomplished musical works. 1/5.
Not my thing. Good at what it does.
I think this might be a quick listen and review. I think its heavymetal. Excelent power ballad stuff for those seeking it in this form. Deeply unpleasant voice that evokes horror, disturbing feelings of visceral unpleasantness and nausea. Id give them a chnace with a different vocalist... if life was longer? I need 30 seconds before I shut it down., or.... the time it took to write this.
Nah!!!
This album was clearly highly influential on nu-metal, and is far better than most of that godforsaken genre. Despite the occasional touches of Latin percussion, field recordings of indigenous song, and acoustic guitar, this is still an hour of yelling, yelling, yelling, over a brutal and repetitive metal riffage. I am exhausted. And the 13 minute percussion jam at the end of the album just adds insult to injury. Alfie, my 15 year old son, wandered into my office while this was playing and his ears pricked up. "What's this?" he asked. When I told him, he went "hmm" in a thoughtful manner and wandered out again. It wouldn't surprise me if he added this to his playlist. But it does go to show, this really is intended for teenage boys, not middle-aged men.
Good stuff, liked the jungle theme of it all. The hidden percussion track was cool
Cool heavy stuff
Not my favorite genre, but WOW, Sepultura is so good. As a brazilian, hearing a berimbau and many other cultural references in a heavy metal album is amazing.
14th July 2023 Listened on Monday cos Jen’s family came Friday and we were getting bits ready. Sheffield for Pulp on Saturday. Jesus this was tough.
Cuando la falta de talento se disfraza con gritos y ruido .
Listened to parts of two cuts. Heavy metal is not for me.
I don't listen to much heavy metal and particularly little of thrash and death metal. I have heard of Sepultura as a band, but that's about it. I didn't even know they were from Brazil. The screaming growl as the form of delivery for lyrics distracts me from most of what the instruments are doing. I don't think I understand where this type of music is coming from or who it is trying to reach. I could easily skip it. I did make it through Roots, but much of the listen was "getting through". "Ratamahatta" was a fair surprise - enjoyed hearing some portuguese. "Itsári" was unexpected and possibly my favorite track. I liked the inclusion of softer sounds and indenous voices. The mellow extended "Canyon Jam" made me curious to hear what sounds would follow within that recording. Towards the end of the album I was starting to hear what was happening in the music, but the vocals kept alienating me from the overall experience. I'd skip this album in the future.
That was intense and so fun. I loved the Sud American beats and the intensity. Felt that all the way through.
Wow. I know we got one of their albums before but this seems to be their most lauded and I can see why. Really embracing the brazilian roots and I know for a fact that this album was inspiration for so many others like Slipknot, Ill Nino, and I even saw that the lead singer went on to start Soul Fly which Ill Nino has done a cover of. Endangered Species had some spots that sounded exactly like Only One from Slipknots 1999 album. Also just the idea of playing with sounds both percussion and acoustic guitar but things like Slipknots banging on trash cans and static sounds are used here. I didn't connect with every single song, but I connected with this album as a whole. It felt like listening to a piece of Nu Metal history. Every song felt distinct in its own way and this album more than deserves to be on this list. Ok I'm convinced now, Canyon Jam at the end is almost IDENTICAL to how Scissors opens, the last song on Slipknots album and is the same design. Long song with sounds but it's that same washer movement to taps and shots. Both used it. I haven't looked but I'd bet money now that Slipknot was heavily influenced by these guys.
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
Okay, no, big no😂
Groovy, it's definitely fun to listen to a few tracks of it. 70 minutes of it is not really listenable though
Cool stuff.
I only need one Sepultura album on my collection of torture devices, otherwise my enemies would be allowed to get variety in their shortened lives.
Seems a bit more creative than the previous Sepultura album... some longer instrumental segments and additional percussion/native vibes mixed in. Still, it is heavy, aggressive, and the vocalist style is a bit paralyzing... maybe i'm old, but some of the parts just sound like he's killing his voice, almost wince inducing. Reasonably interesting, but definitely long.
Heavy rock, did not like
This is a very obviously groundbreaking album with a lot of interesting influences. I am not a metal-head but I really liked this one
2/5. It’s a good metal album but I honestly don’t remember most of the songs. Wish it was higher but didn’t stand out enough.
Heavy.
Like being in a hardcore Brazilian dentist. I hope his throat clears up!
I forgot how badass this album is. 🤘
Not into the genre
Fire ass drums
Sepultura is one of those bands that is so integral to a specific genre in terms of definition and scope, but man, I really don't understand why. I am thankful for their role in the development and evolution of metal, but I wouldn't actively listen to them.
Wow!
It took me over a year to get to this album. The name and cover art were just off-putting and I thought it was going to be a scream fest. Glad to say I was extremely surprised. I've never listened to anything like it and it takes you on a genuine journey. Glad it's on the list.
not my vibe
Cool album i liked it, not much else
Njaahh, not a favourite in my world
Not usually a metal fan but enjoyed this more than I thought
ROOOOOOOTS BLOODY ROOOOOOTS
Brilliant
While not my favorite Sepultura album it's by far there most ambitious. It is interesting to hear world music mixed with death metal, Ratamahatta is brilliant. By far Igor best album from a percussion standpoint. Musically the album is 5 stars, Max's vocals is an acquired taste and an album of this length can be a bit much, I'll round a 3.5 to a 4.
I 100% expected to hate this record, but it was pretty f-cking good. Even though the Cookie Monster vocals can get a bit tiring, overall it works as a style. Interesting integration of different percussion in the “interlude” pieces. I’d definitely listen again, although it’s long.
I could never get past the vocals.
Based on my rating scale of 1 == “I wanted to turn this off multiple times” I have no choice but to rate this a 1. I must have double checked the playlist every single song hoping I was closer to the end of the album. Drums and guitar were good at times and I didn’t even mind a few of the weird songs in the middle that had no lyrics, but every time the singer “sang” I wanted to skip to the next track.
Coming out of John Lennon's Imagine straight into this album was a huge breath of fresh air. I imagine many people would feel the same if the direction was reversed, haha. Roots Bloody Roots was my favorite song by a lot. The rest was still good, but it blended together. It was really cool to hear the tribal sounds on singers on some tracks, although the blog called them 'Indians' which is wrong on several levels.
This is really not my genre, but it was actually alright. Not outstanding I guess, but I had fun.
Lo adoré. Ya hacía falta un álbum de Metal, y qué buena forma de empezar, realmente no tiene ni una canción que me desagrade y, por si fuera poco, no todas suenan igual! Tiene las 4 estrellas más que merecidas.
Surprisingly didn’t hate it! Quite enjoyed it, though I’m a complete newbie to the genre so can’t really judge it against its peers
Musically this is very interesting especially the instrumental ones, but in my opinion, this album suffers by the type of the voice the singer uses (not my kind of type) and a little bit from the weakness of the lyrics . 3 only for the music and production.
I was prepared to dislike this album. I am not much of a metalhead, no disrespect to the genre, it’s just I’m one of those that begins to recoil as soon as I find out the vocals are going to be mostly nothing but growls and screams. My loss, I know. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by this album. It fits in at a unique crossroad, when industrial, grunge and thrash were basically dying and funneling their influences into nu-metal, and this is an album that bridges that transition. Apparently the guitarist used the same pedal as the guitarist on Korn’s debut album, and for better or worse (I’m in the former of the two), that is sometimes very apparent. To piggy back on that, I thought the making of this album was genuinely interesting and worth a quick Wikipedia dive. The background of the percussive elements on this album I found to be particularly interesting, just really impressive stuff all the way around, and it was the main factor for my enjoyment. One easy thing to knock against it is it’s simply too long, and it grows stale by the end. Hard for me to recommend outside of fans of the genre, but maybe it’ll work out for naysayers in the way it worked out for me.
Drums
Very cool
I just can't relate to this sort of stuff. No idea if it's 'good' or not for the genre. For that reason it gets 2 instead of 1 stars but nope, sorry, not my cup of tea.
Not my thing
Trend chasing at its best, but you can’t help but snap your neck head banging to this monstrosity.
Some nice grooves. Jasco and Itsári are welcome breaks from the guttural madness.
Despite some repetitiveness, this is a great, revolutionary album for 1996. The trend of thrash metal mixed with traditional Brazilian music was a huge bet that gave Sepultura a significant part of their success.
nah
Petit nettoyage de douche en écoutant Sepultura, est-ce que ça serait pas ça le bonheur finalement ?
allez hop hors de ma vue les ptits loups
6/10
Ooh this was quite good. Metal with screamed vocals has never been my favourite - I've always been more into the less screamy-growly older metal genres like speed and thrash. However this was still very good. The riffs were amazing and it was just so creative - I loved the Brazilian flair of this album, and all the traditional indigenous elements were just excellent and kept it compelling. I'll probably come back to this when I need my fix of anger and aggression. Favourite: Ratamahatta
HEAVY DUTY! Sepultura was a band I first heard about from Antonio, a church investigator I knew while serving in Cruzerio, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He wasn't into the church, he was into speaking English with Americans who had good musical tastes between Christian Pieper and myself. This band is from Brazil, and this album has a lot of traditional Brazilian drum beats, too. A little heavy for my taste, but it was the first I'd listened to of this legendary Brazilian band in years. A good listen if you're preparing to jump 30 flaming school buses on a motorcycle!
Metal, nu metal is really not my thing, I have headache while I listen to the aggressive music, and aggressive lyrics. The only tracks I enjoyed on this albums are the slower tracks, like Canyon Jam, for example, which stands out maybe too much on this album (and the Brazilian influence is definitely there). 1.5 but since I have never gave 1 on any album, I'll give it a 2.
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.
Heavy AF. Fun to listen to on occasion, but not heavy in the rotation. Music wise it is fantastic, I just can't deal with the screamo stuff!
hard pass
Yeah, this was not good.
Loving the rhythmic guitar grooves which feel unique, interesting, varied, and so very heavy. I also appreciate the album art. Unfortunately I think I've aged out of the vocal style and find it really hinders my enjoyment of the music. Best track: Ratamahatta A cool idea which mostly works and a worthy entry on this list 3.5
The last Sep album with the brothers Cavalera. What a run these guys had and one of the best metal bands of all time.
Not my scene, at least not any more
A bit too much for my taste. I had a white-knuckled l, rage driven car ride home from this.
Remarkable album. Hard, uncompromising, invigorating. Never listen to metal normally but this was extraordinary - no campy machismo, self-regarding instrument fondling,l or school-shooter vibes. Metal without North American involvement. Turns out it's excellent.
Today I learned that Chaos AD wasn't their first album. This band always excited me as a kid but I didn't really spend too much time with them beyond Refuse/Resist. Still enjoyable.
Another hard pass from me, I genuinely don’t see why something like this makes it into a collection of albums that one must listen to. I don’t see what value it adds to my listening education? Another 1/5
Feels like very generic screamo
Fine ibland!
rOOOts, bloody rOOOOOOOts More enjoyable overall than Arise, with the every-so-often occurance of a groove or riff that conveys the energy they were going for. Still, the imrovement is mostly marginal and the long length doesn’t help with picking out the good parts. I also personally would have leaned harder into the south american folk music aspects than they did, although I wouldn’t have been making a metal album in the first place
Int för mig
The stars are cause they can play their instruments. The vocals make me want to wrap my own throat in a warm cocoon made of melted ricolas and never speak again.
A relatively enjoyable nu metal album, notable for the Brazilian band's exploration of and inspiration from their native peoples. If nu metal made the list, I sure hope we see the Deftones on here!
Great album. Enjoyed it
Wow, this is extremely heavy but very listenable. Sepultura seem to take themselves very seriously, which often doesn't mix well with the silliness of heavy metal music. Somehow that make this work as a piece of art. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Roots Bloody Roots Date listened: 07/03/23 (generated 26/02/23)
Really creative with the inclusion of Brazilian culture in both the music and album cover. While I don't think I would go back, I'm pretty impressed by this. The music video for Ratamahatta is also really cool. Fave track(s): Attitude, Itsari
It bangs from start to finish, but it lacks the craft of their peers to be a masterpiece. Close, though
Not a fan of guttural yells in metal. This album had way too much distortion and screaming and it didn't move me at all.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Another Sepultura album and like the last one, I fucking hate the screamed vocals. When they weren't there I was digging the vibes but man why did they have to go and ruin it with a bunch of annoying sounds? Really a shame. Also this album is too long. 1.5/5
\m/
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this album at all, but I actually found it to be really fun! Highlights: Roots Bloody Roots Ratamahatta
Surprisingly a vibe.
Had some good stuff going on in there. I do love me some impressive percussion so that was a plus. Top tracks for me: Ratamahatta Breed Apart Jasco Itsári
Not something I will be rushing to hear again. Heavy metal without melody or tunefulness just doesn't do it for me
I enjoyed this one. I've never actively listened to this band before, but might consider it now.
HL: "Ratamahatta", "Itsari", "Ambush" The idea of traditional Brazilian percussion mixed with modern(at-the-time) heavy metal fascinates me, but the end result was a 72 minute slog to reach those moments. Had to turn it off after 3 tracks, to revisit it the following day. But then, track 4 is probably my favourite of the lot. January 30, 2023
I listened to it. The screaming is just not necessary and it is not what I think makes a good album and it is usually the issue with most heavy metal music. The guitar work and the drumming was pretty good and by itself was mostly listenable. The album definitely could have been shorter and I skipped through some songs.
solid hard rock sound - pretty good. probably 3.5
I really hated this album when it came out. I felt it was such a departure from what made Sepultura good. Let’s see how time has affected me in my appreciation of this crossover album. Not well, I must say… I still am underwhelmed by what is offered.
Despite being a fan of rock I never really went beyond and dove into metal music. It's harder to enjoy when the lyrics are barely comprehensible and the songs cross the line between music and noise. Thankfully, what Sepultura does here is they merely toe the line between the two. Although the lyrics were mostly still gibberish to my ears, I enjoyed how the music was harsh, intense, and heavy, but never migraine-inducing. Especially the longer instrumental bits, pretty sure those would be a real treat to hear live. Standouts were Attitude, Straighthate, and Lookaway.
y. 5.5/10
Roots is the sixth album by Brazilian metal Sepultura. This groove/nu metal album is also a concept album featuring Latin-like rhythms and Brazilian music textures, even including tribal chants from Amazonians. It's unique in this way because of the fusion between native Brazilian sounds and heavy metal music. I did enjoy this interesting album and I think fans of metal music will as well.
I enjoy their early work much, much more. This album is more interesting than it is good. The tribal music aspect is certainly unique. The only problem is this kind of metal, nu-metal, is generally not my thing anymore. I liked this much more when I was in middle school. It's also way too long. Cuts could've been made for sure. Born Stubborn is my favorite song here and the title track is not bad, or maybe that's just nostalgia talking. I used to sing that chorus all the time. I want to like this more than I do. Their early work is so good. I'm giving this a reluctant 3 out of respect when I think it's actually more of a 2.
This is my second album of theirs, and I think I have found a new metal band to listen to! Roots Bloody Roots, and Ratamahatta are my two favorites from this one. Excited to listen to more of their music. \m/
first listen love the tribal stuff, the nu metal is kinda mid tho
Groove y nu metal. Me compro el vinilo, venga.
Ratamahatta me da mucho miedo. Y Itsári miedo. No le doy 1 por Jasco.
Why do you have to be mad? Lots of riffs with words about something. A day’s commute of nü metal
If one has to listen to death metal, I think one can do a lot worse than Sepultura. This album especially. We get a lot of the tropes that I find challenging to listen to, but we also get the following: -Clear vocalizations! I can understand what they're saying! And they're mad! -Clear guitar melodies. The distortion is heavy, but not so heavy as to mask incompetent playing. These fellows know how to riff! -Unique and interesting compositions! They utilize a lot of indigenous sounds and chants from Brazil, giving this album a sound that could only have come from there! Way to go guys. I don't need to listen to this again, and it was way too long, but I'm glad I was here for it.
Not my favourite Sepultura but damn good
I've never checked out more than the title track before but damn this was great